Monmouth to Bar Jockeys Who Refuse May 28 Mounts
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Photo: Bill Denver/EQUI-PHOTO
Horses race down the stretch at Monmouth Park
Hours before the close of entries for the May 28 opening day card at Monmouth Park, track management took a hard stance against jockeys unwilling to ride at the meet due to a new state law forbidding them to use their crop except when needed for safety.
John Heims, director of racing and racing secretary at Monmouth, said May 25 that riders who refuse to accept rides on Friday's twilight card will not be allowed to ride at Monmouth for the remainder of the meet.
"We are having a problem with guys who have been on the backstretch all monthlong working horses and have calls and now they are saying they won't ride Friday but they will ride Saturday. So it seems like an alleged non-boycott has become a boycott in my mind," Heims said. "We are not going to let people stick it to us and cost us money by canceling racing. If you feel unsafe Friday, how are you safe Saturday? If it's unsafe and you don't want to ride, I get it. No one is asking you to do something you are uncomfortable doing. The rule is not changing, so if you will not ride Friday since you believe it's unsafe, why would you ride any other day?"
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Heims said he had 12 jockeys lined up to ride on Friday's card, which closes Tuesday.
Jockeys Paco Lopez, Nik Juarez, and Ferrin Peterson—who are serving riding suspensions that prevent them from riding on Friday—will not be penalized. Heims said the ban will not apply to riders with previous commitments for Friday racing.