Woodbine, Jockeys Still at Odds Over Turf Course

Against the advice of the Jockeys' Benefit Association of Canada, Woodbine has decided not to cancel the rest of its turf racing for the 2018 season.

According to JBAC executive director Robert King Jr., Woodbine's jockey colony has told track management on multiple occasions the turf course is unsafe. After a jockeys' protest before racing Nov. 14 caused the cancellation of the first race, Woodbine management agreed to move the weekend's turf races (Nov. 16-18) to the Tapeta main track, but a statement from the Toronto track Nov. 15 gave no indication it would cancel grass racing. Turf racing at Woodbine is scheduled to continue through Dec. 2.

BALAN: Jockey Protest Leads to Woodbine Race Cancellation

"As for turf racing for the balance of the season, considering the unseasonably cold and wet weather we've experienced throughout November, Woodbine Entertainment will begin to integrate incremental monitoring procedures into our processes to further ensure the safety of our track in advance of all remaining turf races," the track's Thursday statement said.

King said it was explained to him that decisions over whether races will run over the turf course would be made 24 hours prior to racing, which he said once again puts jockeys in the unfair position of threatening not to ride if they feel the course is unsafe.

"The jocks told (Woodbine management) it was horrendous on Saturday and nothing changed the condition of it Sunday, and then they tried to run again," King said, referencing the weekend's racing, when he said Woodbine management "coerced" the jockeys to ride a race on the grass course Nov. 11 after the riders refused to ride Nov. 10. "That's the mindset. I told (Woodbine vice president of Thoroughbred racing operations Jonathan Zammit) Saturday that it was 100% united in the (jockeys') room that the grass was dangerous. And you come back 24 hours later and try to run on it again? That's the mindset, and it's the same mindset today."

After the protest Wednesday, King said the Woodbine turf course had "frozen spots and soft spots. Horses are stumbling and having a difficult time getting over the course."

Woodbine's statement Thursday said the track's management "makes decisions with safety being the highest of priorities."

"Woodbine Entertainment has a very strong relationship with our jockeys, and we remain committed to following our process with safety as the top priority," Zammit said in the statement.

Zammit and the Woodbine communications department declined to answer questions on the topic and declined further comment, outside of what the track released in its statement.

King indicated the issue was far from settled. He said the jockeys will not ride on the turf if they feel it is unsafe, although he said no further protests from the riders are planned at this time.

"I told (Zammit) what he did on Sunday was disrespectful," King said. "We just want respect for the horses and the humans. That's all we're asking here. We don't want to cancel the races. Just put it on the safe surface. The surface you're asking to run on—it's dangerous. … Why can't we do the right thing?"

Turf racing is scheduled to resume at Woodbine Nov. 23, with three grass races in the condition book, but Canadian Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse is optimistic a resolution will be reached.

"I had a long conversation with a couple riders this evening—a couple riders I respect greatly—and I feel pretty confident something will get figured out," Casse said. "If riders don't feel comfortable riding on a course, I don't want them to ride on it. If they're not happy with it, I think it will get figured out."

Sue Leslie, president of the Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association of Ontario, shared Casse's sentiment that a resolution will be reached.

"I think we'll get this worked out. Hopefully common sense will prevail," Leslie said. "As far as the HBPA is concerned, safety is always No. 1—that's the first consideration, always. I think they'll decide to work together in the best interest of racing. Obviously my interests are owners and trainers, and they get to run their horses, but never at the expense of safety.

"I'll work with Woodbine, as we always do, and with Robbie King and the jocks, to take it day by day and make sure we make the right decision for the safety of the riders and the horses. I'm sure everyone is on the same page in that regard."

Conditions in Toronto, which has had snowstorms in recent days, don't appear to be getting any relief from freezing temperatures. Rain and snow is expected to continue through Friday morning, and temperatures are not expected to rise above 40 degrees Fahrenheit through Nov. 29, according to The Weather Channel, with overnight lows dipping below freezing for the foreseeable future.

"It's not going to get any better," King said. "I keep looking at the forecast, and it's cold, cold, and colder."