The Professional Jockeys Association has said it will support riders affected by plans to only use senior riders when racing resumes behind closed doors.
The Resumption of Racing Group, through the British Horseracing Authority, on Thursday sent a letter to trainers outlining proposals to, when racing resumes, limit field sizes to 12 and allow only senior riders to partake. Jockeys will also be restricted to one meeting per day.
Dale Gibson, Executive Director of the PJA, has said support will be in place for the jockeys, like claiming riders, affected by the measures.
“There is a shared common goal of achieving a safe resumption of racing in a controlled environment once we are permitted to do so and all parties are working hard to achieve that,” he said. “We will continue to liaise with the BHA on additional jockey-specific issues, with the health and safety of all participants at the top of our agenda.
“We were pleased that there will only be a limited restriction on jockey bookings which is very good news for full jockeys, although of course we recognise that this is potentially frustrating for inexperienced claiming jockeys. We are waiting further detail from the BHA regarding fall and incident data, before any decision on restrictions is finalised. We can assure them that any restrictions will only be temporary and we will seek to have them lifted at the earliest opportunity, whilst offering ongoing support to those who need it through our recently confirmed Coronavirus Jockey Support package.”
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
