Parx Jockeys Refuse Mounts

by Mike Kane 
The months-long dispute over liability and insurance between jockeys and Parx Racing in suburban Philadelphia reached a critical point Monday when most riders refused to take assignments for the Saturday, Mar. 21 program. 

Just three jockeys were named on the 87 horses entered in the nine-race card, the first live racing date after Parx’s new on-track insurance policy takes effect on Thursday, Mar.19. Sam Elliott, the track’s director of racing and racing secretary, said the program could be held as scheduled if a resolution is reached in the next couple of days. 

At issue is a mandate by Parx that jockeys sign a waiver containing language about the track’s liability in order to be eligible to be covered by the $1-million insurance policy. While some adjustments have been made this winter, Jockeys’ Guild National Manager Terry Meyocks said Monday that a sticking point is the provision in the waiver that limits a jockey’s ability to sue the track to Bucks County, where the Bensalem, Pennsylvania facility is located. 

“The Parx jocks are unwilling to do that,” Meyocks said. 

Meyocks said that every racing jurisdiction outside of the four states where jockeys are covered by workmen’s compensation–New York, New Jersey, Maryland and California–has on-track accident insurance in place. 
“There are a couple of points here,” Meyocks said. “One, we can’t start negotiating waivers or conditions on the on-track accident policy. Two, you’ve got a lot of jocks who come in and ride at Parx during the course of a year. What happens if one falls through the cracks and doesn’t sign it? He’s not going to have insurance?” 

Joe Wilson, the chief operating officer at Parx, was not in his office Monday and could not be reached for comment. 
The jockeys and the track, owned by Greenwood Racing, have been at odds since November when Parx officials notified horsemen, including jockeys, that they would be required to sign the waivers in order to work at the track. That policy change came several weeks after Parx lost its initial appeal of a $7.8-million judgement against it brought by the family of an exercise rider who was killed in a 2010. The track’s appeal continues. That fatal training accident occurred when the horse was spooked by chickens on the backstretch. 

According to Meyocks, the jockeys received weekly exemptions from the liability waiver until early March when the Guild and the jockeys were informed of the deadline to be eligible for insurance coverage. 

Meyocks, the Guild’s counsel, Mindy Coleman, and Regional Manager Herbie Rivera, Jr., were at the track over the weekend to talk with jockeys about their rights and present options. Guild officials also met with horsemen to talk about the risks involved without appropriate insurance in place. According to a Guild press release on Monday, more than 50 jockeys at Parx and in the region began notifying the racing secretary, the clerk of scales and the Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission stewards on Saturday that they would not accept mounts on or after Mar. 19 unless there is unconditional guarantees of insurance coverage. 

Elliott said Parx took entries for Saturday, Mar. 21 on schedule Monday and left the 84 horses with no riders named as open mounts. He said that as a result of the issue one New York-based trainer decided not to enter two horses without naming riders. 

Typically, Elliott said, the deadline for riders being named would be 9 a.m. Tuesday morning. 

“We’re going to be flexible on that,” Elliott said. “We’ve spoken with Equibase and they have given us a time frame that it would have to be completed in. Our other choice would be to not take entries. If we hadn’t taken entries, I’m not sure we would have be able to run if it does get settled.” 

Elliott, who is not involved in the negotiations, said that the racing office has until Thursday to finalize the Saturday program. 

“We’re all hopeful that they can come to some agreement,” he said.