jockeys

Jockey Florent Geroux has joined a growing list of prominent jockeys who have tested positive for the coronavirus. Geroux was scheduled to ride Wednesday at Canterbury Park and had to take a test before he would be allowed to ride there. He took the test Monday and came up positive. "I don't really have any symptoms," Georux said. "I was a little bit tired Monday, but I had a long week last week. I didn't have any shortness of breath or anything like that." In less than a week, jockeys...

Face covering regulations for jockeys have been revised, the British Horseracing Authority announced on Saturday. There has been a hot spell in the UK as summer begins. The new protocols are as follows: Prior to a race, jockeys are required to wear a face covering (which covers nose and mouth) from the time they depart the changing area in the weighing room. The wearing of face coverings during the race is recommended. However, jockeys are permitted to pull down the face covering in the moments immediately prior to the start...

Kendrick Carmouche said he has never experienced racism, at the racetrack or elsewhere. But that doesn't mean that the events surrounding the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers didn't hit home for the 36-year-old jockey. The New York-based Carmouche is one of only a handful of African-American jockeys riding in the U.S. Earlier this week, Carmouche posted an emotional video on social media. With tears streaming down his cheeks, he spoke of the heartache he had been experiencing since the Floyd killing. "It is very...

by Ramon Dominguez and Ryan Moore We have watched, with increasing concern, as momentum to effectively ban the use of the riding crop has built around the world. The negative perception of the crop is real and it matters. You may think it is overblown, the domain of activists, but those among us who dismiss animal welfare concerns will first find ourselves riding without crops, and then not riding at all. We shoulder some blame in this scenario. As riders we have failed--and fail still--to make a persuasive argument about...

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...

Hollie Doyle is keeping herself in the groove to make sure she is ready for the resumption of racing--whenever that might be. Doyle, 23, is riding out every day and will be primed for a return to action once the go ahead is received on the track. "There's not a lot we can do really--we've got to keep the horses going," said the record-breaking jockey. "I'm just riding out every day and getting my exercise--at least we're all in the same position. I rode out for Archie Watson [on Monday]....

In an effort to resume live racing at Santa Anita as promptly as possible, starting Monday, March 30, jockeys will not be permitted on the track's backstretch and agents will be asked to stay off the grounds, according to a text circulated among the horsemen by track officials Saturday morning. This followed a sudden announcement Friday--with first post time looming--that Santa Anita, in accordance with Los Angeles County Health Department, would temporarily close for live racing "effective immediately" as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. That same day, California Thoroughbred...

When Ramón Dominguez approached the starting gate for the seventh race at Aqueduct on Jan. 18, 2013, he was already off to what most consider a great day of racing. For a three-time Eclipse Champion, it was just another day on the job. He had run in the money in three of his four starts already that day, and had blown the field away by over five lengths in the second race. The weather was clear and the track was fast. But the picture-perfect day turned quickly when Dominguez was...

The British Horseracing Authority will conduct breath testing of riders at British racecourses from Feb. 17 in a move away from the practice of having an external supplier conduct the testing. From Mar. 1, new rules will come into effect allowing a more flexible approach to breath testing. Chris Watts, Head of Integrity at the BHA, said, "This is an important and positive step in our testing procedures and will allow us to adopt a smarter and more cost-effective approach to testing. It will allow us to test more frequently...

Jose Ortiz and Luca Panici will both be sidelined for several weeks. Ortiz fractured his wrist Saturday after being unseated by Atone (Into Mischief) in the post parade of race three. He climbed back aboard and rode the race, but was off his mounts the rest of the day. He will be forced to miss the call aboard Tacitus (Tapit) in the $20-million Saudi Cup Feb. 29. Panici fractured his collarbone Friday afternoon when he was thrown from Terrible Tara (Revolutionary) in race 10 after she hit the rail. He...

Umberto Rispoli understands how hard it can be for a foreign rider to break in at a place like Santa Anita. That's why he was delighted to be tied for seventh in the standings at the current meet with six wins after Sunday's card. But the former champion rider in his native Italy didn't come here to be mid-pack in the jockey standings. "My target is to win some of the major races in the U.S.," he said. "Flavien Prat is a good example. He came from Europe and he...

A grant of £2.3 million from the Racing Foundation was secured by the Professional Jockeys Association (PJA), the Jockeys Education and Training Scheme (JETS) and the Injured Jockeys Fund (IJF) it was announced on Wednesday. The five-year grant sees the three organisations unite under the long-term goal of positioning jockeys as elite athletes, benefitting the industry as a whole. The grant proposal is referred to as the 'Jockey Athlete', with three areas prioritised: the Jockey Coaching Programme (JCP), Emotional Wellbeing, Mental Health and Nutrition, and Jockey Athlete Ambassadors. "We are...