Professional Jockeys Association

Benoit de la Sayett has returned a positive test for cocaine, the Professional Jockeys Association announced on Tuesday morning. The British Horseracing Authority has subsequently suspended De La Sayette until the end of the disciplinary process. The 18-year-old apprentice jockey to John and Thady Gosden was shown in a video on social media in late March allegedly in the presence of the drug at a party after winning the Unibet Lincoln H. at Doncaster aboard Haqeeqy (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) on Mar. 27. At that time, the PJA defended...

Amateur rider Lorna Brooke passed away on Sunday after falling at Taunton earlier this month, the Injured Jockeys Fund announced on Monday morning. Brooke, 37, fell from Orchestrated (Ire) (Mahler {GB}), owned and trained by her mother, Lady Susan Brooke. "It is with deep sadness that we have to share the tragic news that Lorna Brooke passed away yesterday," the IJF statement said. "Her family thank everyone for their kindness in the last few weeks, particularly the staff at Southmead Hospital who were so professional. They will be having a...

The Professional Jockeys Association has claimed that star apprentice Benoit de la Sayette "did not and does not take cocaine" after a video surfaced on Twitter on Tuesday showing the 18-year-old in the presence of the drug. The eight-second video-posted from an account made to look as if it belonged to de la Sayette-showed the jockey's face before switching to two unidentified individuals in a toilet cubicle dividing up white powder with a bank card. A caption on the video made it appear as if it had been posted on...

The British racing industry will launch a pilot scheme on Monday offering routine pre-raceday Covid testing for racecourse attendees including jockeys, valets and officials. The pilot, which is funded by the Horserace Betting Levy Board, will last for an initial four-week period and will use regular and repeat Later Flow Testing to detect positive Covid-19 cases well in advance of race day. Dr Jerry Hill, the British Horseracing Authority's chief medical adviser, said, "Advances in testing means that it can now be delivered in a more rapid, convenient and targeted...

The British Horseracing Authority will this spring roll out a pilot programme to assess the use of saliva testing of jockeys on raceday to get near instant results for the presence of cocaine and other banned substances. The BHA is developing the pilot programme in conjunction with the Professional Jockeys Association. The programme would mean that any jockey testing positive could be stood down prior to race riding. Oral swabbing is highly cost effective, meaning that if successful the programme would result in a significant increase in raceday testing of...

A financial contribution has been agreed upon by the Levy to ensure the continuation of the career-ending insurance scheme for jockeys for another six months, the Horserace Betting Levy Board announced on Wednesday. The grant, which will total up to £80,000 max, will be combined with funding provided by the Professional Jockeys' Association (PJA), as the PJA continues to search for a sponsor in the long term. "This scheme has been in place for almost 10 years, paid for by commercial sponsorship and contributions from jockeys," said HBLB Chairman Paul...

The previously announced changes to the apprentice and conditional jockey training agreements will now go into effect on July 15, 2020, the British Horseracing Authority confirmed on Monday. These changes, originally slated for Mar. 28, were temporarily postponed due to COVID-19. The initial decision for the new agreements to be brought in required approval by the BHA Board following considerable period of consultation and discussion between the Professional Jockeys Association (PJA) and National Trainers Federation (NTF) where agreement did not prove possible. The BHA has invited the PJA and NTF...

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...

Support has been pledged for jockeys to help mitigate the impact on their livelihoods from the coronavirus outbreak. Racing in Britain is on hold until the end of April and jockeys at the lower end of the earnings scale are likely to soon feel the effects of being out of work. Paul Struthers, Chief Executive of the Professional Jockeys Association, said, "I think the situation for jockeys is bleak, in the same way that it's bleak for racing and the same way it's bleak and worrying for the rest of...

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...