Terry Meyocks

The Jockeys' Guild and the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) on Tuesday hosted a first-ever symposium at Keeneland in an effort to generate discussion on how the Thoroughbred industry can work together to advance the mental well-being of jockeys across the country. Retired NFL player Randy Grimes, who advocates for appropriate and accessible mental wellness and addiction-related resources for professional athletes, gave the keynote address, and retired jockey Eurico Rosa Da Silva, who penned the book "Riding for Freedom," also spoke on his lifelong struggles with mental wellness and...

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority and the Jockeys' Guild have launched an industry initiative to provide jockeys and riders with mental wellness support and resources. The organizations will be sending a survey to jockeys and exercise riders relating to their mental wellness needs and will use results of the anonymous survey as a starting point for building a framework to effectively use collective resources to address riders' most important health and safety needs. "HISA is tasked with regulatory oversight for jockey welfare and we are delighted to be working...

Midwest-based jockey Alex Chanchari passed away Wednesday at the age of 29. His passing was confirmed in a tweet by Canterbury Park, where Canchari had 334 career winners. "Alex Canchari achieved his dream as a jockey, following in the footsteps of his father and brother," the tweet read. "The news of this talented and genuine young man's death has deeply saddened the Canterbury Park family." Though no cause of death had been revealed by Thursday morning, it appears that Canchari's death involved mental health issues. "My heart physically hurts," his...

The riders competing at Saratoga Race Course will participate in a host of activities Saturday, July 30 to raise awareness and funding for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF). Highlighting the day's events will be a special meet and greet and autograph session with riders from the Saratoga jockey colony, who will sign autographs on the Jockey Silks Room Porch from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Fans who make a donation to the PDJF will receive a commemorative poster. This year, PDJF Day was selected to coincide with this week's...

Lone Star Park appears ready to resume racing on Saturday, July 16, after the Thursday and Friday programs this week had to be scrapped over jockeys' concerns that a million-dollar insurance policy secured by the track was not sufficient to provide specialized medical care in the event of on-track accidents. Terry Meyocks, the president and chief executive officer of the Jockeys' Guild, confirmed to TDN shortly after 6:00 p.m. Eastern time Friday that, "We're good to go on Saturday. We got the assurances that the jocks will be comfortable with."...

Monmouth Park jockeys will once again be allowed to use their whips to encourage their mounts when the meet kicks off May 7. The change was made during a special hearing held Friday by the New Jersey Racing Commission, which voted to rescind rules that were put in place prior to the 2021 Monmouth meeting that allowed whipping only in cases where it was needed for safety reasons. New Jersey was the only state in the country where whipping was banned. Monmouth's whipping rules were set to change July 1,...

In memory of late jockey Jose Miguel Mena and to support his family, jockeys at racetracks around the country on Saturday, Nov. 13, will be wearing black armbands emblazoned with his nickname, "Cholo." Mena was tragically killed in a vehicular accident in Louisville, Kentucky Oct. 31, 2021. "Miguel was a longtime member of the Jockeys' Guild and a valued member of each and every jockey colony where he rode," said Jockeys' Guild President and CEO Terry Meyocks. "We hope this show of support and affection will bring some comfort to...

Jockeys Florent Geroux and E. T. Baird were fined $5,000 each by the stewards at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club for exceeding the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB)'s six-strikes-per-race limit on their mounts in Breeders' Cup races. In addition, jockey Tom Eaves got fined $1,000 for raising his whip above shoulder level prior to a strike. All of those actions were deemed to be in violation of CHRB Rule 1688, which mandates six-strike, underhand-only, no-more-than-two-hits-in succession whipping with crops that are designed to deliver lower-impact blows. The two $5,000 fines are...

Hall of Fame jockeys, TVG's on-air talent and other prominent racing personalities will once again take to the phones Sunday, Oct. 17 as TVG and The Jockeys Guild host the third annual telethon to raise money for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF). The event, canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic, raised $330,000 in 2019, an increase of more than $100,000 over the inaugural event in 2018. Fan favorite jockeys of today and years past will be on hand live at call centers in California and Kentucky from 12:00...

Junior Alvarado, Julien Leparoux, Deshawn Parker, Gerard Melancon and Scott Stevens are finalists for the 2021 Mike Venezia Memorial Award, the New York Racing Association announced Sunday. Created in 1989, the Mike Venezia Memorial Award is awarded to a jockey who displays the extraordinary sportsmanship and citizenship that personified Venezia, who died as the result of injuries suffered in a spill in 1988. Venezia, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., won more than 2,300 races during his 25-year career. All active jockeys in the continental U.S. are eligible to vote for...

In a June 7 letter, the Jockeys' Guild informed its membership that, starting July 1, Monmouth Park jockeys will no longer be covered by Guild insurance policies. The Guild has been providing temporary disability benefits, life insurance and Accident, Death and Disability benefits to those who have chosen to ride in New Jersey. The Guild has been adamant in its belief that racing has become more dangerous at Monmouth Park because jockeys are no longer allowed to encourage their mounts with the use of the whip. In the June 7...

The Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division, denied Jockeys' Guild's motion to stay the New Jersey Racing Commission's Regulation on the use of the riding crop in Thoroughbred racing. Jockeys' Guild sought the stay of enforcement pending a decision on its appeal, which has not yet been decided. "We are extremely disappointed in this decision on our motion for a stay of enforcement. This Regulation prohibits jockeys from using the riding crop as they have been trained, increasing the risk of injury to both the horse and rider," said...