Riders Up...Date - by Terry Meyocks

Blood-Horse Staff — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 15:09:00 GMT

The Jockeys’ Guild has made substantial progress in many areas over the past year.

Most importantly, the bankruptcy judge approved the Guild's plan to emerge from bankruptcy Dec. 3. The Guild has reached a consensual agreement with its unsecured creditors to pay off their claims. Through bankruptcy, the Guild was able to pay off its outstanding medical claims, its temporary disability payments, and to maintain the jockey savings accounts.

Because of the nature of their profession and injury histories, many jockeys have a difficult time getting insurance or finding affordable health care coverage. The Guild continues to analyze ways to incorporate a health and welfare reimbursement program into our member benefits.

The Guild continues to make strides in reestablishing itself as a credible and meaningful organization in the racing industry.

Recently, the New Jersey Racing Commission approved the Guild to serve as a representative of the jockeys for the New Jersey Jockeys Health and Welfare Trust. The newly established Trust will enable New Jersey riders to obtain health insurance.

We have been able to negotiate a meaningful increase in losing mount fees at a number of tracks including, just recently, those in New Jersey. In many cases this is the first real increase in decades. The Guild has worked with state racing commissions, owners, horsemen’s group, and racetracks to reach these agreements, and we continue to negotiate with many other jurisdictions.

This past spring, the Guild partnered with The Jockey Club and Keeneland to develop a secure, Internet-based program to document the medical histories of jockeys for use by emergency medical personnel. To date, participating tracks in the Jockey Health Information System include Keeneland, Churchill Downs, Meadowlands, Monmouth, Turfway, Laurel, Pimlico, Timonium, Sunland, Hawthorne, Aqueduct, Belmont, Saratoga, Hoosier, and Santa Anita.

Also encouraging is the fact that, with the help of Richard Santulli, NetJets, Bill Casner, and the jockeys riding in the Triple Crown races, $742,000 was raised for racing charities. The Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund, The Jockey Club Foundation, Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, Anna House, and the Backstretch Employee Service Team benefited through a unique sponsorship throughout the Triple Crown series.

The Guild has been able to attain a significantly greater representation on the board of the Disabled Jockeys Endowment, which will result in improved oversight and control of the funds in that account.

We all know there are many issues facing the racing industry and a number of those are being tackled now by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association’s Safety and Integrity Alliance. The Alliance has asked the Guild to join its efforts, which we enthusiastically support.

The Guild is working with the The Jockey Club, NTRA, HBPA, ARCI, KTA, TOBA, AAEP, and TRA to assure a safe racing environment. Among the issues being addressed are: the setting of medical standards/ambulances at racetracks for the care of jockeys and backstretch personnel; improved standards for helmets and safety vests; mandatory race-day veterinary examinations of entered horses; comprehensive standards for jockey weigh-in and weigh-out procedures; gate-loading procedures; establishment of a scientifically based jockey scale of weights; establishment of a jockey nutrition program; participation of all racetracks in The Jockey Club-In Compass medical reports program; an approval system for jockeys racing in North America for the first time; restrictions on the entry of horses that have undergone shock wave therapy; and new standards for riding crops.

As an example, with the help of Dan Fick of The Jockey Club and owner and breeder Scoop Vessels, we sent jockey helmets now in use for testing to Bill Simpson, whose company, Impact Race Products, designs NASCAR safety equipment. During the past few years, the company has improved the helmets used by NASCAR drivers. Simpson’s testing revealed there needs to be improvement in the quality of helmets used by jockeys and exercise riders, and prototypes have already been designed.

The difficult work now being done will need the cooperation of all racing organizations. Hopefully, these changes will reduce the cost for on-track accident policies and lower the workmen’s compensation costs to horsemen.

I would like to thank the Guild members for the loyalty they have shown to the Guild during these trying times. Their support has been critical in moving the Guild forward.

Terry Meyocks is the national manager of the Jockeys’ Guild.

Long Term Care - by Herb Moelis

Blood-Horse Staff — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:52:00 GMT

On Derby Day 2008 shock waves traveled through the Thoroughbred world. A talented filly named Eight Belles finished second in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) but after the finish, the filly stumbled and was euthanized on the track in front of more than 100,000 fans and millions watching on TV. We knew we had to address a problem that has been with us for quite some time. We examined our tracks, drug policies, breeding concepts, and many other things we took for granted.

When are we going to wake up to another very public problem: What happens to racehorses when they finish their racing careers.

There have been laws passed recently that have reduced the number of horses going to slaughter. Additionally, we are seeing the costs of caring for horses, including feed, transportation, hay, and straw, skyrocket. This has translated to more abandoned horses. According to the United States Department of Agriculture data, there are approximately 100,000 unwanted horses in the U.S. each year, a major problem and potential public relations nightmare. The time is now to address it.

Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA) supports about 200 of the groups that care for unwanted horses. We have seen the increase in the number of horses these groups must care for and the increasing costs and the lack of funding for them. I’ve heard many stories about horses being turned loose on highways and other horror stories for lack of funding. For the Thoroughbred industry to turn a blind eye to this problem will only result in another jolt, probably much worse from an industry viewpoint, than even the Eight Belles tragedy. How do we avoid this and do the right thing before we have People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and others demonstrating and asserting that we are inhumane and uncaring about our horses? How do we avoid having the government step in to regulate?

The answer is we must make owners responsible for the welfare of their horses, both during their racing careers and also when those careers end. If we agree owner responsibility is needed, the question is, “How do we get owners to be responsible?” Education of new owners is a necessity. When a person decides that he would like to participate in the excitement of racing, he should be educated to the reality that after racing the horse must be provided for.

Yet education alone will still not cure the problem. We must find a way to raise a steady and reliable source of money for the care of horses after their racing careers. Having been a founder and president of TCA and having raised in excess of $16 million over 18 years, I fully understand how difficult it is to raise money voluntarily. To depend on voluntary individual donations would be futile.

There is a very logical and simple way to raise money for this purpose. When owners register their foals The Jockey Club requires a registration form to be filed with payment of $200. Why can’t we add $50 to provide for care of the foal for life? This would be similar to a Social Security program for horses.

There are approximately 40,000 Thoroughbreds registered each year. At $50 each the total amount assessed annually would be $2 million. This would go a long way to providing a decent life for all Thoroughbreds after their racing careers. A Social Security system is the most feasible way to help, and The Jockey Club is the most logical agent for this project.

When I proposed this a number of years ago to The Jockey Club, I was told that it would be a burden on owners and there would be strong resistance. The Jockey Club would not implement the assessment, because, I was told, even if they collected the money they would not have the mechanism to distribute the funds. My answer to this is simple. TCA has a comprehensive file on all rescue organizations and would help in the distribution of funds. If an owner cannot afford $50 when registering a foal, then that person has no business being an owner. For the welfare of our industry and the welfare of our horses, this assessment is necessary and reasonable.

Herb Moelis is the president of Thoroughbred Charities of America

Final Turn : The Jockey Club

Riders Up...Date - by Terry Meyocks

Long Term Care - by Herb Moelis