Coronavirus suspension leaves jockeys and yards vulnerable, warns PJA

Racing in Britain is on hold until the end of April at the earliest – 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 the country and the entire world.

“The whole of racing is significantly affected. Jockeys, certainly in the very short term, are the most immediately affected, given that they are largely self-employed and their ability to earn any income, outside riding out, is immediately curtailed.

“One of, if not the only benefit to suspending racing was that the sport could then focus on financially mitigating this suspension for the whole of the sport – jockeys being a big part of that.

“That work has started and will go on with great urgency. Packages of support will be made available, in addition to those packages of support the Government will make available to small business and to individuals.”

Jockeys’ salaries vary significantly, and Struthers added: “I can’t say what those packages look like yet, but what I can say – and say with certainty – is that support will be there.

“The medium Flat jockey, after all their expenses, would earn less than £30,000 a year. As a salary for the general public this wouldn’t sound too bad, but it is a salary for a 60-plus hour week. The medium jump jockey would earn less than £20,000, so this will be of significant impact on jockeys.”

While British-based riders will be on the sidelines, their Irish counterparts – for the time being at least – are able to continue earning a living after Horse Racing Ireland confirmed its intention to continue racing behind closed doors.

Struthers admits this may prove a source of frustration for his members, but said the biggest factor behind the British Horseracing Authority’s decision to halt the sport was the projected pressure on medical resources.

He said: “It was a decision the PJA supported, (but) with understandable reluctance – and it was based on, first and foremost, expert medical evidence, particularly around the imminent withdrawal of medical services and the call and demands on the NHS.

“Medics were concerned about the risks this would place on the health and safety of jockeys. It’s far from uncommon that jockeys get injured during the course of racing and are transported to hospital via ambulance.

“While that ambulance service on racecourses is largely private, you’ve still got to get to A&E and be treated and there was huge concern that we’d be putting those jockeys in harm’s way.”

Ben Curtis, who was on course to become champion all-weather jockey, said: “It’s a bad time for racing, definitely a bad time for jockeys, and it’s a bad time for the world at the moment. I think trying to keep your chin up is a necessity.

“Everyone has to maintain a degree of positivity, with a view of hopefully starting up in the not too distant future.

“There are plenty of jockeys out there that will be living day to day. They’ve had one or two rides over the winter, and they’d be hoping this would be the time of year when things were going to pick up, so for them it’s going to be very tough.

“It’s always painted as a very glamorous lifestyle and that we make a fortune. The top-tier lads who are riding Group winners every year do, but there’s a lot who are driving for one ride in a Class 6 race – they will be feeling the pinch at the moment.”

Meanwhile, The Yorkshire Post understands that trainers in the region are already having to lay off stable staff.

Others, like veteran Ryedale trainer Mick Easterby, are keeping horses in training in the hope the sport can resume swiftly.

“In doing this we are adopting a special Corona rate and dropping the full training fees by 30 per cent from now until racing is announced to be back on,” Easterby posted on Facebook.