Archives » Jockeys' Insurance
Tuesday Hit-and-Run
- The Jockeys' Guild continues to recover from the frayed relationships and depleted coffers of the Wayne Gertmenian era. "It has been difficult," said jockey Jon Court, one of 27 jockeys elected to the Guild's Senate last week. "Some people like to hang on. But we were literally able to take that skeleton and throw it out."
- At Woodbine, 35-year-old apprentice Dean Deverell wins four races in a week.
- Happy Ticket will face top older distaffer Oonagh Maccool on Saturday in the Fleur de Lis Handicap at Churchill Downs. "Obviously, the other mare is awfully good," said owner Stewart Madison. "But one thing I know for sure is that my horse will definitely show up."
- In the first Belmont since 2000 without the Derby or Preakness winner entered, the race's TV ratings dropped 22% from 2005.
- What people really want to know about racing: "The people out there want to know what a horse eats, how a horse exercises, how he lives, what she does when she's not training or racing. They long to find out about the people on horses' backs or at their sides. People want to read Michael Matz' life story. They want to hear what Edgar Prado thinks. They want Peter Brette to tell them what Barbaro feels like when he trots. What does a Kentucky Derby winner trot like? Now there's something they can identify with at the PTA meeting."
Posted by JC, Jun 13, 2006 09:00 AM
Noted: March 22
- In today's Derby Watch: Corinthian is off the Derby Trail; weekend Beyer numbers are out.
- Speed genes found? "A British scientist yesterday claimed to have made a 'historic breakthrough' in the study of thoroughbred genetics, after a six-year research project produced the first proof of a relationship between specific genes and the individual performances of racehorses."
- Kentucky congressman Ed Whitfield, who led hearings into the the jockeys' insurance issue last fall, said that legislation amending the Interstate Horseracing Act to provide workers' compensation to jockeys and backstretch workers could be ready in four weeks.
- Rockport Harbor's injury-plagued racing career is over. Owner Rick Porter announced on Monday that Rockport was done racing and headed to a career at stud because of the foot injury that's dogged the colt since the 2004 Remsen: "The wall of the hoof is cracked and the consensus is that he would need a minimum of 90 days turnout ... There are no guarantees that the foot will heal 100%. Therefore, I have decided to retire him."
- Steve Haskin joins Paul Daley in wondering why Mom's Command isn't on the Hall of Fame ballot this year. "Mom's Command has slipped through the cracks again. After having her name on the Hall of Fame ballot in 2005, the 1985 New York filly Triple Crown winner was conspicuous by her absence this year."
Posted by JC, Mar 22, 2006 10:00 AM
Guild Sues Gertmenian
Jockeys' Guild officials opened the organization's annual assembly this Monday with a "painful" accounting of the Guild's state at the time president Wayne Gertmenian was fired:
In an effort to recoup some of the losses, a plan to sue Gertmenian and the rest of the Guild's former management team was also discussed on Monday. Although Guild attorney Barry Broad said the lawsuit was likely to be filed within the next month, one was actually filed in California early this week.
The Guild is searching for a new national manager, with an ad seeking applicants running in the print edition of the Daily Racing Form. "Impeccable integrity" is required.
Posted by JC, Mar 1, 2006 11:50 PM
Guild Missing More than Money
Yet another lawyer for Wayne Gertmenian claims that the checks the former Jockeys' Guild president cashed the day he was fired were for money owed to him, reports Liz Mullen in the Sports Business Journal: "It was back pay and it was owed to him under his contract," said attorney Mark Werksman. Guild lawyer Barry Broad alleges that not only did Gertmenian cash the checks without permission, but that he ran off with Guild memorabilia, including Bill Shoemaker's boots and a bust of Eddie Arcaro. "We would like our money back," Broad said. "We would also like Willie Shoemaker's boots and Eddie Arcaro's head back."
The ongoing scandal is recapped in a lengthy LA Times article today. There's not much new information (I'm assuming anyone landing on this site has a passing knowledge of the story), except for this bit:
Looking for the link to Gertmenian's resume (here), I came across this article from the Thoroughbred Times in 2001, when Gertmenian was brought into the Guild, which makes several familiar points about the fired president and his consulting company, Matrix Capital Associates:
I am flabbergasted. How did this man manage to assume the Guild's presidency and operate without much oversight for the past four years with this much stinking about his background from the start? Should there have been questions about Guild operations long before the October congressional hearings forced the matter?
Posted by JC, Dec 13, 2005 09:30 PM
"Increasing Fiscal Neglect"
The Jockeys' Guild released results of an internal investigation into the Guild's financial condition on Thursday, and the news, as might be expected, was ugly: According to interim president Darrell Haire, nearly $2.1 million was inappropriately spent by former management, most of the Guild accounts were depleted by November 15 (when then president Wayne Gertmenian and most of the Guild's management was fired), and a number of unpaid bills have been piling up for the past six months:
The Guild expects to file a lawsuit against Gertmenian in an effort to recoup some of the losses; the FBI and local police are also investigating. Gertmenian's attorney, Mitchell Egers, said "his client did nothing irresponsible."
Posted by JC, Dec 9, 2005 11:00 PM
Guild Meets With Track Execs
The Jockeys' Guild met with racetrack executives in a five hour meeting at Churchill Downs on Thursday. "It was an opportunity to sit down with the new guild leadership and representatives and to get together face-to-face and talk about some things," said Churchill spokesman John Asher. No further details of the meeting were released. Another is planned for sometime in January 2006.
The Guild almost moved offices this week, in an effort to cut any remaining ties to fired president Wayne Gertmenian's consulting company, Matrix Capital Associates. "Among the many self-serving things that Dr. Gertmenian did is negotiate an agreement that the Jockeys' Guild would not only rent the space they occupied, but rent a separate space that Matrix occupied," said Guild attorney Barry Broad. Rent on the old offices were $4,000 per month. The new offices are $1,706 plus utilities.
The recent shakeup at the Guild has left a lot of questions: How will the organization rebuild? What's next for the Guild? Ask interim president Darrell Haire.
Posted by JC, Dec 2, 2005 10:35 AM
Guild Owes Jockeys $440K
Every bit of news that comes out about the state of the Jockeys' Guild post-Wayne Gertmenian points to an organization in a deepening crisis. This week, Liz Mullen of Sports Business Journal reports that the Guild owes jockeys $440,000 because its former management used members' savings accounts to fund operating expenses. Guild attorney Barry Broad, who has accused Gertmenian of leaving the Guild in "financial shambles," said only $200,000 remains in the organization's operating account as of last week, which means the Guild is in the red $240,000 just in money owed to riders. (Never mind the unpaid office rent and health insurance premiums or Gary Birzer's lawsuit.) "The problem now is if everybody wanted their money back at once, the Guild would probably be bankrupt," said Broad. [Thanks to Robert Colton for the pointer to Mullen's article.]
Posted by JC, Nov 29, 2005 12:00 PM
A Less Than Graceful Exit
The Jockeys' Guild fired president Wayne Gertmenian following an emergency meeting of the Guild Senate on Tuesday, and the disgraced professor didn't take his dismissal well. It was reported earlier this week that Gertmenian and similarly ousted Guild vice president Albert Fiss scuffled with jockeys at the Guild's offices on Tuesday and now there are allegations that Gertmenian wrote checks totaling $217,000 to himself and other "employees" of his consulting company, Matrix Capital Associates, on the same day that he was fired, despite a hold that had been placed on checks larger than $200 drawn on the Guild account. No charges have been filed in Tuesday's altercation, but police are investigating the checks. "It may be embezzlement or it may be something they were entitled to," said Monrovia police lieutenant Richard Wagnon. Given that Gertmenian testified in the first congressional hearing on jockeys' insurance held in October that he was the only employee of Matrix, which was contracted to manage the Guild, it's difficult to imagine how the apparent money-grab could be construed as a legitimate business act.
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The House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held its second hearing on jockeys' insurance on Thursday and took testimony from racetrack operators and horsemen on the issue. Representative Ed Whitfield, who chaired the hearing, said federal legislation could be necessary to impose standard safety and insurance requirements across the industry. "A lot of interest groups do not want their turf touched, ... [but] there are a lot of strong arguments for some uniformity and for some federal oversight and involvement," said Whitfield. Racing executives disagree: "Trying to get a one-size-fits-all solution could be damaging," said TRA vice president Christopher Scherf.
Posted by JC, Nov 18, 2005 10:00 AM
Another Call for Dr. G's Removal
A group of permanently disabled Jockeys' Guild members, troubled by the disappearance of the disabled jockeys' fund and the unsatisfactory answers given by Guild officials to questions about the organization's management, have sent an open letter to the Guild's board of directors calling for the removal of president Wayne Gertmenian and the reinstatement of former manager John Giovanni in his stead:
An emergency meeting of the Guild Senate to discuss management has been scheduled for November 15 and more than 200 jockeys across the country have signed petitions calling for a change in leadership. Asked if he had any intention of stepping down, Gertmenian said, "I promised everybody as I went around the country the heat would fall on my head and I wouldn't quit." How noble.
Posted by JC, Nov 11, 2005 04:45 PM
House Schedules Second Hearing
The congressional subcommittee investigating jockeys' insurance has scheduled a second hearing on the issue for November 17. The witness list has not been finalized yet. The first hearing was held on October 18 and included testimony from jockeys and Jockeys' Guild officials, who answered questions about the organization's finances and the 2002 lapse of a catastrophic insurance policy.
Posted by JC, Nov 4, 2005 09:05 AM
Guild Senate Calls Meeting
Jockeys' Guild president Wayne Gertmenian may find himself out of a job soon. In response to last month's congressional hearing into the issue of catastrophic insurance for jockeys and the concerns raised then regarding the Guild's management, the Guild Senate has called an emergency meeting on November 15 to discuss possible leadership changes. "Our concern is with the entire Guild management, but foremost on our mind will be the president," said Guild senator and jockey Jon Court.
Posted by JC, Nov 2, 2005 04:40 PM
Guild Investigates Gertmenian
The Daily Racing Form reports that the Jockeys' Guild has begun an investigation into the credentials of its president, Dr. Wayne Gertmenian, as well the payments made by the Guild to Gertmenian's consulting company, Matrix Capital Associates. "We want to make sure we can answer all the questions that our members have," said Guild treasurer Jeff Johnston.
Related commentary from Ray Paulick: "Wayne Gertmenian, the president and CEO of the Jockeys' Guild, is a bully who finally met his match in the halls of Congress."
Posted by JC, Oct 27, 2005 06:55 AM
The Shame of It
In a sport as rich as racing, that a journeyman jockey like Gary Birzer can be paralyzed in an on-track accident and then find himself burdened with more than $500,000 in medical bills is a scandal. What's even more scandalous is that the Jockeys' Guild, the very organization charged with protecting and representing Birzer and his fellow riders, has betrayed its members for the enrichment of one man and his family and cronies -- at least, that's the conclusion I came to after reading the testimony given at Tuesday's congressional hearing on jockeys' insurance. Alan at Left at the Gate has all the links and all the damning revelations from yesterday's hearing.
Posted by JC, Oct 19, 2005 10:00 PM
Subpoenas Issued
The US House of Representatives issued two subpoenas to Jockeys' Guild president Wayne Gertmenian on Tuesday, demanding that management and financial documents from the Guild and Matrix Capital Associates, the consulting firm owned by Gertmenian that has managed the organization since 2001, be turned over to a congressional committee investigating the issue of jockeys' insurance (Blood-Horse). The documents sought by the committee, headed by Kentucky representative Ed Whitfield, are the same records that Whitfield requested in letters to the Guild and Gertmenian in April and then again in August. "It was pretty clear to us that they were not really being responsive in providing us with documents that we had requested," said Whitfield. "We think it's essential we get a complete analysis of how the [Jockeys' Guild] money's coming, how it's being spent" (Lexington Herald-Leader).
Neither Gertmenian nor any Guild representatives have commented on the subpoenas. In response to Whitfield's August letter to the Guild, counsel Lloyd Ownbey wrote that the committee investigation was "misdirected" and stated that the Guild had provided "huge volumes of documents relevant to this investigation," specifically, "in excess of one and a half business boxes of documents (covering the past six-plus years of Guild operations)."
Comment: Forget Weightgate. A far bigger scandal is brewing in the Jockeys' Guild. The apparent unwillingness or inability of the Guild and Gertmenian to provide the documents Whitfield has requested is not only strange, but alarming. At the very least, it suggests that both the Guild and Matrix are afflicted with a case of poor record keeping. At the very worst, it suggests mismanagement. Either is a shame for jockeys, who deserve competent and trustworthy leaders representing their interests.
Posted by JC, Sep 22, 2005 02:00 PM
Thursday Eve Notes
I see via Left at the Gate that congressman Ed Whitfield of Kentucky, chairman of the House Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, is most displeased with the response he's received from the Jockeys' Guild to his request for documents in an investigation into the matter of jockeys' insurance. It seems the Guild has dodged (Thoroughbred Times) providing documents relating to president Wayne Gertmenian's consulting company, Matrix, to which the organization has paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in management and real estate fees. In a letter to the Guild, Representative Whitfield asks, among other things, that Gertmenian:
Whitfield set a deadline of August 31 for compliance with his request, or else a subpoena may be issued to get the information. I'm looking forward to Gertmenian's response -- I've had the same questions as Whitfield about Matrix since last March and would like to know more about a consulting company that supposedly has been in business for more than 20 years, but has had only two clients (Gertmenian and the Jockeys' Guild) and which seems to be based out of Gertmenian's house. Just what is that rent the Guild's paying?
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One of my personal betting rules is to never back an older horse with established form coming off a new career-best Beyer win. Racetrack crowds love these horses, though, and that short-priced certainty at Saratoga today redeemed race three with its four-horse field.
Thunder Touch won at Saratoga on opening day with an impressive, going away at the wire performance that earned him a new high Beyer of 110 (his previous high was a 102 earned at Belmont in May). Although obviously in form and a talented horse, there was no way Thunder Touch was going to repeat his last race, and a bounce back to his usual put him squarely on the same level as his evenly-matched competition. It didn't matter -- Thunder Touch was bet down to even money. Mr. Whitestone, a Monmouth shipper whose last win came in November at Aqueduct, was 2-1. Spooky Mulder, who ran second to Thunder Touch on opening day, was 3-1. Always Noble, coming off a win at Delaware on August 1, was the longshot of the field at 6-1. It was the easiest play of the day. Always Noble won by a neck after dueling a game Spooky Mulder down the stretch and paid a nice $14.80. Thunder Touch ran last.
Posted by JC, Aug 18, 2005 06:30 PM
Charles Town Insurance Max $50,000
Matt Hegarty reports in the Daily Racing Form today that Charles Town's jockey accident insurance is capped at $50,000, not the more standard $100,000 or $1 million found at most tracks. Apprentice rider Shannon Campbell was paralyzed in an accident at Charles Town last Saturday. A fundrasier is being planned to help with her medical bills. Jockeys' Guild vice-president Albert Fiss, reacting to the news that Campbell's coverage is limited to $50,000, said, "You would think that West Virginia of all places, with what happened last year and the money coming from slots, would do the morally right thing." The Jockeys' Guild allowed its catastrophic insurance to lapse in 2002, ostensibly because of the cost (in 2002, the Guild paid $466,000 for $1 million of coverage). Fiss acknowledged that the plan "would have covered Campbell if it had been in place last week."
Related: At a forum on the jockey insurance issue held in Kentucky on Thursday, an insurance executive called the situation a "powder keg" (MSNBC).
Posted by JC, Jul 15, 2005 10:00 AM
House Committee Opens Inquiry
Jockeys' Guild officials have dodged questions since last fall over everything from the organization's finances to its insurance policies to Guild president Wayne Gertmenian's resume. Finally, some answers may be forthcoming:
Whitfield was named chairman of the Oversight and Investigations subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee in January and is investigating the issue of insurance for jockeys and backstretch workers. The Lexington Herald-Leader reports that Whitfield hopes to hold hearings in three months and is entertaining the possibility of federal legislation to solve the insurance problem.
Related: The Jockeys' Guild agreed that members would not boycott at Churchill Downs-owned tracks in exchange for Churchill dropping its injunction against the organization; Churchill also announced that it secured $1 million in insurance for riders at its tracks. (Blood-Horse)
Posted by JC, Apr 21, 2005 05:15 PM
A Job for Matt Hegarty
According to a report on Blood-Horse, the Jockeys' Guild paid Matrix Capital Associates, the consulting firm owned by Guild president Dr. L. Wayne Gertmenian, $412,000 in consulting fees in 2003, an increase of 12% over 2002 when Matrix was paid $375,903. Matrix took over management of the Guild in 2001, and the organization has been the subject of much criticism since last fall for letting its catastrophic insurance policy for members lapse. The question I keep coming back to when I read these articles about Guild finances and Matrix is this: What is Matrix Capital Associates? It's been a registered corporation in the state of California since 1982, but prior to 2001, the only mention I can find of it online, in Lexis-Nexis, or in any other database, is on Dr. Gertmenian's curriculum vitae as the publisher of his "Economath Primer." After 2001, the only company or organization that it appears in connection with is the Jockeys' Guild. So, I wonder: In its 20+ years, what other organizations has Matrix Capital Associates done consulting work for? And what exactly is the consulting work it's doing for the Jockeys' Guild now?
Posted by JC, Mar 1, 2005 05:35 PM
The Other Scandal
All's been quiet on the jockeys' insurance front for a few weeks now. Whatever happened to the committee that was supposed to offer recommendations on resolving the situation by the end of the year?
Related: The Jockeys' Guild has agreed to allow the California Horse Racing Board to conduct a limited audit and examine its books. (Daily Racing Form)
Also: The Guild may have some competition in California. A group of jockeys, led by Ron Warren Jr., concerned about the Guild's management, have formed their own organization to represent riders in the state. (Sports Business Journal)
Posted by JC, Feb 1, 2005 02:45 PM
What Jockeys Want
"While the Thoroughbred Racing Associations awaits an answer from the Jockeys' Guild about how the $2.2-million in annual payments meant for catastrophic injury insurance has been spent, the Guild has issued a sweeping list of demands from the tracks ... $2-million a month from the TRA, and corresponding amounts from tracks that are not members of the organization, for media rights ... Provision by the tracks of medical insurance of at least $1-million per accident in states without workers' compensation ... Guaranteed riding fees of 1% of the average purse paid ... Educational programs at each track in English and Spanish ... Guaranteed provision of a masseuse, a board certified physician, and X-ray equipment at each track ... Veto power over any jockey's decision to wear logos or advertisement on his or her pants .... Recognition of the Guild as "the exclusive labor representative of all jockeys" at each track." In exhange for meeting these demands, the Guild promises that it will not "cause, authorize, participate in, sanction, or encourage any strike or work stoppage for any reason except safety." (Thoroughbred Times)
Posted by JC, Dec 21, 2004 08:25 AM
All Valid
Jockeys' Guild president L. Wayne Gertmenian publicly answered questions for the first time about his qualifications, sort of: "Gertmenian's resume says that he was chief detente negotiator in Moscow and an emissary to Tehran during the Nixon and Ford administrations. It also says that Gertmenian was a board member of the Far East Foundation and West Coast Bancorp. None of those claims could be substantiated by official archivists at the Nixon and Ford libraries or by the Far East Foundation and West Coast Bancorp.
"When asked on Thursday to explain the discrepancies, Gertmenian said, 'It's all valid.' When asked why the records did not indicate that the positions in the Nixon and Ford administration even existed, he repeated, "It's all valid," and added, 'Leave it at that.'" Gertmenian, who is among those pressing tracks for increased insurance coverage for jockeys, has become a polarizing figure in the industry as questions about his management of the Guild and professional experience have been raised. (Daily Racing Form)
Related: "Tracks prepared for possible jockey strike on Sunday" (Thoroughbred Times)
Posted by JC, Dec 11, 2004 11:10 AM
Rider Lives Insurance Turmoil
"Horses were Remi Gunn's life, and they were almost her death." A mid-race accident at Ellis Park in 2003 not only left Gunn paralyzed, but destitute. (Lexington Herald-Leader)
Posted by JC, Dec 5, 2004 10:30 AM
Churchill Demands Guild Account for Funds
"Churchill Downs Inc. yesterday asked the national Jockeys' Guild to account for $1.25 million its racetracks have given the riders' organization over the past three years. In a letter to L. Wayne Gertmenian, the guild's president and chief executive since 2001, Churchill Downs racetrack President Steve Sexton requested that the guild's response be certified by an independent accountant and received by Tuesday." (Courier-Journal)
Posted by JC, Dec 3, 2004 08:42 AM
Jockeys' Fund Likely to Dissolve
"The Disabled Jockeys' Fund, which in 2003 provided more than $371,000 in financial assistance to permanently and temporarily injured riders, is set to dissolve at the end of the year, leaving questions of how the Jockeys' Guild will fulfill one of its core missions to support disabled riders." (Thoroughbred Times)
Related: Jockeys' Guild president Dr. L. Wayne Gertmenian offers up a bizarre commentary on last month's incident at Churchill Downs -- or, as he dubs it, "Churchill Plantation" -- in which jockey Shane Sellers was escorted off the grounds. "I was in a time warp. It was Macon, Georgia and Selma, Alabama thirty years ago. I had hoped the days of Master and Slave were over." (Jockeys' Guild)
Posted by JC, Dec 1, 2004 08:20 AM
Lawsuit Demands Audit
Ousted Jockeys' Guild treasurer Eddie King Jr. has filed a lawsuit demanding an audit of the organization's finances. Among other things, the suit gives some insight into Guild president Wayne Gertmenian's fundraising strategy: "Dr. Gertmenian, emphasizing the fact that he had a Ph.D., and that Mr. King had a limited educational background, informed Mr. King that he wished to divest the fund of $1-million to create the illusion that the fund was in financial trouble, thereby encouraging donations from wealthy benefactors of the fund." (Thoroughbred Times)
Related: "Kent Desormeaux, a board member of the Jockeys' Guild, said Tuesday that he has begun an inquiry into the qualifications of the organization's president, L. Wayne Gertmenian." (Daily Racing Form)
Also: "The management company that represents jockey Jerry Bailey sent a cease and desist letter to Jockeys' Guild president Dr. Wayne Gertmenian and Guild vice president Albert Fiss Nov. 19. The letter requested they stop accusing Bailey of having played a role in canceling insurance policies that benefited jockeys." (Blood-Horse)
Posted by JC, Nov 24, 2004 06:55 AM
This'll Be Resolved Soon
The panel formed by the NTRA in response to the jockeys' insurance crisis met for the first time on Monday and appointed a six-member committee to come up with recommendations for providing riders with "adequate and affordable" coverage. (Daily Racing Form)
More: "Jockey-insurance meeting called productive" (Courier-Journal)
Posted by JC, Nov 23, 2004 06:05 AM
Questions, Questions
Jockey Guild president L. Wayne Gertmenian comes under scrutiny, and the findings don't look good for him or the Guild: "A background check by Daily Racing Form suggests there is little or no evidence that Gertmenian served in the important government posts he described. Claims of being a radio talk show host and author appear to be supported only by self-published work and purchased broadcast time. Descriptions of positions on some company boards in the resume appear to be inaccurate, according to company filings or representatives of the businesses themselves."
Related: "A top official with the Jockeys' Guild has questioned the purpose of a new task force on insurance and indicated a resolution wouldn't be reached until the industry recognizes it must deal with Dr. Wayne Gertmenian." (Blood-Horse)
Posted by JC, Nov 20, 2004 10:50 AM
Jumping at the Chance
"Rodney Trader has ridden races for 20 of his 36 years. But when he came to Kentucky this spring, it was as an exercise rider -- someone who gets horses ready in the morning for someone else to ride in the afternoon.
"Trader can be called a replacement rider. And he sounds mystified that 14 jockeys would have refused to ride, especially given purses so lucrative a jockey can make as much on losing mounts as an exercise rider makes." (Courier-Journal)
Related: "The inherent danger of an occupation does not mitigate the fact that jockeys are independent contractors without allegiance or contractual obligation. Life does not come with all expenses paid and this is the life they have chosen," writes Paul Moran (Newsday); Matt Graves says, "Insurance for jockeys needs boost" (Times Union); and "Jockeys differ on walkout strategy" (Indy Star).
Posted by JC, Nov 18, 2004 06:35 AM
More and More Evident
Frustrated and anxious over the issue of adequate insurance coverage, "Many jockeys are now venting their anger toward racetrack officials or the TRA," writes Ray Paulick. But their ire may be misdirected: "It's becoming more and more evident to me that the leadership of the Jockeys' Guild may have hung the organization's own members out to dry." (Blood-Horse)
Related: "Questions about Guild cash" (Daily Racing Form)
Posted by JC, Nov 17, 2004 12:10 PM
Dispute Developments
The 32-member NTRA panel on jockey insurance has been named. (Thoroughbred Times)
Also: "Eddie King, a rider based in New Jersey, said on Monday that he was removed as treasurer of the Jockeys' Guild and expelled from the organization on Nov. 7 after he persisted in asking questions about the Guild's finances." The Guild management, which allowed a $1 million catastrophic insurance policy purchased for jockeys to lapse in 2002, faces scrutiny and calls for audits from several quarters as the issue of jockey insurance roils on. (Daily Racing Form)
Related: The insurance dispute is a "black eye" for the sport. (Pasadena Star-News)
Posted by JC, Nov 16, 2004 07:30 AM
And the Dispute Goes On
Steve Dilbeck is on the side of the jockeys in the insurance dispute: "Everyone at least claims to agree jockeys need accident insurance. After that, it's everyone for themselves. Particularly the jockeys.
"Those would be the ones who put their lives in jeopardy with every mount. Who are guaranteed to be injured several times a year. Phenomenal athletes who risk serious head and neck injuries.
"And without them, there's no show.
"Track owners should send limos to get them every day. Should bathe them in luxury. Should boast about the lavish insurance they're provided.
"Instead, they want jockeys to pay for it themselves. Or back a state workers' compensation program that's supported by already overburdened horse owners and trainers. Or they want to talk about it some more.
"This is 2004 ... and they still want to talk?" (Lexington Herald-Leader)
More: "Jockeys' boycott at Churchill Downs over insurance costs gives replacements such as Tammy Fox a chance to pursue a passion" (LA Times); "Little guys trampled in insurance dispute" (Star-Telegram); and Kevin Modesti says insurance issue is a test for the whole sport (LA Daily News).
Posted by JC, Nov 12, 2004 08:50 AM
More on Jockeys' Dispute
"Tensions in the jockey-insurance controversy at Churchill Downs were on display Wednesday when a group of about 10 banned riders walked onto track property to demand the return of their equipment and other personal effects on the first racing day that they were barred from competition. Churchill personnel ultimately complied, but not before several of the jockeys, led by Shane Sellers, squared off verbally with track security and Louisville Metro Police officers. There were no arrests in the incident,which lasted about 25 minutes." (Daily Racing Form)
More: "No one really seemed to care too much about unfamiliar faces on the horses" (Lexington Herald- Leader) and "Some unfamiliar names ride after 15 jockeys are barred for protesting insurance coverage" (LA Times).
Related: "It's goodbye Kentucky, hello New York for Rafael Bejarano, the nation's winningest jockey, who's moving his tack to Aqueduct after he quit riding at Churchill Downs last weekend over an insurance dispute. Bejarano will ride Colita for trainer Todd Pletcher in Saturday's Stuyvesant Handicap at the Big A, then begin riding here on a daily basis Nov. 20, according to his new agent, Joaquin 'Joe' Ferrer, who said Bejarano plans to ride the NYRA circuit throughout 2005." (New York Post)
Posted by JC, Nov 11, 2004 04:15 PM
Jockeys Found
"Jockeys have been named on all 247 of the horses that were entered today and Thursday at Churchill Downs, where track management dismissed 15 riders earlier this week after they said they wouldn't ride." (LA Times)
Posted by JC, Nov 10, 2004 08:30 AM
Insurance Issue Panel Formed
The National Thoroughbred Racing Association announced on Monday plans to form a panel to study the jockeys' insurance issue, after the matter came to a crisis point at Churchill Downs this weekend. The track banned more than a dozen riders for the rest of the meet after the jockeys organized a boycott for this Wednesday in protest of inadequate insurance. (Courier-Journal)
More: "Health insurance pits Churchill, jockeys" (Lexington Herald-Leader) and "The agent for Rafael Bejarano, the leading jockey in the country, said Monday that he had dropped his rider because of the way Bejarano protested what some jockeys consider inadequate accident insurance at Churchill Downs" (LA Times).
Related: "Rafael Bejarano, the national wins leader and one of 15 jockeys banished by Churchill Downs management, is leaving the Kentucky circuit to ride in New York, possibly on a permanent basis, according to both his former and current agent." (Daily Racing Form)
Posted by JC, Nov 9, 2004 07:46 AM
Boycott Planned
"Most of the top jockeys at Churchill Downs told their agents not to name them on horses for the Wednesday card, further inflaming a controversy that promises to have widespread ramifications over the national issue of sufficient insurance coverage for jockeys." (Daily Racing Form)
More: The situation took an ugly turn Sunday afternoon. Jockey Shane Sellers, who left racing last month over insurance concerns, was handcuffed and escorted from the Churchill Downs' jockeys room, where he was visiting with riders. Churchill officials also ejected Rafael Bejarano, Robby Albarado, Calvin Borel, Mark Guidry and Willie Martinez. All are barred from racing or even appearing at the track through the conclusion of the meet. (ESPN)
Sellers tells Bill Christine: "Now they do this to me. It was a real slap in the face. The fans saw me led away from there like that, and some of my fellow riders were crying about it. It was embarrassing, degrading, absurd -- all those things. I gave up 13 years of my life to ride at Churchill Downs." (LA Times)
Posted by JC, Nov 7, 2004 03:25 PM
