Talking Horses: jockeys’ union exodus should worry everyone in racing

“Every ride, every jump, every battle, every fall, every day,” reads the main banner headline on the Professional Jockeys Association’s website. “We’re right here beside you.” But if the exodus of senior figures in the PJA continues at its current pace, there will soon be no one left to represent and advocate for the 450 or so men and women who, on a daily basis, accept the considerable risks attached to riding a half-ton thoroughbred at 30mph or more.

Jon Holmes, a leading sports agent whose clients include Gary Lineker, resigned as the PJA’s chairman last week, two-and-a-half years after replacing the industry veteran Nigel Payne in the role. Simon Cox, the union’s external director, and his fellow board member Mick Fitzgerald, a former top jockey and now leading ITV Racing pundit, have also walked away, leaving a sense of crisis hanging over the organisation.

Still in situ, for the moment at least, is the chief executive, Ian McMahon, whose CV when he joined in March 2022 included roles in football, rugby and golf, but no prior experience in racing. Amid the fallout from long-running inquiry which eventually saw Robbie Dunne banned for 18 months – which was reduced to 10 months on appeal – for bullying his fellow rider, Bryony Frost, and the PJA’s horribly ill-judged response to the decision, it was seen by some as a positive that McMahon arrived with a clean slate in racing terms.

He had a very tough act to follow, however, as his predecessor, Paul Struthers, had been a shrewd and effective chief executive during a decade in the role. He also had plenty of experience of the cut-and-thrust – and occasional low blows – of racing politics from his time as head of PR for the British Horseracing Authority.

In addition to unstinting support for his members when they needed it most, Struthers was often able to spot potential points of friction with the authorities from some way off, and plan accordingly. McMahon has had a much lower profile, perhaps as a result of needing to learn the ropes in a new sport, and concerns about the PJA’s distinctly light-touch approach to the introduction of new whip rules earlier this year apparently led to a “revolt” by at least some leading jockeys, which in turn prompted last week’s high-level resignations.

Significant concerns about the new whip rules, which initially included a ban on its use in the forehand position, emerged only when leading riders, including Harry Cobden and Nico de Boinville, decided to speak out in January. At that point the introduction of the new regime, after a extensive review and consultation process, was less than a month away.

Two highly experienced jockeys, PJ McDonald and the now-retired Tom Scudamore, were involved in the process, and McDonald is on the PJA’s board, yet it was still hard to see how it could have got so far without such major misgivings in the weighing room being acknowledged or addressed.

The current state of apparent confusion and drift at the PJA since the Dunne case is all the more noticeable as it has, for the most part, been such an effectively-run operation in the past. It is a situation that should concern all racing fans and professionals alike, as no group of individuals in the sport is in more need of strong representation.

This is despite the fact that its membership ranges from multimillionaire riders with retainers to ride for top Flat owner and yards to jump jockeys who are lucky to cover their expenses from a handful of rides per week. The vast majority of riders are also, in effect, one-person businesses, who compete for employment with their fellow jockeys on a daily basis. They all have their own, very different interests to protect, but have generally operated as an impressively tight unit.

Some leading riders, according to the Racing Post, would like to see Struthers – who now runs a consultancy business “providing crisis management and PR support” to sporting bodies, clubs and individuals – re-appointed as chief executive. What Struthers himself makes of this idea is unclear. McMahon, meanwhile, has yet to respond to a request for comment. But the need for an effective, cohesive union to stand up for our jockeys is beyond doubt, and the current turmoil at the PJA should be a concern for anyone with the sport’s interests at heart.

Dettori’s Derby prep showcases in Vase

The traditional two-week cycle of trials for the Epsom Classics get under way at Chester on Wednesday when Arrest, a possible final Derby ride for Frankie Dettori, will go to post as the odds-on favourite for the Chester Vase.

John Gosden’s colt runs in the famous colours of the late Prince Khalid Abdullah’s Juddmonte operation, which Dettori carried to victory aboard Chaldean in Saturday’s 2,000 Guineas, and Arrest is already prominent in the Epsom betting having finished a close second behind Dubai Mile, fifth home in the Guineas, in the Group One Critérium de Saint-Cloud in October.

Arrest was six lengths in front of Adelaide River, Aidan O’Brien’s sole runner in the Vase, in Paris seven months ago and has nothing to fear from that rival on their juvenile form, but Hadrianus (3.15), a stable companion of Dubai Mile at the Charlie Johnston yard, could pose more of a challenge.

Hadrianus, a 5-1 shot, is not entered in the Derby but his recent second behind Epictetus, the runner-up in last season’s Vertem Futurity at Doncaster, in the Blue Riband Trial at Epsom does not give him much to find with the favourite. He should also have a slight edge in fitness and a small field means Franny Norton, who is peerless aboard front-runners on the Roodee, should be able to get his favoured pitch on the rail despite being drawn widest of the five runners.

Chester 1.30: Stall 11 could be a significant problem for top-rated Balon D’Or and Ziggy’s Phoenix, from the ideal berth in box one, can make the most of his luck in the draw.

Chester 2.05: Seantrabh is well drawn in three and has been dropped 1lb since a promising handicap debut, with useful apprentice Zak Wheatley taking off another 5lb.

Chester 2.40: The impeccably-bred Savethelastdance was much improved on her return to action at Leopardstown and will be tough to beat as Aidan O’Brien goes for a fifth Cheshire Oaks success in eight years

Chester 3.45: Commander Straker has an absence to overcome but is interesting at around 14-1 as he is lightly raced, has gone well fresh in the past and could well grab the lead from stall five.