THE SUNSHINE COAST NEWSPAPER COLUMN: JOCKEYS WHO TAKE A BET ARE PLAYING WITH THEIR CAREERS

By Graham Potter | Monday, August 24, 2020

Graham Potter writes a weekly column for the Sunshine Coast daily. Due to demand from those having trouble accessing the column these articles are now also published on HRO courtesy of the Sunshine Coast daily.

Jockeys betting on horses. God forbid. I mean look at the penalty they face if caught out.

Take the Adam Hyeronimus case for example. That case, which has just been resolved, came in with a guilty verdict on thirty betting charges and earned the rider a massive three year ban, which is currently due to go under appeal. It is a long way to August 2023 and the chances of Hyeronimus making a comeback after that length of time, if he cannot get his penalty reduced, has to be fifty-fifty at best.

Racing rules dictate that jockeys are not allowed to bet … full stop.

This long standing law is as clear and unambiguous as it can be and, while it remains in place, any jockey caught in the betting drag-net cannot really expect much sympathy from racing’s customers … the punters.

Race riding fees are in the region of $200.00 per ride. For the sake of argument, let’s take a reasonably conservative mark of a jockey getting four rides a meeting, riding at four meetings a week. Times that by four weeks per month and then times that figure again by twelve (months) and you will have a ballpark figure of what an average rider arguably can earn as basic annual income for his or her efforts. You do the maths.

Beyond that, jockeys also earn five percent of any stake money their mounts win and there is also a superannuation component directed their way. Of course, taking away from that earning capacity is the time a jockey might spend out of action through suspension or injury.

TO BE CRYSTAL CLEAR, THEY DESERVE EVERY PENNY OF THAT INCOME FOR PUTTING THEIR LIVES ON THE LINE EVERY TIME THEY ARE LEGGED UP ONTO A HORSE SO THAT A RACING-MAD COUNTRY CAN ENJOY THE SPORT ON SO MANY LEVELS.

But, equally, for most jockeys looking after themselves properly on a financial level, they shouldn’t need to punt!

So why would you do it … for the thrill of the chase, for an adrenaline rush. Those in breach of the rule have to get something out of it to take such a massive risk. Or is that, in fact, the thrill … taking on and trying to beat the system.

Commentary has been made on various occasions pushing for jockeys to possibly being allowed to bet on the horses they ride or on races in which they are not riding, but perhaps those accounts would be a bit too difficult to police.

Conspiracy theorists might theorise that most jockeys bet. Most racing regulars can describe ways they can do it without being caught without actually directly claiming that they do.

Certainly, there would appear to be some very obvious loopholes in the system and, as anywhere in life, where there are loopholes there are invariably those trying to take advantage of them.

When someone gets caught and found guilty of any charge, their personal circumstances, their show of remorse, their co-operation with stewards, their honest evidence … all of these factors are generally taken into account when deciding an appropriate penalty, but still there is often a backlash against harshness of some of the penalties imposed.

Surely it would be far easier for everybody concerned to not break the rule.