Jockeys association chief warns riders to be wary

PROFESSIONAL JOCKEYS Association in Britain chief executive Kevin Darley has warned riders to be careful of the company they keep in the wake of the corruption scandal that has engulfed the sport.

Greg Fairley and Paul Doe, both now retired, were excluded from racing for 12 years, while Kirsty Milczarek was banned for two years and Jimmy Quinn for six months after a British Horseracing Authority investigation into 10 races during 2009.

“It’s disappointing for the sport,” said Darley, who was a jockey for 30 years and won Group One races all over the world, including the St Leger.

“The PJA takes the strong view that integrity is vital to the sport of horseracing and the Association will continue to support the BHA in carrying out that function.

“Overall, we have to recognise as well that there are different degrees of these integrity breaches.

“I suppose in certain circumstances, for the likes of Jimmy, on face value he hasn’t done an awful lot wrong other than speaking to people who I suppose could be classed as undesirables.

“A little bit of naivety could be involved there, but it’s unfair to single people out.”

The role of the PJA is to represent and protect the interests of professional jockeys on and off the racecourse, and Darley said it was still important they did not become distant figures.

He said: “Jockeys are very personable people, when they walk to the paddock they are exposed to everybody and you can literally be talking to anybody and everybody.

“If the wrong connection is made and you meet someone and they are the wrong type of person, it can be through total naivety they get associated with people they shouldn’t.

“We profess as the association, ‘don’t by any means compromise your personality by not speaking to people’. I remember as a jockey myself walking into a course and the gateman would ask you for your best chance.

“You’d be personable and help the guy out, but it’s people out there who are trying to get negative information that jockeys have to be very wary about.

“Thankfully, these cases are very few and far between when you take into account how much racing we have – it’s a big industry and there’s racing nearly every day.

“Ever since the betting exchanges have been around, punters and the general public can bet on a horse to lose, which is something that is quite new to our sport and jockeys have to be wary of anyone who is trying to seek negative information.”