By Cliff Williams, Contributor
New apprentice Kemar Lynch who won aboard PERSONAL NEMEWSIS on Wednesday. - Michael Sloley /Freelance Photographer
LAST Wednesday's race meeting saw the industry welcoming a new batch of apprentice riders and this is good for the sport as there is the likelihood that a couple of talented riders could emerge to add to the competitiveness of the jockey colony.
In the category of jockey, for a long time I have been pretty convinced that the Jamaica Racing Commission (JRC) was never on the right track when there were as many as 114 persons licensed at one point. Certainly there was a rather high attrition rate and eventually the number came down to around 70 a couple of years ago.
There is a worldwide phenomenon, in terms of jockeys earnings from commission, where about the top twenty riders earn approximately eight per cent of the available allotment. The portion of purses paid for commission ranges from five per cent in some jurisdictions to a substantial ten per cent in some others including Jamaica.
Speaking of ten per cent, I suspect that this rate was established based on the fact that the frequency of race meeting almost guaranteed that, for jockeys, there was absolutely no way that they could live comfortably from known income. The fact of the matter is that Jamaica is one of the few countries where commission rate is this high with the owners purse being divided with trainers getting fifteen per cent and grooms five in addition to the riders ten thus reducing it by a whopping thirty per cent.
Jockeys earn a flat fee each mount it therefore means that it is crucial to attract as many rides as possible as this is a sure way of having steady income. In the United States for example, the sheer volume of races almost guarantees that riders, top notch or not, earn a living wage.
In Jamaica, of necessity, with only 94 race days and about a thousand races annually yielding an average of between 10 and 12 starters in each it can clearly be seen that there is no real guarantee of a living wage for the overwhelming majority of the professional riders.
As I pointed out in the past only the riders enjoying top fifteen status enjoy what can be considered satisfactory remuneration from known income. I keep using the term "known income" to emphasise the fact that jockeys receive extra in cash and kind from appreciative owners and in certain instances this can be substantial.
Under the Jamaica Racing Commission racing rules jockeys are legally allowed to bet as long as he or she does not have wagering interest in any other horse in the same race in which there is an engagement to ride. It is alright for jockeys to bet generally and to offer tips.
In a scenario where income is earned on a competitive basis, there is no getting away from the fact those with demonstrably more ability will earn considerably more than those who are less endowed. There was a term in the sixties, and probably still used today, when those riders who did not do well were referred to as "sufferer jockeys" in reference to the income earned.
There is also no getting away from the fact that many riders currently licensed are not succeeding and with more coming on stream their situation will be even more tenuous. I believe that the JRC should be making sure based on what is available for earning is not stretched too thin by keeping the number of professionals at a level where earning potential can be maximised. This will also reduce the temptation by some to involve themselves in corrupt practices.
From this column its welcome to the new riders and trusting that many will be able to earn satisfactorily and contribute meaningfully to the sport as a spectacle.
