Professional Jockeys Association news release: Jockeys clarify their position over whip rules

Wednesday 19 October: The Professional Jockeys Association today called for progress to be made urgently in amending the new whip rules.

There are concerns within horse racing that many Jockeys will independently decide not to take part in some racing fixtures next week in protest at the new rules.

PJA Chief Executive Kevin Darley said: "There is now a process of proper consultation and discussion involving Jockeys which should have happened before the original announcement by the British Horseracing Authority last month.  Had we been properly consulted over some of the important details that relate directly to Jockeys prior to that announcement we feel that we would not be in the position we are today. 

"Jockeys have no issues with the restricted amount of times they can use the whip under the new rules.  The careers of Jockeys are short by definition and the implications of financial penalties and long suspensions are savagely disproportionate."

Senior Jockeys Frankie Dettori and A P McCoy, who were quoted in the BHA news announcement last month, said they were asked to show their support by the BHA in the best interests of the sport.  They have now acknowledged that they wouldn't have agreed to the quotes had they and the PJA been given the time to consider the full implications and practical consequences of the new rules and penalties.

The two Jockeys said: "In hindsight we would like to have given more thought and consideration to the new rules before commenting.  We didn't give them properly informed approval and we really do wish the BHA would stop saying that we did."

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For further information, please contact:
Kevin Darley, Chief Executive, at the Professional Jockeys Association, on 07974 172675

Professional Jockeys Association media statement on Monday evening 17 October

Monday evening 17 October: Professional Jockeys Association Chief Executive Kevin Darley said: "We will continue to work closely with the British Horseracing Authority in coming days to bring this matter to a satisfactory conclusion.  We will await the Authority's response to the very realistic and sensible proposals that the Jockeys made to the BHA board today.

"However, time is pressing and amendments to the new rules that Jockeys believe are workable need to be adopted very soon.  As far as Jockeys are concerned the current situation cannot continue, and we have made that clear to the BHA.  A resolution to this issue must be found."
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Kempton Park news: Formula 1 supremo drops in at racecourse

Monday 17 October: A MAN associated with a very different kind of horsepower was a visitor at Kempton Park Racecourse on Sunday (16 OCTOBER).

Formula 1's Bernie Ecclestone has taken such an interest in the sport of horse racing that he owns part of the racehorse Greylami which was running at the Sunbury track.

And he couldn't have had a better man in the saddle in the williamhill.com The Home Of Betting Novices' Hurdle race.  For his jockey was none other than BBC Sports Personality of the Year Tony McCoy.

However, the motor racing supremo - who chose to visit Kempton Park rather than fly east for the Korean Grand Prix - had to be satisfied with fourth place for his horse in the race in which eight took part.

'Jump Sunday' at Kempton Park was a popular afternoon out for the public on a warm autumn afternoon, with the current Kempton Park Christmas Hurdle and 2010 Champion Hurdle winner Binocular paraded.
Spectators also experienced what goes on behind the scenes, walking the final furlong with top jump jockey Robert Thornton and joining a tour to see the commentary box, weighing room, parade ring and stewards' box.

Those who fancied themselves as jockeys tried their skills on a mechanical horse, known as an equicisor, simulating riding in an actual race.

The next jump racing at Kempton Park is on Monday 31 October when the feature event is the £20,000 Betfair Graduation Chase.  Ticket prices are just £12 booked in advance, and £15 on the gate on the day.  To book tickets visit kempton.co.uk or call the box office on 0844 579 3008.  Tickets are also on sale both online at boxingdayraces.co.uk and by telephone for the William Hill Winter Festival on Boxing Day and Tuesday 27 December.

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For further information, please contact:
Kempton Park media office on 01932 782292

PJA news update: Jockeys issue statement after meeting with BHA board

Monday 17 October: Professional Jockeys Association Chief Executive Kevin Darley said: "We had a productive meeting with the BHA board this afternoon.

"They listened to all the points that we made about the working of the new whip rules. It was very useful for the PJA to have senior Jockeys like A P McCoy, Frankie Dettori, Ryan Moore and Richard Hughes present because they were able to paint various different race-riding scenarios to the board members.

"We will now await the BHA coming back to us. We can then see where we stand because the Jockeys as a group will have to find the rules workable."

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Professional Jockeys Association statement on Friday 14 October

Friday 14 October: The Professional Jockeys Association this afternoon submitted written proposals to the British Horseracing Authority concerning the new whip rules that apply to Jockeys.

The recommendations from the Jockeys include revisions to the range of penalties for infringements as well as some further clarifications of the rules themselves.

PJA Chief Executive Kevin Darley reiterated that Jockeys as a group welcomed the move towards greater precision in the amended rules.

"What Jockeys do have concerns about however, are the new penalties for what they perceive to be relatively minor infringements of the rules," he said.  "The PJA believes very strongly that this aspect needs to be re-considered."

He stressed that Jockeys understood how important it is that the sport of racing conveys the correct message about horse welfare to the public. 

The PJA said that it hoped the BHA would respond positively and urgently to the proposals.

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For further information, please contact:
Kevin Darley, Chief Executive, at the Professional Jockeys Association, on 07974 172675

PJA media statement about the new whip rules

Thursday 13 October: Professional Jockeys Association Chief Executive Kevin Darley (pictured) this evening welcomed the statement of British Horseracing Association Chairman Paul Roy concerning the new whip rules that apply to Jockeys.

He said: "The PJA is preparing a paper for the BHA that will outline our observations about how the new rules are working in practice during the first week.

"Jockeys as a group welcome the move towards greater clarity in the amended rules.  Jockeys understand too how important it is that the sport conveys the correct message about horse welfare to the public. 

"What they do have concerns about however, are the new penalties for infringements of the rules.  The PJA thinks that aspect needs to be looked at again, and we look forward to further discussions with the BHA."

For further information, please contact:Kevin Darley, Chief Executive, at the Professional Jockeys Association, on 07974 172675

Haydock Park news release: 'Dr Frankie Dettori' at charity racing day

Wednesday 12 October: Frankie Dettori - who receives an honorary doctorate on Thursday - rides at Haydock Park's final fixture of the 2011 Flat racing season on a day dedicated to a charity of which the jockey is a patron.

Friday is the first ever racing day to raise funds for the Lancashire-based Thoroughbred Rehabilitation Centre, Europe's original charity for the rehabilitation of racehorses.

The TRC has been at Whinney Hill, a 230-acre former dairy farm at Halton, near Lancaster, since 2006.  Among its patrons are the former 'Voice of Racing' Sir Peter O'Sullevan, Manchester United footballer Michael Owen's wife Louise and Frankie Dettori.

The jockey was receiving his honorary doctorate at a ceremony at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge on Thursday.

*Friday's final Flat racing fixture of the season at Haydock Park is a new one for 2011.  The first race of eight is at 1.55pm.  Admission: £12 (combined Newton and Tattersalls Enclosures); £20 (County Stand); £36 (Premier Suite).  More information at haydockpark.co.uk.

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For further information, please contact:
Dickon White, managing director, at Haydock Park Racecourse, on 01942 725963

Racing for Change news release: Dr Frankie Dettori, I presume...

Wednesday 12 October: The country's most famous jockey Frankie Dettori will add an honorary doctorate to his many great sporting achievements on Thursday (13 OCTOBER).

The rider, who can be seen in more conventional circumstances 48 hours later on QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot Racecourse, will join graduates from Anglia Ruskin University at a ceremony in Cambridge when he will be made a doctor of science.

Ten key facts about Frankie...

1. Lanfranco Oscar Dettori was born on 15 December 1970 in Milan, Italy.

2. His father was a famous jockey and his mother was a circus performer.

3. He has ridden over 3,000 winners.

4. He married Catherine Allen in 1998 and the couple have five children - Leo, Ella, Mia, Tallulah and Rocco.  They live in Newmarket, Suffolk.

5. He owns a Ferrari but rarely drives himself, except on the school run.

6. He has his own food range known as Dettori's Italian Foods, is the author of 'Frankie Dettori's Italian Family Cookbook' and has a chain of restaurants called 'Frankie's Italian Bar and Grill' in partnership with Marco Pierre White.

7. He supports Arsenal Football Club.

8. His proudest moment in sport was winning all seven races - his 'Magnificent Seven' - at Ascot one day in September 1996.

9. He was awarded an MBE in 2001.

10. His flying dismounts are a tribute to the jockey Angel Cordero. He started doing them in 1994.

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Further information from:
Nick Attenborough, Consumer PR Director, at Racing for Change on 020 7152 0193 or 07714 146528 or nattenborough@racingenterpriseslimited.co.uk

Ffos Las Racecourse news: Fantastic auction items to raise funds for Swansea Valley Miners Appeal

Wednesday 12 October: BIDDING has started on an array of auction items that will raise tens of thousands of pounds for the Swansea Valley Miners Appeal Fund over two days of horse racing at Ffos Las Racecourse.

The official appeal has already raised £300,000 - and the Carmarthenshire racecourse hopes to add much more to the total.

The fixtures dedicated to the appeal fund are on Friday 4 and Sunday 6 November when musical entertainment is planned for visitors alongside two afternoons of horse racing.

Among dozens of auction items - for which bids are already being accepted online at ffoslasracecourse.com - are:

* Beer for a year from Felinfoel Brewery;
* Hospitality for ten people at Cheltenham Racecourse on Gold Cup day next March;
* Morning on the gallops and a day's racing with Gold Cup-winning trainer Nicky Henderson and Welsh trainer Tim Vaughan;
* A day with Channel 4 Racing;
* Four ball golf at Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland with overnight accommodation;
* Hospitality for two at Tottenham Hotspur FC - and hospitality at Swansea v Spurs on 31 December;
* Hospitality for six on Coral Welsh National day at Chepstow Racecourse.

There are also many more items that are prizes in a huge raffle.

The fund-raising initiative is from a racecourse that was developed by Welsh businessman Dai Walters, whose father was a coal miner.

The racecourse has already raised £25,000 through donations ahead of the two days.  With the auction and raffle items, plus a percentage of admission money, the racecourse hopes to build greatly on that initial figure.

Dai Walters said: "Ffos Las is at the heart of the communities of south west Wales which have been so affected by the terrible mining tragedy, so we are determined to do our utmost to help the families of the miners.

"I am sure that our visitors and supporters will be most generous as we do what we can to ease the blow to those who lost loved ones.

"We have been overwhelmed by the pledges and raffle prizes from those who have donated and we send our sincerest thanks to them for their generosity."

There is post-racing entertainment at the racecourse on Sunday 6 November, with a performance from the Three Welsh Tenors - Rhys Meirion, Aled Hall and Alun Rhys-Jenkins - and by singer Shan Cothi.

Friday 4 November is the finale to the 2011 Flat racing season at Ffos Las, while it is a jump racing day on Sunday 6 November.  Advance admission costs £16, while on-the-day admission is £18.  Accompanied under 16s are admitted free of charge.

Special offer: £22 - admission, carvery roll or vegetarian option, racecard and pint of beer/lager/cider or glass of wine.  For £2 more (£24), a Bet Boosted Booklet is added.

The first race time on both days is 1pm.

More information is available at http://www.ffoslasracecourse.com/ where tickets can be bought.

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For further information, please contact:
Tim Long, General Manager and Clerk of the Course, at Ffos Las Racecourse, on 01554 811092

Kempton Park news: Christmas Hurdle hero parades on Sunday

Tuesday 11 October: The countdown to the 2011 William Hill Winter Festival begins in earnest on Sunday (16 OCTOBER) when the current Christmas Hurdle and 2010 Champion Hurdle winner Binocular parades at Kempton Park.

‘Jump Sunday’ is the opening day of the 2011/12 National Hunt racing season at the Sunbury racecourse – and Kempton is laying on a host of activities for visitors.

Spectators will be able to experience what goes on behind the scenes on a race day.  They can walk the final furlong with a top jumps jockey before the first race or join a tour where they can visit the commentary box, weighing room, parade ring and enjoy an integrity talk in the stewards’ box.

Those who fancy themselves as a jockey can try their skills on a mechanical horse, known as an equicisor, simulating riding in an actual race.

Binocular will make an appearance on the racetrack.  The most recent winner of the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton Park and the 2010 Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, the horse was one of five winners for trainer Nicky Henderson on ‘Super Saturday’ at Kempton Park in January.

Nicky Henderson also triumphed with Long Run in the William Hill King George VI Chase and the horse’s regular jockey, Sam Waley Cohen, will also be a guest at the racecourse discussing his hopes for the season.

On the track on Sunday, the former Rosebery Stakes winner on Kempton’s all-weather surface Greylami – part-owned by Formula 1’s Bernie Ecclestone – could run in the Listed williamhill.com Home Of Betting Novices’ Hurdle.

Champion trainer Paul Nicholls’ Toubab could make his debut over fences in the williamhill.com Beginners’ Chase, a race in which The Queen’s Henrietta Knight-trained five-year-old Harvest Song may take part.

Gates open on Sunday at 12.15pm.  The first race is at 2.15pm. 

Regular fans of jump racing can take advantage of becoming an annual member at Kempton Park and enjoy a wide range of benefits offered - a VIP members lounge, admission on all 10 days racing, including the William Hill Winter Festival, free car parking and a signed picture of Sam Waley Cohen and Long Run.

Annual members will enjoy a Bucks Fizz reception on Sunday and reciprocal days, where they get free entry at other racecourses, throughout the season.  More details about annual membership are available on 01932 782292 or by emailing lisa.russell-smith@jockeyclubracecourses.com.

Ticket prices for ‘Jump Sunday’ are just £12 booked in advance by 5pm Friday 14 October, and £15 on the gate on the day.  To book tickets visit www.kempton.co.uk or call the box office on 0844 579 3008.

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For further information, please contact:

Kempton Park media office on 01932 782292

QIPCO British Champions Day news release: Visitor attractions announced for British horse racing's richest-ever day

Thursday 6 October: The richest day in the history of British horse racing is set to captivate an audience of tens of thousands of people at Ascot Racecourse and millions more watching on television in 75 countries around the world.

With £3m in prize-money, QIPCO British Champions Day on Saturday 15 October is the culmination of the first-ever British Champions Series that began in April and comes to a climax in front of Her Majesty The Queen.

Tickets for the big occasion have sold quickly.  All Premier Enclosure badges, as well as hospitality areas, have been sold.  But there will be plenty of room on the day for visitors who buy Grandstand tickets at £26 each for adults.  Accompanied children are admitted free of charge.

As well as the top class horse racing, an array of 'Best of British' entertainments is being laid on for visitors to the Berkshire racecourse.

Rod Street, chief executive of the British Champions Series, said: "QIPCO British Champions Day, the spectacular new climax to the season, is the culmination of the inaugural 35-race British Champions Series which has encompassed the very best of British Flat racing.

"We have been so fortunate to have horses like Frankel, Immortal Verse, Twice Over, Midday, Blue Bunting, Dancing Rain, Deacon Blues and Hoof It, Moonlight Cloud and Nathaniel targeting the big races.
"Sensational racing is in prospect and we hope everyone enjoys a very special day at Ascot Racecourse on Saturday 15 October and that it sets a benchmark for years to come - a world-class finale for British racing."

On the racetrack, all eyes will be on the racehorse of the year Frankel who will appear in the £1m Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.  He has won each of his three British Champions Series races to date, and now goes for a fourth.

The climax of the afternoon is the £1.3m QIPCO Champion Stakes at 4.10pm.

But before then, there will be plenty for people to see and do.  Gates open at 11am so that visitors can sample the build-up to that races that start at 1.50pm and enjoy a series of 'Best of British' and interactive attractions.

* Household Cavalry - two Household Cavalry riders and horses in their full regalia will lead the runners out on to the racetrack and accompany the victorious horses returning to the winner's enclosure in each of the five championship races.

* Legends autographs - five former champion jockeys in Britain (Lester Piggott, Joe Mercer, Willie Carson, Pat Eddery and Kevin Darley) will join Britain's best ever female jockey, Hayley Turner, who won two Group 1 races this season, and multiple Irish champion jockey Johnny Murtagh to sign autographs at 12.45pm.

* Alternative horse power - a display of Triumph motorcycles (including a bespoke Daytona 675 Sports bike in British Champions Series colours) and vintage British cars.

* Meet the racehorse - after first seeing Joey, the horse originally made famous in the critically acclaimed theatre production 'War Horse', visitors can meet and pat former Cheltenham Festival winner Monsignor during the afternoon.

* Equicisors - two mechanical horses used for jockey training will offer visitors the chance to find out what it's like to ride a racehorse. 

* Champion Jockey on PlayStation 3 - with the Move Motion Control System, visitors can experience the thrill of what it feels like to be a real jockey in a race.

* Commentary karaoke - those who fancy themselves as a race caller can give it a go on a commentary karaoke and take away a recording.

* Book signing - Felix Francis, son of legendary author Dick Francis, will sign copies of his new book Gamble.

* The Big Draw - 'The Big Draw' is happening across Britain this month and youngsters could win £100 in Toys R Us vouchers if they draw something to catch the eye of the judges.  Free crayons and drawing paper given out.

* Great British Brands - thousands of pounds worth of items from great British brands will be on display in the Grandstand, all of which visitors will be able to win in 'text-to-win' competitions.

Tickets: Premier - sold out; Grandstand - £26 (with 10% advance booking discount £23.40); children - under 18 years of age - free; parking - free in car park 6; book at britishchampionsseries.com or on 0870 727 1234.

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Further information from:
Nick Attenborough, Consumer PR Director, on 020 7152 0193 or 07714 146528 or nattenborough@racingenterpriseslimited.co.uk

Ffos Las Racecourse news: Tens of thousands of pounds to be raised for miners appeal fund

Wednesday 5 October: Tens of thousands of pounds are to be donated to the Swansea Valley Miners Appeal Fund from two days of horse racing at Ffos Las Racecourse.

The fund is to support the families of the victims of last month's Gleision mining tragedy who need help to survive and recover in the future.

The appeal has already raised over £200,000 - and the Carmarthenshire racecourse hopes to add much more to the total.

The fixtures dedicated to the appeal fund are on Friday 4 and Sunday 6 November when musical entertainment is planned for visitors alongside two afternoons of horse racing.

The initiative is from a racecourse that was developed by Welsh businessman Dai Walters, whose father was a coal miner.

A percentage of earnings from raceday admissions, sponsorships and hospitality - as well as raffles and auctions over the two days - will be given to the appeal fund.

The racecourse has already raised £25,000 through donations ahead of the two days.  With auction items valued at over £20,000, plus a percentage of admission money, the racecourse hopes to build greatly on that initial figure.

Dai Walters said: "Ffos Las is at the heart of the communities of south west Wales which have been so affected by the terrible mining tragedy, so we are determined to do our utmost to help the families of the miners.

"I am sure that our visitors and supporters will be most generous as we do what we can to ease the blow to those who lost loved ones."

There is post-racing entertainment on Sunday 6 November, with a performance from the Three Welsh Tenors - Rhys Meirion, Aled Hall and Alun Rhys-Jenkins - and by singer Sian Cothi.

Friday 4 November is the finale to the 2011 Flat racing season at Ffos Las, while it is a jump racing day on Sunday 6 November.  Advance admission costs £16, while on-the-day admission is £18.  Accompanied under 16s are admitted free of charge.

Special offer: £22 - admission, carvery roll or vegetarian option, racecard and pint of beer/lager/cider or glass of wine.  For £2 more (£24), a Bet Boosted Booklet is added.

The first race time on both days is 1pm.

More information is available at ffoslasracecourse.com where tickets can be bought.

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For further information, please contact:
Tim Long, General Manager and Clerk of the Course, at Ffos Las Racecourse, on 01554 811092