O Canada! Emma-Jayne, save the (Hong Kong) day

[my miss storm cat]

SCMP.....


Saturday, January 26, 2008

Jockey Club to hold crisis talks over careless-riding bans


ALAN AITKEN
Jockey Club officials will address a special meeting with Hong Kong's jockeys on Monday as a flood of careless riding bans has brought racing to crisis point.
Two horses down to run at tomorrow's Sha Tin meeting, Elephant Star and Silly Boy, were both withdrawn before declarations on Thursday when no suitable jockey was available, and Paul Lo Pak-hin has been granted special permission to ride two of his mounts at three pounds overweight so they can compete.

The cause of the jockey shortage is the unprecedented list of careless riding violations this term, the double suspension for Manoel Nunes on Wednesday at Happy Valley took the tally to 51 bans, contrasting with 66 for the entire 2006-07 season.

"We don't know why there's been so much careless riding this season but we need to talk to the jockeys about what is going on out on the track," chief steward Jamie Stier said yesterday.

"The problem with the riders has been exacerbated this week by the fact the vast majority of the suspended jockeys are light weights. For Wednesday's meeting, Douglas Whyte is the only suspended rider who would not normally be able to ride at 113 pounds." With Jacky Tong Chi-kit still unavailable through injury, Shane Dye, Way Leung Ming-wai, Anthony Delpech, Nunes, Vincent Sit Shin-keung, Eddie Lai Wai-ming and Terry Wong Chi-wai are all absent with suspension and next weekend's Group 3 Centenary Vase will bring the issue to a head.

Vengeance Of Rain is scheduled to run and his presence at the top of the handicaps will push the weights of most of his rivals down towards the 113-pound minimum and give rise to the possibility of too few suitable jockeys to ride them all.

"And when we say `suitable jockeys' it isn't about the weight alone," Stier said. "Christophe Soumillon and Eric Saint-Martin were asked to ride Elephant Star and it had their weight but they declined. Manoel Nunes refused to ride Lady First in the last race and the only other option was to allow Paul Lo to ride her at three pounds overweight.

"We don't feel it's right to insist on riders taking mounts if they choose not to, that could open a lot of problem issues up if someone gets hurt."

The shortage has caused the Jockey Club to go searching for another accomplished, expatriate lightweight rider who can come here quickly.

It is understood negotiations are at an advanced stage and the identity of the new jockey is set to be announced within the next few days.