The Jockeys further alienate themselves

[blackthroatedwind]

Here's Matt Hegarty's article for Sunday's DRF...


http://www.drf.com/news/article/78943.html


If you're a subsrciber to DRF I also recommend Steve Crist's column about this story ( sorry I can't print that link ). I don't have time to get further into this but this is quite a blindsided attempt by the jockey's to take as much out of racing as they possibly can after refusing to offer a mere pittance to contribute to their catostrophic insurance earlier in the year.

[TalkToTheHoof]

Crist ends his editorial by saying that the Bill has little chance of reaching the House Floor by year end. He also adds that it might be the impetus needed to get everyone to the bargaining table quickly to settle the insurance issue, "so that no similar federal legislation ever sees the light of day".

Here's the link to the 'subscribers only' article.

http://www.drf.com/drfNewsArticle.do?NID=78922

[Cannon Shell]

I would hope that people are smart enough to realize that a 50% reduction in the horsemans take of simulcast revenues would simply be the end of most racing jurisdictions. No owner outside of Sheikh Mo would have any shot to stay in the business. The jockeys and the guild are weasels who really should be taken to task for this embarrassing piece of legislation. They teamed up with Whitfield(who is a grandstander at best, an idiot at worst) a political hack to try to force the hand of the industry. The true goal of the guild has little to do with forcing someone else to pay for insurance. They want more money. It's simple, it's why Dr. G had such a spell on them. He promised them they were all gonna get rich when he "exposed" the industry's terrible treatment of them. Manley is doing the same thing but he is being a little less aggressive than Dr. G and using political pressure instead of threats of lawsuits.

[blackthroatedwind]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

I would hope that people are smart enough to realize that a 50% reduction in the horsemans take of simulcast revenues would simply be the end of most racing jurisdictions. No owner outside of Sheikh Mo would have any shot to stay in the business. The jockeys and the guild are weasels who really should be taken to task for this embarrassing piece of legislation. They teamed up with Whitfield(who is a grandstander at best, an idiot at worst) a political hack to try to force the hand of the industry. The true goal of the guild has little to do with forcing someone else to pay for insurance. They want more money. It's simple, it's why Dr. G had such a spell on them. He promised them they were all gonna get rich when he "exposed" the industry's terrible treatment of them. Manley is doing the same thing but he is being a little less aggressive than Dr. G and using political pressure instead of threats of lawsuits.

If you take this attempt to hijack money at face value it could add up to $400 million annually...slightly more than is necessary to pay for their insurance. Sounds to me like the guy who sues for $100 Million in hopes of getting $2 million. I hope now that they have defined themselves as the overly greedy adversaries of everybody in racing, and particularly the horsemen, that they will receive the well deserved backlash they have so far avoided.

[DiscreetCat=Monster]

Without jockeys i will have nothing to bet on, give them what they want if they get hurt, they are making money but in the other thread i read most of them don't make squat, and live day to day like the rest of us. I really doubt most of the guys could afford regular insurance since it would be really expensive.

[blackthroatedwind]

It is revenue from simulcasting that is guaranteed to the horsemen and is distrubuted through the purses ( so actually the jockey's already share in it ) and it amounts to $400 million annually nationwide.

Can anyone say gluttons?

And let me add....Cannon Shell is 100% correct.