Picture: A jockeys strike failed to ruin the Mercury Sprint of 2006 which was won in scintillating style by one of the best sprinters the country has seen, the Sean Tarry-trained National Colour
The British strike on Wednesday that saw four race meeting cancelled reminds of a jockeys strike in 2006 on the weekend of the Gr 1 Mercury Sprint, that saw seven jockey changes having to be made for the big race.
The below is a report written about the unfolding events at the time:
On Saturday it was reported that racing in South Africa would go ahead in spite of a remuneration dispute between representatives of the horseracing industry and the South African Jockeys Association (SAJA). A number of jockeys withdrew their services with immediate effect, but were replaced by apprentices and work riders and will continue to be so until the dispute is resolved.
Apprentices are obliged to ride as they fall under the National Horseracing Authority and not under SAJA.
Replacement riders for jockeys who are not available will be disseminated through the normal channels by horseracing and tote betting operators Phumelela and Gold Circle.
The pay dispute follows a demand by SAJA for riding fees to be upped from R388 to R650 per race ride, an increase of 68 %.
The Jockey’s Remuneration Committee, which includes representatives of the racing operators and racehorse owners’ bodies, was not prepared to accede to this request, but did grant an increase to R415 per ride backdated to March 2006.
SAJA then declared an impasse in negotiations and demanded a riding fee of R650 from 15 July failing which jockeys would not ride.
The Jockeys’ Remuneration Committee rejected their demand and instead proposed that from 1 August this year jockeys be paid an all-inclusive riding fee of R550, which would include an allowance of R125 per ride in lieu of contributions previously paid by the horseracing industry towards jockeys’ medical aid and insurance.
Riding fees comprise only 50 % of jockeys’ earnings as they effectively get a further 7 % of all prize money won by their mounts. Collectively they earn some R32 million per year and have enjoyed increases will above the inflation rate for the last six years.
Over the weekend the air was thick with wild rumours regarding the strike most of which appeared to be false.
It appeared that jockeys retained by certain yards would continue to fulfill their obligations. Brett Smith, Anton Marcus, Weichong Marwing and M.J. Byleveld fall into this category and all made themselves available over the weekend.
One of the most experienced jockeys in the country, Garth Puller, felt that the timing of the strike was poor. He felt it was wrong for the jockeys to accept rides for the weekend when knowing that they intended to strike.
Trainers were left in the lurch and one of them, Alastair Gordon, sought legal advice after learning 24 hours before the Grade 1 Mercury Sprint that Jeff Lloyd and Glynn Schofield who had accepted the rides on his charges, Disco Queen and What A Question respectively, were to be part of the jockey’s strike and would not be available to ride. The matter was taken to the High Court on Saturday morning and the presiding judge ruled that the two jockeys had a moral obligation to honour the commitment they had made seeings it was a very important race and they had not given the trainer a reasonable time period in which to make new riding arrangements. Gordon pointed out that the jockeys were also happy with the outcome of the court case implying that there has been pressure from all sides on them.
Punters had a hard time of following who was riding what after newspaper racing pages and formguides went to press as normal with the accepted rides, most of which were to be changed.
Puller believes the strike should have been called about two weeks in advance.
He also states that another reason for the confusion is that jockeys are in actual fact contracted to owners, as their riding fee is taken out of race stakes money, and not to Gold Circle with whom the Jockeys Association of South Africa are in dispute with.
Puller believes, on the other hand, however, that the sms that Goldcircle sent to all the jockeys giving them an ultimatum last Thursday was an unnecessarily aggressive action as the powers that be were at the negotiation table at the time.
In the end the jockey strike was overshadowed by the sheer brilliance of the Sean Tarry-trained flying grey filly, National Colour, who completed a hattrick of Gr 1 wins when beating Tiza by 1,5 lengths in the Mercury Sprint under Brett Smith.
Tiza, trained by Paul Matchett, was originally supposed to be ridden by Marthinus Mienie but was replaced by apprentice Keagan Latham.
Both National Colour (National Assembly) and Tiza (Goldkeeper) went on to overseas success, with the former only just failing to win the Gr 1 Nunthorpe, while Tiza won three Gr 3s in France.
