Thursday 14 January 2016

Thursday January 14, 2016




PAUSE FOR THOUGHT

"Jockeys in line to receive cut of ITV deal money."

Lee Mottershead writes Racing Post Wednesday January 13 page 4 s

As published by Turfcall - Racing Post - yesterday

"A SMALL percentage of the reported £30 million heading the way of Britain’s racecourses from ITV is set to go to jockeys, with their trade  body having begun talks with Racecourse Media Group over obtaining riders a share of racing’s most lucrative television deal yet.

JMC: THERE ARE far more than just the jockeys who work with a racehorse in training every day, before that racehorse is ready to compete in a race on any  racetrack.

"The Professional Jockey’s Association has been receiving a significant five-figure sum each year since Channel 4’s exclusive mainstream rights arrangement began in 2013. However, that has come from directly from the network and not from cash - much less than the £30m agreed with ITV divided between racecourses.

 

“With the PJA aware that broadcasters dislike being required to make additional payments on top of multi-million-pound rights fees, chief executive Paul Struthers has started discussions with RMG.

Struthers said: “We have a deal with Channel 4 that commenced in 2013 but the money we received didn’t come from the money Channel 4 paid to broadcaster the sport.

“We haven’t had conversations with ITV but we have already started discussions and negotiations with RMG because Channel 4 ‘s view when we did the deal with them was that they had just paid for the rights to broadcast the sport, so why should they be paying again? To their credit, they recognised previous arrangement had been in place with Highflyer and we agreed a deal.

 

“The money has covered any interviews on course during broadcasts and the level of access currently granted to the jockeys’ changing room including an agreed number of days and an agreed number of hits on each of those days.

“It hasn’t covered appearances on The Morning Line or special features, while at the time the deal was done the jockeycam wasn’t in place, but now it is and forms part of our discussions with RMG.”

“Struthers added: “All the Channel 4 money we have received has been ring-fenced and used in its entirety to off -set the cost of jockeys’ group insurance, for which they now pay 75 pence per ride. As a result of the Channel 4 deal we are saving jockeys’ between £1.25 and £2 per ride depending on how many rides a jockey had at the time of the previous arrangement. “

“RGM declined to reveal the financial details of the ITV contract, but a spokesman described  the 2017-2020 arrangement as “a great deal for racing”  adding “ITV’s significant commitment to the production of over 90-plus days of coverage should not be underestimated. “

15 Jockey Club Racecourses

Aintree1****
Carlisle Racecourse 

Cheltenham Racecourse ****

Epsom Downs Racecourse 
***
Exeter Racecourse 

Haydock Park Racecourse **** 

Huntingdon Racecourse 

Kempton Park Racecourse ****

Market Rasen Racecourse  ****

Newmarket July Course ***

Newmarket Rowley Mile ***

Wincanton Racecourse ****

JMC:  These fifteen racecourses, both Flat Turf *** and Jumps Turf **** all belong to the

Jockey Club.as indicated, host of the best horseracing found anywhere in the world today. Every one of these racecourses on each and every race day now need to financially honour to recognise what true professional bloodhorse literacy is all about. All those who have worked so hard over the last 75 years, at this level but have not been paid one penny piece by any of these racecourses. Highly skilled honest decent horsemen, together with many trainers have gone unpaid, unrecognized taken for granted, abused, robbed, by all these racecourses. All these racecourses now need to realise what they are guilty of doing to other people’s daily lives.  Pay back time, now need to settle their debts, to start to make amends by paying £200.00 (Two hundred pounds per hour fee) to each and every trainer,  to each and every trainers’ team member, all those who work on racecourses every day,  there to present each racehorse to the media, without whom there would not be any British horseracing. Our Queen Elizabeth 11 and her American friend Monty Roberts have worked tirelessly over the last 30 years to bring the meaning of Bloodhorse Litercy to life for the people world wide   Clive and Maureen Brittain  and their wonderful book “The Smiling Pioneer”  sets out what bloodhorse literacy is all about. And how it can change people’s lives forever.