A recent statement by NHRA Racing Control Executive Arnold Hyde made on a fellow racing media platform following the racing regulator’s decision to restrict jockey interprovincial movement during the month of January, has led to a call for sanctions against the senior administrator.
In the 30 December 2020 Turf Talk Newsletter NHRA Racing Control Executive Arnold Hyde was quoted as saying the following:
“The jockeys are the elite human athletes of our sport and are irreplaceable. If a groom goes down with the virus they can be replaced, and similarly for a trainer someone else can temporarily look after the yard.”
Hyde subsequently substituted the above with the following quote, which he stated more accurately expresses his intentions.
“Riders are the human athletes of our sport, that actively participate in races, they undergo a five year apprenticeship and are more difficult to be substituted in the event of being medically indisposed than trainers, assistants, grooms, or officials who can be stood in for when necessary.”
