THE V.R.C. AND LICENSING OF JOCKEYS.

NZ Truth, Issue 148, 18 April 1908, Page 2

THE V.R.C. AND LICENSING OF JOCKEYS.

The general qdery. just ait present is— "Are the V.R.C. going to give Wally Burn his license?" . They, are granting jockeys' licenses to boys who are runaway apprentices and .who have been llgur ing at "the pony meetings, who are not .connected with any stables, and who are little more, if ..anything better, than street corner loafers ;_ and also to those who are "warned off" the pony courses. These people are, therefore, now able to compete for a living with men wlio for years have loyally dbeyecl the orders of the V.R.C., and wno have' been a credit to their 'profession'."' To "us i\\c action of the • ruling body m this matter is incomprehensible, and, to say the least of it, they do- not appear to have realised what may be the effect of allowing jockeys to ride at pony meetings, over which they have no control whatever. It might have been supposedthat m view of some recent happenings, the committee of the V.R.C. would have been glad to have tightened their hold and authority over jockeys, but instead of doing so they loosened it entirely. In , connection with this recent licensing of jockeys, it may be noted that the committee have apparently quite disregarded the conditions laid down m the rules of racing. Rule 71 says a license shall hot be granted ... to any person . . . unless— (l) Such person shall be approved of by the committee of the, Victorian Racing Club ; arid (2) Unless ; 'such person shall have served an apprenticeship for a term of not less than three years to a trainer licensed by the Victorian Racing Club during that period, or to an owner -approved of by the said committee ; or . (3) Unless such person shall< have been employed for a like period m racing stables approved of by the said committee." It is a matter of absolute certainty that a lot of lads recently licensed have not complied with these conditions, and as the V.R.C. committee have now established'a precedent, we presume that m future, if a boy breaks his apprenticeship after serving two or three months and then goes and rides at "outside" meetings, he will be granted a jockey's license whenever he likes to apply for it. In the meantime, that admittedly fine horseman. W. Burn, is kept out, and no reason whatever has been accorded to him for I'is disqualification. Since the above was written, the V.R.C. committee have seen fit to grant some slight measure of justice to Burn, who has now its gracious permission to ride exercise work m a stable, and attend race meetings. Burn has now once more become attached to Hickenbotham-'s stable, and started riding work on Tuesday.— "Melbourne Truth."