Latest news with #InternationalJockeys'Championship
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
A $15m jockeys racing league would relegate real stars to supporting role
Frankie Dettori and Ryan Moore are among the big names lined up for the proposed new international jockeys' league. Photograph: Fiona Hanson For The Jockey Club/Shutterstock It was a case of eyes down for marketing buzzword bingo on Monday morning, as news emerged that a dozen leading riders, including Frankie Dettori, Ryan Moore, William Buick and Yutaka Take, have signed up to compete in a new international jockeys' league from 2026, with up to 10 six-race fixtures annually staged at some of the sport's most famous tracks around the world. According to various reports, the 'revolutionary' new competition will, its organisers claim, have 'a franchise-based league structure' designed to turn riders into 'global icons' and engage a 'fresh audience' for racing. The jockeys involved will own equity in their team, act as the 'team principal' for their franchise and, if all goes to plan, will be competing for a share of a $15m prize fund within two years. Advertisement Related: Desert Flower wins 1,000 Guineas to seal Classic weekend double for Appleby – as it happened Beyond the names of the riders involved – which also include James McDonald, Flavien Prat, Irad Ortiz Jr, Vincent Ho, Mickaël Barzalona and Christophe Lemaire – there is not much clarity as yet on important information such as dates, venues or how the competition will be structured given that the riders are not racing's primary athletes. For now, the aim seems to be to secure commercial backing and sponsorship for the project as a whole and the individual riders' teams. Innovation, new money and, hopefully, a fresh generation of enthusiasts for a sport with an ageing fanbase. It is, on the face of it, an enticing prospect, and the project's co-founders, John Ferguson and Lachlan Fitt, have a wide range of experience in the industry. Ferguson is a former chief executive of the Godolphin operation and current board member of the British Horseracing Authority, while Fitt recently resigned from his role as deputy CEO of gambling group Entain's Australian arm. At the same time, though, and while there are undoubtedly some very talented names on the cast-list of riders, the simple fact remains that the sport is called horse racing for a reason. This has been a source of frustration for the promoters for decades – how do you persuade people to engage with athletes when the athletes can't talk? – and trying to persuade them to engage with the jockeys instead is not exactly blue sky thinking. Advertisement The Shergar Cup, a jockey-based team event at Ascot in August, has been around for a quarter of a century, while the International Jockeys' Championship has long been a popular feature of Hong Kong's annual International event in December. But these events are, essentially, just a bit of fun before the serious stuff with the best horses gets underway. To be anything more than that, or provide a meaningful comparison between the abilities of the riders involved, the new league would need to account for the varying chances of the horses taking part but without making it all too complex for its audience to understand. A jockey's role, after all, is to maximise a horse's chance by getting it from start to finish as swiftly and efficiently as possible. If an odds-on shot scrambles home from a 25-1 outsider, the rider of the runner-up may well have done their job much better than the one on the winner, but no jockey will ever be able to make a horse run any faster than its genes, physique and preparation will allow. This is not to suggest that there is anything wrong with a bit of fun, and while the flag-waving at the Shergar Cup may not be to everyone's taste, it was Ascot's second-biggest draw outside of the Royal meeting last year. Advertisement With its talk of a $15m prize fund, though, and a claim by Fitt that 'the concept we've developed with our foundation jockeys can help revolutionise global horseracing in the coming years', the global jockeys' league seems to be aiming to be rather more than a sideshow. There is precious little detail available as yet, and there may be a cunning plan to make the league a meaningful contest between jockeys from very different racing backgrounds. Perhaps it will also find the fresh audience it is looking for, but from this fan's perspective at least, a racing enterprise that relegates the horses to supporting-actor roles does seem to be missing the point.
The Guardian
05-05-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
A $15m jockeys racing league would relegate real stars to supporting role
It was a case of eyes down for marketing buzzword bingo on Monday morning, as news emerged that a dozen leading riders, including Frankie Dettori, Ryan Moore, William Buick and Yutaka Take, have signed up to compete in a new international jockeys' league from 2026, with up to 10 six-race fixtures annually staged at some of the sport's most famous tracks around the world. According to various reports, the 'revolutionary' new competition will, its organisers claim, have 'a franchise-based league structure' designed to turn riders into 'global icons' and engage a 'fresh audience' for racing. The jockeys involved will own equity in their team, act as the 'team principal' for their franchise and, if all goes to plan, will be competing for a share of a $15m prize fund within two years. Beyond the names of the riders involved – which also include James McDonald, Flavien Prat, Irad Ortiz Jr, Vincent Ho, Mickaël Barzalona and Christophe Lemaire – there is not much clarity as yet on important information such as dates, venues or how the competition will be structured given that the riders are not racing's primary athletes. For now, the aim seems to be to secure commercial backing and sponsorship for the project as a whole and the individual riders' teams. Innovation, new money and, hopefully, a fresh generation of enthusiasts for a sport with an ageing fanbase. It is, on the face of it, an enticing prospect, and the project's co-founders, John Ferguson and Lachlan Fitt, have a wide range of experience in the industry. Ferguson is a former chief executive of the Godolphin operation and current board member of the British Horseracing Authority, while Fitt recently resigned from his role as deputy CEO of gambling group Entain's Australian arm. At the same time, though, and while there are undoubtedly some very talented names on the cast-list of riders, the simple fact remains that the sport is called horse racing for a reason. This has been a source of frustration for the promoters for decades – how do you persuade people to engage with athletes when the athletes can't talk? – and trying to persuade them to engage with the jockeys instead is not exactly blue sky thinking. The Shergar Cup, a jockey-based team event at Ascot in August, has been around for a quarter of a century, while the International Jockeys' Championship has long been a popular feature of Hong Kong's annual International event in December. But these events are, essentially, just a bit of fun before the serious stuff with the best horses gets underway. To be anything more than that, or provide a meaningful comparison between the abilities of the riders involved, the new league would need to account for the varying chances of the horses taking part but without making it all too complex for its audience to understand. A jockey's role, after all, is to maximise a horse's chance by getting it from start to finish as swiftly and efficiently as possible. If an odds-on shot scrambles home from a 25-1 outsider, the rider of the runner-up may well have done their job much better than the one on the winner, but no jockey will ever be able to make a horse run any faster than its genes, physique and preparation will allow. This is not to suggest that there is anything wrong with a bit of fun, and while the flag-waving at the Shergar Cup may not be to everyone's taste, it was Ascot's second-biggest draw outside of the Royal meeting last year. With its talk of a $15m prize fund, though, and a claim by Fitt that 'the concept we've developed with our foundation jockeys can help revolutionise global horseracing in the coming years', the global jockeys' league seems to be aiming to be rather more than a sideshow. There is precious little detail available as yet, and there may be a cunning plan to make the league a meaningful contest between jockeys from very different racing backgrounds. Perhaps it will also find the fresh audience it is looking for, but from this fan's perspective at least, a racing enterprise that relegates the horses to supporting-actor roles does seem to be missing the point.
South China Morning Post
16-02-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Doyle tastes maiden Sha Tin success four races before husband Marquand
In town as injury cover, the star couple make an immediate impact by Sam Agars on Sunday, February 16, 2025 7:05 PM Hollie Doyle is all smiles after saluting aboard Billionaire Secret. Photo: Kenneth Chan Hollie Doyle held bragging rights over husband Tom Marquand for four races at Sha Tin on Sunday on an afternoon that saw the British jockeys open their accounts at the New Territories venue. Doyle has made a habit of winning races during her regular trips to Happy Valley for the International Jockeys' Championship and it didn't take her long to make her mark at Sha Tin. Riding at the track for the first time, Doyle struck at just her fifth attempt with a confident ride aboard Billionaire Secret in the Class Four Lotus Handicap (1,800m). 'My first day on this lovely track and they seem to be hard to peg back today, but there was a pace collapse and it played to my horse's strength,' Doyle said after Billionaire Secret rattled home from last in a race run at a rapid early pace. — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) February 16, 2025 Marquand had ridden at Sha Tin a handful of times before but had never tasted success, with a pair of Group One placings aboard globetrotter Dubai Honour his best results until Invincible Shield's victory in Sunday's Class Three Primula Handicap (1,200m). 'It's nice to get one win in each and I have to reiterate that we're only here because of the boys' misfortune and it's pretty rubbish for them because all of us just wants everyone to get around safe,' Marquand said. 'If we can fill a gap, we're more than pleased to and we're glad we were on the call list of the Hong Kong Jockey Club.' In town as cover for the injured Zac Purton, Vincent Ho Chak-yiu, Angus Chung Yik-lai and Keith Yeung Ming-lun, the pair will also ride at Happy Valley on Wednesday night, while Marquand will be back to ride Divano in the Classic Cup (1,800m) on March 2.
