Aqueduct card starts late amid employee status dispute

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - The start of Sunday’s 10-race Aqueduct card was delayed because the valets refused to saddle and the jockeys refused to ride as a result of a dispute with management over the status of an employee in the jockey’s room.

According to long-time valet Harry Rice, the New York Racing Association told Fernando Rivera, who works in the jockey’s room as a part-time valet/laundry person, not to come to work on Sunday. Rice contends that Rivera is close to working enough hours to join the union, which would make him eligible to receive benefits.

“They refuse to let him join the union and he’s getting to the right amount of days [to qualify], and they’re trying to stop him from that,” Rice said.

The situation was resolved for the day when NYRA agreed to call Rivera in to work the Sunday card. The first race went off 14 minutes after scheduled post time.

Rice said the valets agreed to work Sunday, “but we want it rectified for when we come back,” Rice said.

Following Sunday’s card, live racing on this circuit is dark until Dec. 27.

Valets saddle the horses and work for individual riders. The jockeys were not going to ride until the situation was rectified, according to veteran rider Kendrick Carmouche.

“Harry came to talk to me to be on board with this situation because we’re all a family in the jocks’ room, we try to stick together and make things go correctly and we just felt [NYRA’s] decision was a bad decision on their part,” Carmouche said.

Sunday’s incident could be related to a deeper situation in that NYRA and Union 814, which represents the valets, have been working without a contract since December 2023. Though both parties agreed to retain a federal mediator more than six months ago, negotiations thus far have failed to result in a new contract.

“NYRA has negotiated in good faith with Local 814 for the last year to reach a new contract with the jockey valets,” NYRA spokesman Pat McKenna said. “Today’s delayed start was the result of an action taken by the jockey valets to impact live racing at Aqueduct. As always, NYRA is focused on reaching an agreement rather than needless provocations that could negatively affect racing participants and the wagering public.”

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