Oklahoma jockey mount fees standoff continues

Negotiations between representatives of Oklahoma riders and horsemen on mount fees paid to jockeys remained stalled on Tuesday morning, threatening the race cards at Remington Park already drawn for later this week.

Representatives of The Jockeys’ Guild and the Thoroughbred Racing Association of Oklahoma have been swapping proposals for a new mount fee schedule for weeks and have agreed on a new $100 mount fee for all losing rides, but the two sides remain stalled on two issues, according to Terry Meyocks, the chief executive of the guild.

Remington Park has already drawn cards for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, but local riders have refused to be named on any mounts. The status of the Thursday card remained unclear late on Tuesday morning, past a local deadline to have the riders named.

Officials of the TRAO had not responded to outreach efforts by late Tuesday morning.

According to Meyocks, The Jockeys Guild remains adamant that the mount fees for riders who finish in the money in lower-level claiming races be raised to the minimum losing mount fee. In those races, it is possible for riders who finish second and/or third to earn less than the minimum.

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In addition, the guild has asked the TRAO to cover the fees assessed to riders as a contribution to the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority. In Oklahoma, riders are assessed $5.76 for each mount. Meyocks said Oklahoma is the only jurisdiction in the U.S. in which riders are assessed HISA fees.

Mount fees for Thoroughbred riders in Oklahoma have not increased over the past 15 years, according to the guild, which has been pressing most major racing jurisdictions to raise fee schedules in order to cover increases in the cost of living.

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