Bloody Irish.... Navan on Tuesday

British Horseracing Authority
@BHAHorseracing
Tomorrow will see the first nationwide Flat break of the season. This is the first of three days this season where no Flat racing is scheduled.

These breaks were agreed with industry stakeholders during the 2024 Fixture List process to help support participant wellbeing, with other measures including things like rider-restricted fixtures.

The Flat break follows the end of the National Hunt break and a busy winter period for riders on the Flat.

GEORGE.B has provided the explanation. Thanks. Although how does the 7th of May follow "a busy winter period" except in the most literal sense?

I'm struggling to see who this helps. Would it not be simpler and more effective to require that jockeys or stables cannot race on more than (say) 60 consecutive days, rather than this?

Probably all but the most fashionable jockeys do this anyway.

Wheres the 1st post gone,must have hurt someones feelings pmsl....

Flat season barely started and now it has to stop.

I have said it before but worth repeating. No owner, trainer or jockey is obliged to compete on any particular day. BHA staff (stewards, starters course inspectors etc.) must have a duty rota with days off built in as do TV racing presenters. Many businesses in the economy operate 364 or even 365 days a year but that does not mean that any individual works that many days (other than small farmers) Any trainer can decide not to run any horses on a Monday or a Tuesday and so can jockeys decide to take one day a week off. The concept that if racing is scheduled every jockey must be "on call" is absurd.

Regardless of all the talk around well-being, seems utterly bizarre not to have a single flat race carded during the so-called flat season... .

Sageform sums it up perfectly.

Even more bizarre to have 4 NH meetings on a Tuesday which means just about every NH jockey with a  license will be pressed into service.

"Any trainer can decide not to run any horses on a Monday or a Tuesday and so can jockeys decide to take one day a week off. The concept that if racing is scheduled every jockey must be "on call" is absurd."     Being a flat fan I don't like it but... if the owner wants to run and others don't it's "horses away " or "jocked off " can come about.

howard -- but... if the owner wants to run and others don't it's "horses away " or "jocked off " can come about.

A real problem. That is why I suggested earlier that the BHA mandate a day off after 60 (or however many) consecutive days. That way the jockey can either take a different break or blame the BHA. I cannot believe any stable actually races every day so a new rule like this would make no real difference to trainers.

So the whole culture must change. We are no longer in the era where a trainer was employed by the lord of the manor as was the jockey and stable staff were locked up at night! The vast majority of owners would see it as a sensible policy to give stable staff and jockeys a weekly one/two day break as they would give their own staff if they are employers which many owners are. Trainers are on "duty" 365 days a year unless they have assistants which most of the bigger ones have. Horses like any other livestock need daily care but not by the same person every day.

11kv -- Wheres the 1st post gone,must have hurt someones feelings pmsl....

Unfortunately the first post, with its reference to "the height of the jumps season" made it clear this was an anti-BHA point and not blaming Navan as appears in the title. I cannot begin to understand what the forum police found objectionable enough to delete it.

Not only do we have 4 national hunt fixtures we have 4 crap national hunt fixtures not just a day of for the flat boys a day of for this punter.

Interesting to know how many Flat jocks are enjoying their day off by getting up at 5am to ride out.

Looks like the Mods forgot to empty the Recycle Bin...

Thanks, top2rated.

Ramruma 07 May 24 10:46 
Interesting to know how many Flat jocks are enjoying their day off by getting up at 5am to ride out.





Many of them among those who normally struggle for rides too.

But it is their choice. If they want to work 12 hour days 7 days a week it is them who have consented to do it. They are SELF EMPLOYED. You might argue that Olympic athletes are overworked but outside of China, they can just stop doing it if they wish.

I suppose what I was trying to say was, that those jockeys had to do the 5am thing to earn a living due to a lack of rides and days off for others would be of great help to the

*help to them.