Jockey truce paves way for sponsorship
A row that has raged between jockeys and horse owners since 1989 over the riders’ rights to wear sponsorship logos on their silks, has finally been resolved.
The British Horseracing Board (BHB), the sport’s governing body, agreed terms, at a monthly board meeting yesterday, that would allow jockeys to be sponsored.
A BHB statement says: “The BHB has today ratified the terms for the implementation of the Jockeys Sponsorship Scheme, and reiterates its full support for this initiative.”
The Jockeys Association of Great Britain, the riders union, will look for a single 1m per season sponsor for the majority of the UK’s 500 professional jockeys. The scheme is due to launch in January 1999.
Owners had wanted the right of veto on which logos appeared on their horses. But the BHB has reached a compromise where each owner can opt out of the scheme.
