Tuesday, June 10, 2003
MICHAEL CAULFIELD TO STEP DOWN FROM THE JOCKEYS ASSOCIATION
Michael Caulfield announced today that he is to relinquish his position as Chief Executive of the Jockeys Association (JAGB), a position he has held since December 1988. Following the announcement of which all Jockeys have been made aware, Michael Caulfield commented,
"I have informed my Joint-Presidents, Kevin Darley and A. P. McCoy, and the Council of the JAGB, that I will be standing down as Chief Executive after working an agreed period of notice. I believe that I have made the right decision and I hope Jockeys will appreciate my reasons for leaving. I would like to think that I leave the Association in a healthy position and I'm sure it will continue to flourish when a new Chief Executive is appointed.
"Working with Flat and Jump Jockeys has been the most rewarding and enjoyable of experiences and I will miss my daily involvement with a remarkable group of athletes. I have appreciated every aspect of working for the JAGB and I will always be indebted to Jockeys for giving me the opportunity to work in such a fascinating environment.
"I am leaving to pursue my interests in sports coaching and sports psychology, an area that I have studied and researched in great detail. I will be acting as an Associate for a developing company, Trained Brain, and I will also be a shareholder in this exciting and challenging new venture. Trained Brain already works with a number of athletes in golf, football, snooker and tennis, as well as in the commercial and business field. I believe that I can make a difference in preparing athletes across a range of sports to cope with the mental demands of the professional sporting environment.
"The demands made on Jockeys, both mentally and physically, are extraordinary. Working with them for more than 13 years, in many capacities - spokesman, adviser and friend - has prepared me well for the next stage in my career. I leave with no regrets and many happy memories".
JOCKEY CLUB ANNOUNCES LANDMARK AGREEMENT WITH BETTING EXCHANGES
The Jockey Club announced today a breakthrough in its efforts to develop relationships with betting organisations which will assist the regulation of the sport. The two leading betting exchange firms have signed with the Jockey Club a Memorandum of Understanding which will give the Jockey Club access to betting information on races the subject of concern. The Jockey Club is also engaged in discussions with the bookmaking industry with a view to reaching similar agreements.
In addition, the Jockey Club today confirmed the introduction in July of restrictions on owners, trainers and stable staff and their use of betting exchanges. The proposals, which are due to be finalised by the Jockey Club's Regulatory Board next month, recommend that it be considered a breach of the Rules if the financial incentive for an owner's horse to win is outweighed by the profit from laying the horse to lose. Trainers and stable staff are to be banned from laying horses in their care.
The exchange firms Betfair and Sporting Options have signed the Memorandum of Understanding with the Jockey Club. This will enable the Jockey Club to request from these exchange firms information on betting activity on horseracing in Britain, including the identity of individuals using the exchanges.
Christopher Foster, the Jockey Club's Executive Director, said: "Confidence in the integrity of the sport is as important for the betting industry and racing as it is for the punter. The development of a Memorandum of Understanding with betting exchanges represents a significant advance in our ability to protect and maintain the integrity of horseracing. Previously investigations into races that caused concern have often been hampered by our inability to trace the audit trail of bets struck.
"The Government's proposed Gambling Commission would have the power to take a firmer grip on the regulation of betting but the delays to the Gambling Bill mean that the establishment of the Commission remains some way off. In the absence of imminent legislation, we initiated discussions with the betting industry aimed at producing working relationships which would increase our effectiveness as a regulator.
"The agreement of the two leading betting exchange firms to sign up to a Memorandum of Understanding is the first product of our negotiations. We will be inviting other exchanges to follow suit. We are actively engaged in constructive discussions with other parts of the bookmaking industry and hope to reach similar agreements in due course.
"For some time the leading exchange firms have been in dialogue with us and have been in the practice of reporting betting patterns which they considered abnormal, however, due to Data Protection rules they were not in a position to go any further. The combination of the introduction of a Memorandum of Understanding and our own rules restricting owners, trainers and stable staff will ensure that racing is far better placed to deal with and deter threats to its integrity."
Under the Memorandum of Understanding, requests for information may only be made under certain circumstances, for example, if the Jockey Club has reasonable grounds to suspect a breach of the Rules of Racing or a threat to the integrity of racing. Any request for information would be authorised by the Jockey Club's Security and Investigations Committee, which includes independent representation and expertise in criminal law. Betting Exchanges will also be encouraged to draw to the Jockey Club's attention matters which give them cause for concern regarding the sport's integrity.
BETFAIR HAILS GROUND-BREAKING AGREEMENT
(London, 10/6/03) Betfair today took a significant step in its bid to revolutionise betting, with the announcement of the finalisation of its Memorandum of Understanding with the Jockey Club. The ground-breaking agreement is the result of many months' work between the two organisations.
The aim of the agreement is further to protect and maintain the integrity of horseracing, for the benefit of the industry and the punters who bet on it. Its terms allow the Jockey Club to request a greater level of information than they have ever previously been able to get from the betting industry. Specifically, they can request information which will identify individuals behind activity which has given rise to a strong suspicion that the Rules of Racing have been broken.
Mark Davies, Director of Communications at Betfair, said, "This is a very important initiative for us and for the integrity of the sport. This helps build a safer, fairer and more accessible betting market, and it gives the Jockey Club a tool in the fight against corruption that is unprecedented. I am also delighted that the other betting exchanges have followed our lead in signing up to the agreement. The exchange industry has taken a bigger step in rooting out corruption in sport in its first three years than the whole of the rest of the bookmaking industry has in its entire history."
The Memorandum of Understanding will come into effect on Monday 16th June and only as of then can the Jockey Club request information on individuals. Punters who do not sign up to the changes in its privacy policy required by the MOU will no longer be able to bet on Betfair's exchange.
BETDAQ PUTS CUSTOMER RIGHTS AHEAD OF JOCKEY CLUB ACCEPTANCE
BETDAQ is to reject a Memorandum of Understanding drawn up by the Jockey Club and Betfair, covering a number of issues relating to betting on horseracing in the UK.
"We have considered carefully what the Jockey Club and Betfair have produced but have serious reservations over the terms of the final document, and on how they might impact on innocent users of our service," said BETDAQ's Rob Hartnett.
"Privacy laws are designed to protect the innocent, not to hide the guilty. It would appear that Betfair is going to ask its customers to waive the rights they enjoy in every other sphere of life. We believe this is wrong. When there is sufficient evidence of malpractice, the law should be used to track down the culprits. This is the job of the police and the judiciary, and to circumvent this, even with honourable motives, is inherently wrong.
"We recognize that the Jockey Club is acting in the best interests of the sport and will fully support those efforts by willingly sharing non-personal information on market movements and volumes. These are of course available for all to see by the very nature of a transparent and open exchange service such as that operated by BETDAQ and indeed Betfair.
"It is however a step too far to ask our users to relinquish their rights based on what might amount to nothing more than rumour and innuendo. If an investigation is strong enough to deprive individuals of the right to privacy, it must similarly be strong enough to bring in the force of law, which we believe is the right and proper path to pursue.
"There are circumstances within the document, which would allow the Jockey Club to request details on all individuals in a market, without supplying individual names, and for Betfair to supply those details. This raises the likelihood at some point that the character of innocent individuals will be besmirched. In no other sphere of commerce or society would such an infringement of basic rights be countenanced.
"It is for this reason that we are unwilling to sign up to the Memorandum of Understanding put forward by the Jockey Club and Betfair. We will reconsider our position at the time of introduction of a Gambling Commission, which will at least have a statutory basis.
"In relation to betting by individuals licensed by the Jockey Club, we will monitor new registrations and close accounts of any individuals we know to be forbidden under the terms of their license. We are not obliged to do this but will do so in a spirit of cooperation for the good of the sport.
We will ask the Jockey Club to supply a list of the licensees they wish to see prevented from betting."
ROYAL ASCOT WOMEN PREFER A BET ON HATS AND HUNKS TO HORSES
In response to public demand Sky Bet offers odds on who Ascot women vote the best looking jockey
London 10 June 2003 - Sky Bet reveals today that the hoards of well-dressed socialites set to grace Ascot racecourse next week would prefer to have a flutter on the best hat or best-looking jockey than have a bet on the horses!*
In response to the survey commissioned by Sky Bet, the bookmakers are running a book on who will be voted the best looking jockey by Ascot women this year. A shortlist of the top 13 handsome contenders includes the favourite Italian Stallion Frankie Dettori at 2-5 and Gary Stevens, the American star of forthcoming Hollywood movie Seabiscuit, at 5-1.The following are also tipped to keep the competition exciting both on and off the race course:
Frankie Dettori 2-5
Gary Stevens 5-1
Eddie Ahern 8-1
Jamie Spencer 8-1
(For full list see below)
Whilst a third of women were more interested in other people's hats and clothes than watching the races, the Sky Bet survey also found that one in ten men and women admit they are on the look out for a rich partner when visiting Ascot, with more men than women owning up to their true objectives!
Betting Shops not such a safe bet
When it comes to placing bets, two thirds of women (62%) said they do not feel comfortable going into a high street betting shop and admitted that they wouldn't know what to do when placing a bet at a high street bookmaker. One in three women (30%) prefer to place their bets in advance than have to queue up in killer heels on the day to back their horses (or hats!).
Avoiding the queues
With nearly half of the women surveyed (46%) saying they would prefer to place bets over the phone, Internet or TV than at the high street bookmakers, Sky Bet offers a simple alternative to having to face the queues at Ascot or trundle down to your local betting shop. Sky Bet allows you to place bets on a whole host of sporting events directly through your TV remote, leaving armchair Ascot fans to have a quick flutter on the horses and still sit back in plenty of time to admire the hats and jockeys!
*TNS survey commissioned May 2003 amongst 1,000 people.
Sky Bet at Ascot
The Sky Bet book to find out the best looking jockey at Royal Ascot will go live on Tuesday 10 June and will be based on the votes of 500 women in Ascot on race day (17th-18th June) carried out by an independent research company N20 Ltd.
Full details of jockeys and odds
JOCKEY NAME / SKY BET MARKET / PRICE
1.Frankie Dettori L. Dettori 2-5
2.Gary Stevens G. Stevens 5-1
3.Eddie Ahern E. Ahern 8-1
4.Jamie Spencer J. Spencer 8-1
5.Darryl Holland D. Holland 10-1
6.Richard Hughes R. Hughes 20-1
7.Jimmy Fortune J. Fortune 20-1
8.Richard Hills R. Hills 25-1
9.Johnny Murtagh J. Murtagh 33-1
10.Kevin Darley K. Darley 40-1
11.Richard Quinn T. Quinn 50-1
12.Kieran Fallon K. Fallon 50-1
13.Mick Kinane M. Kinane 50-1
The maximum stake for this bet is £25. Prices are subject to fluctuation and cannot be guaranteed.
To place a bet on this year's best looking jockey at Royal Ascot races as voted by the women of Ascot, press the red button on the Sky remote when tuned to Sky Sports, Sky One, Sky Movies or Sky News and select betting and then Sky Bet.
Users must be aged 18 or over and are required to complete the safe and secure registration process to start betting. A credit or debit card is needed to deposit funds and begin using Sky Bet, and all winnings can be withdrawn from the Sky Bet account and paid back to the customer's card.
TOTE ANNOUNCES CASH BOOST FOR STABLE STAFF
The Tote has today announced that it is to give a quarterly boost to stable staff, courtesy of a cash draw for stables that have won best turned out awards.
Andy Clifton, the Tote's PR Director explains: "We currently sponsor in excess of 200 races a year, all of which attract a best turned out award of at least £50, but we thought it would be a nice idea to give stable staff the chance to get an additional bonus every so often. As a result we are going to hold a draw each quarter, with every winner of a best turned award for a Tote sponsored race earning their stable a ticket in the draw. The winning yard will then get £5000 to share amongst its stable staff."
The first draw, to take place in the Autumn, will cover races from 21st June to 20th September inclusive and will be made live on attheraces. If a yard wins more than one best turned out award during the quarter, it will qualify for more than one ticket in the draw, with no maximum. The Tote will pay the tax and National Insurance due on the £5,000 so that the full amount will go to the successful stable. Clearly the bigger yards will stand more chance of winning, purely because they will have more runners, but if a smaller yard is successful, the £5000 could be being shared out amongst just a handful of staff.
The Tote is racing's largest commercial sponsor, spending over £2,500,000 on contributions to prize money alone and backing races like the Tote Cheltenham Gold Cup, the Tote Gold Trophy, Europe's richest handicap hurdle, the Tote Autumn Double - namely the Tote Cambridgeshire and Tote Cesarewitch, the Tote Ebor, Europe's richest flat handicap, and many other top races during the year, both Flat and National Hunt.
For old articles (from 1st March 2000) go to the Newslink
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