Departure of senior Professional Jockeys Association figures could leave riders at all levels without strong representation
“Every ride, every jump, every battle, every fall, every day,” reads the main banner headline on the Professional Jockeys Association’s website. “We’re right here beside you.” But if the exodus of senior figures in the PJA continues at its current pace, there will soon be no one left to represent and advocate for the 450 or so men and women who, on a daily basis, accept the considerable risks attached to riding a half-ton thoroughbred at 30mph or more.
Jon Holmes, a leading sports agent whose clients include Gary Lineker, resigned as the PJA’s chairman last week, two-and-a-half years after replacing the industry veteran Nigel Payne in the role. Simon Cox, the union’s external director, and his fellow board member Mick Fitzgerald, a former top jockey and now leading ITV Racing pundit, have also walked away, leaving a sense of crisis hanging over the organisation.
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