Jockeys are furious over a new ban on using mobile phones in the weighing room. The move is aimed at boosting the integrity of racing, but one leading opponent outlined the riders' position to BBC Five Live's Victoria Derbyshire. Q. Why are jockeys upset about a ban on mobile phones in the weighing room?
A. It is essential because we are basically living in our cars all the time.
We are up at 5 o'clock in the morning to rush off for riding work. We rush back to get ready to go racing - we dive in and out of the bath.
We try to grab a bit of toast or something, and we are off to the races.
From there we ride at one meeting for three or four hours and then shoot off to another meeting.
Our schedule is absolutely crazy. It's just eased off now the night meetings have finished for the summer, but during the height of the season we just can't do without phones.
Q. So what are you using the phone for while you are on a course?
A. Our manager needs to get hold of us round the clock.
The time of day when we are at the races during the summer could be in the evening as well as the afternoon, and next year it could possibly be late on in the morning as well.
Q. And your manager is sorting out which horse you are going to ride the next day?
A. The horses we are going to ride for the next week - people are waiting on important decisions.
Q. But those phones from within the confines of the weighing room could be used for corrupt purposes.
Isn't there information you could get while you are at the course that could be passed onto somebody to put a load of money on a horse?
A. Those days have gone now, with racing channels on from the first thing in the morning - there's so much information already out there.
Jockeys are the last people to get any last-minute information.
Q. What about the recent court case where someone received privileged information from a jockey from within the weighing room?
A. I had the transcripts of the court case, and it's the biggest load of rubbish - it's like reading a Dick Francis novel.
The jockey stated that he'd got last-minute information that the horse had stood on a stone, or coughed, or worked badly.
Nowadays, if horses do that sort of thing, they don't run.
Q. But after the scandals of last year, isn't it about horse racing being seen to be clean?
A. Absolutely, that's exactly what it should be about, but they are hitting us jockeys, who are the busiest people in racing.
The last-minute information they are talking about - jockeys probably wouldn't have that information.
We might get that information maybe from a trainer when we are being legged up onto the horse - and we certainly wouldn't have a mobile phone at that time.
MMIX
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