Jockey's Guild | Horse Racing Free Tips

Johnston Named HISA Rider Safety and Welfare Manager

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority has named Jockeys' Guild veteran Jeff Johnston its Rider Safety and Welfare Manager, effective Mar. 17. Johnston will work with jockeys and other riders to ensure compliance with the Racetrack Safety Program, support continuing education programs, provide uniform first responder training, work with providers to improve safety equipment, and increase communication with local medical facilities.

Johnston will also closely support the new jockey mental wellness initiative HISA announced this week in partnership with the Jockeys' Guild and will work alongside Dr. Peter Hester, HISA's National Medical Director, to enhance rider access to mental health support and resources.

Johnston will report to HISA's Director of Racetrack Safety Ann McGovern.

“We are pleased to have Jeff join us to lead our efforts to work collaboratively with jockeys and riders to ensure their health, safety and overall well-being through our Racetrack Safety Program,” said HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus. “Jeff's many years of experience with the Jockeys' Guild and his perspective as a jockey himself will be invaluable to HISA as we continue to increase communications and collaboration with racing participants across the country.”

Johnston began racing as a jockey in 1985, competing in more than 11,000 Thoroughbred races and amassing 1,375 victories before transitioning to a career with the Jockeys' Guild in 2006, where he most recently served as Regional Manager.

“As a longtime advocate for rider safety, I am eager to get to work advancing HISA's goal of improving safety for riders nationwide,” said Johnston. “I look forward to using my experience to help ensure that riders are safe on and off the track, that they are familiar with HISA's rules and how these changes affect them, and that they are outfitted with the best safety equipment possible.”

Accredited as a steward by the Racing Officials Accreditation Program (ROAP), Johnston also previously served as Chairman of the Jockey Club's Rider and Driver Safety Committee. He is a graduate of the University of Louisville's Equine Industry Program.

The post Johnston Named HISA Rider Safety and Welfare Manager appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

HISA, Jockeys’ Guild Join Forces to Support Jockey Health and Mental Wellness

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority and the Jockeys' Guild have launched an industry initiative to provide jockeys and riders with mental wellness support and resources. The organizations will be sending a survey to jockeys and exercise riders relating to their mental wellness needs and will use results of the anonymous survey as a starting point for building a framework to effectively use collective resources to address riders' most important health and safety needs.

“HISA is tasked with regulatory oversight for jockey welfare and we are delighted to be working collaboratively with the Jockeys' Guild to determine how we can best support the health and safety of riders, including in the critical area of mental wellness,” said HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus.

Terry Meyocks, President and CEO of the Jockeys' Guild, added, “Jockeys' well-being, including their health and welfare, is and has been the main priority of the Jockeys' Guild since its inception in 1940. Jockeys, as well as the exercise riders and others at the racetrack, have an immense amount of pressure on them both physically and mentally. We are encouraged by the response of HISA to help us prioritize jockey and exercise rider health, and we are hopeful that we will have industry support to address these important issues for the riders and their families.”

HISA is also in the process of planning an industry stakeholders meeting, “to discuss these important issues and drive collaboration on a national level,” according to a HISA release.

The post HISA, Jockeys’ Guild Join Forces to Support Jockey Health and Mental Wellness appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Jockey Alex Canchari Passes Away

Midwest-based jockey Alex Chanchari passed away Wednesday at the age of 29.

His passing was confirmed in a tweet by Canterbury Park, where Canchari had 334 career winners.

“Alex Canchari achieved his dream as a jockey, following in the footsteps of his father and brother,” the tweet read. “The news of this talented and genuine young man's death has deeply saddened the Canterbury Park family.”

Though no cause of death had been revealed by Thursday morning, it appears that Canchari's death involved mental health issues.

“My heart physically hurts,” his sister, Ashley, wrote on Facebook. “I'm so sorry you were in so much pain Alex and thought there was no other way out. I know you're happy again with Dad. I don't even know what else to say, this is an unbelievable loss.”

The Canchari family has had to deal with a number of devastating setbacks in recent years. Family patriarch Luis Canchari, who came to the U.S. from Peru and was a jockey and a trainer, passed away in December of 2020. That same year, Canchari's brother Patrick suffered a traumatic brain injury in a car wreck near Turf Paradise. Doctors told his family the injury could keep him in a vegetated state the rest of his life, but he has made notable progress in recent months.

“This family has gone to hell and back several times,” said Terry Meyocks, president and CEO of the Jockeys' Guild.

Canchari, a native of Shakopee, Minnesota, where Canterbury Park is located, began his career in 2011. He had one of his best years in 2012, winning 101 races. He had 1,044 wins during his career and has career earnings of $28,619,989. Canchari had not ridden since Oct. 2 at Prairie Meadows.

Canchari's death came about seven weeks after jockey Avery Whisman passed away at 23. Whisman's family also brought up mental health issues when discussing his death.

“We've been talking to HISA about jockeys and the mental health issues they face since November,” Meyocks said. “It's on the top of our list and is something that needs to be discussed. This is a tough game. Hall of Fame jockeys win at 18-20 percent and regular jocks when less than that. They get taken off of horses. The foal crop is down and there's fewer opportunities for them. With the daily trials and tribulations of being a jockey it's clear to see why depression sets in.”

The post Jockey Alex Canchari Passes Away appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Temporary Stay From August Lifted in Different HISA Suit

The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which on Friday issued the landmark order declaring that the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) is unconstitutional, has made a second HISA-related ruling in a separate case.

This order, which was also filed Nov. 18 but got overshadowed by the broader ramifications of the non-constitutionally ruling, lifts an “administrative stay” that had been issued back in August in a case in which Louisiana, West Virginia, the Jockeys' Guild, and other parties sued the HISA Authority, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and board members and overseers of both entities, also over alleged non-constitutionality issues.

The plaintiffs had sued in District Court for an injunction against implementation of the HISA rules until a final decision was made on constitutionality. That injunction was granted, but HISA and the FTC then went to the Fifth Circuit and lodged an appeal that stayed the injunction.

Now that stay has been lifted, allowing the injunction against HISA regulations to become active for the plaintiffs once again.

“In a separate case decided today, our court has ruled that HISA is facially unconstitutional under the private non-delegation doctrine,” the Nov. 18 order stated. “Accordingly, we remand this case to the district court for further proceedings in light of [the other referenced case].”

A footnote in the ruling further explained that, “The stay suspended the injunction to the extent the district court found the rules generally violated the [Administrative Procedure Act's] notice-and-comment requirements. The stay left the injunction in place, however, as to three specific rules that the district court found exceeded the FTC's authority under HISA.”

The post Temporary Stay From August Lifted in Different HISA Suit appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post