Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone. I'm back after sometime away for the family and holidays. I got a call from The Jockeys Guild a few days before Christmas to let me know that my families health insurance was going to be canceled as of December 31rst, 2007. The Guild receives 1,000,000.oo annually from uncashed tickets to be used to insure California riders and their families. past years that included retired and disabled jockeys. This coming year the board members felt it necessary to cut some of those riders out. Darryl Haire was given a stack of files to review and cut out those who didn't meet certain requirements. The requirements they came up with were that you had to have ridden at least ten years with the last five of them being in California. Forced retirement due to injury was not considered. So of the six permanently disabled jockey's in California only one qualified. Laffit Pincay. So much for the little guy. I find it very sad that the organization would do this to those who gave up so much for this sport. I can only hope they realize their mistake and search their conscious.