Strike action means jockeys get to sample ‘normal’ midweek life

It was a very different Wednesday to normal for Group One-winning jockey PJ McDonald, who took the opportunity to catch up on some day-to-day chores with racing on strike.

The racing industry was encouraged to “stand together” and “make their voices heard” with the sport taking unprecedented action in protest at proposed betting tax changes.

With the meetings scheduled for Lingfield, Carlisle, Uttoxeter and Kempton all cancelled and rescheduled, those at the heart of racing were left with a chance to temporarily escape the day-to-day grind of travelling the country’s motorways.

While the likes of weighing-room colleagues Hollie Doyle, Tom Marquand and reigning champion jockey Oisin Murphy were at Westminster to help raise awareness, McDonald, who is based in the north of England, had a more relaxing day in store.

McDonald told the PA news agency: “I’m out in my front garden pulling some weeds and it’s a chance for a normal day getting some jobs done around the house that I don’t have time to do when I’m riding every day.

“I would have been riding today, but it’s not often you get a day off in the middle of the week so it’s nice to catch up on some bits. I’m going to meet Andrew Breslin for lunch at 1.30pm and it will be a very relaxing day.”

Despite the chance for a calmer day than usual, McDonald, who is Flat president of the Professional Jockeys Association, can fully appreciate the need for such a dramatic change to the schedule.

He continued: “I wouldn’t say we have spoken too much about it (in the weighing room) but it is good the sport is taking a stand as it is our livelihoods at stake and there are a lot of people in the sport whose livelihoods will be at stake.

“It’s important to be pro-active I suppose and trying to let people know it will make a difference.”

Like McDonald, Paul Mulrennan is another leading northern-based jockey who would almost certainly have been spending his afternoon at Carlisle.

He said: “Carlisle got moved to last night, so I’m able to get a couple of jobs done today.

“I’m having to get my car windscreen crack fixed and my brake pads done! The car is in getting that done now and when I get the car back I’m going to see Jim Crowley, who is in hospital in Leeds after his fall at York on Sunday.”

On the strike action the sport has taken, Mulrennan added: “Hopefully there’ll be some good to come out of it.”