More flexibility added to deal with careless-riding penalties

Careless-riding penalties were the subject of change in the 2004-05 season and the Jockey Club has given the panel of race-day stewards further flexibility to deal with jockey penalties in the new season.

Changes to the appeals system and the sanctioning of the racing stewards to use their own judgment in determining whether a penalty should better be served sooner or later, could mean significant changes for the riders, especially in their use of the appeal system.

Not uncommonly, riders have used the appeal process, within the rules and their rights, to allow them to take important rides despite having current suspensions.

It is a loophole which the club has frowned on in the past but has attempted to remedy in a practical fashion this year.

Instead of the previous blanket policy that a suspended jockey would automatically ride the next meeting before commencing the ban, stewards now have the discretion to defer a penalty or demand it commence immediately.

In addition, the glacial appeals process, which previously gave riders two weeks' stay of execution once an appeal was indicated, during which the jockey could continue riding, has been slickened up to chop back that grace period by as much as half.