The Jockeys’ Guild has expelled members of its organization that rode at Remington Park in Oklahoma City in defiance of a walkout in early September while the guild was in the midst of negotiations over a new fee schedule for riders, the organization said on Tuesday.
The members were expelled following a discussion and vote of the guild’s board, which unanimously approved the “disciplinary measures,” the guild said. As a result of the expulsions, the former members will no longer be eligible for a variety of guild programs, including temporary disability benefits and the guild’s Life and Accidental Death and Dismemberment insurance policy, which covers all members.
Guild officials declined to name the individual riders during interviews on Tuesday. However, they confirmed that a handful of the 10 riders who rode on Sept. 4 and 5 were not guild members.
Riders at Remington Park began refusing to be named on mounts late in August as the negotiations with Remington’s horsemen’s group on the new fee schedule dragged on longer than anticipated. Early in September, with the negotiations still at an impasse, a total of 10 riders accepted mounts for the Sept. 4 and Sept. 5 cards at Remington.
The riders were Reynier Arrieta, Tanner Fincher, Alex Gonzalez, Lindsey Hebert, Erik McNeil, Cole Meche, Jose Medina, Adrien Morales, Alvin Ortiz, and Kelsi Purcell.
In addition, Ramon Perez, a guild member, rode on the Sept. 5 card, but guild officials confirmed that he had not been disciplined because he accepted the mounts after the negotiations had concluded the night of Sept. 4. The trainers of the horses he rode paid double mount fees to replace the riders who had been named on the entry sheet.
Mindy Coleman, the legal counsel for the guild, said that some of the disciplined riders were expelled permanently from the organization, while others will be able to re-apply for membership in the future.
“The board considered everything on a case-by-case basis,” Coleman said.
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