Baster worried by apprentices' workload

Sunday 12 June 2016, 1:54pm

Senior jockey Stephen Baster says the workload faced by apprentices is potentially putting other riders at risk and needs to be reviewed.

Baster, the chairman of the Victorian Jockeys' Association made the comments after apprentice Regan Bayliss was suspended for careless riding and a whip breach at Flemington on Saturday.

Baster pointed out he and Bayliss had both ridden trackwork and trials at Flemington on Friday morning before Bayliss headed to Swan Hill for seven rides.

He said the apprentice didn't arrive home from Swan Hill until 9.30pm and was back at trackwork on Saturday morning at 4am before riding at Flemington.

"I had the luxury of sitting on the couch and watching Swan Hill," Baster said.

"These kids are doing too much and it's an accident waiting to happen."

Baster said apprentices were given the morning off trackwork if they had ridden at a meeting the previous night.

Bayliss was suspended for 10 meetings on a careless riding charge aboard the heavily backed Wall Street Wolf who finished third in the L V Lachal Handicap.

He was also fined $1000 for being five strikes over the allowed limit before the 100m mark on Wall Street Wolf.

Bayliss has been referred to the Racing Victoria skills panel as it was his ninth breach of the whip rule since January which has cost him almost $3000 in fines.

Fellow apprentice Beau Mertens was suspended for six meetings for careless riding on Lady Selkirk in the Trevor Clarke Handicap.

His suspension begins after a 14 meeting ban incurred at Sale on Wednesday.

He can return on July 2.

– AAP

Latest News

Prime Thoroughbreds - We have a Host of Leaders in our Team

Tuesday, 29 June 2021

Prime Thor­ough­bred’s cur­rent rac­ing team is putt­ing to­gether quite a re­cord. We have 22 hors­es that have raced in our team at pre­sent. Six­teen of th­ese are win­n­ers in­clud­ing the Stakes win­n­ing trio Ru­bisa­ki, Fituese and Xtreme­time with Miss Di­vine Em and Miss In Charge run­n­ing 4th in Stakes races. This sees a stakes win­n­er to win­n­er ra­tio of 18.75% with a stake’s per­formed to win­n­er ra­tio of 31.25%. Th­ese are ex­cep­tio­n­al fig­ures.   More »

Freedmans land maiden Group One win

Saturday, 27 February 2021

Un­der-rat­ed fil­ly For­bid­den Love has emerged as an au­tumn car­ni­val smokey with a bril­liant per­for­mance to win the Sur­round Stakes at Rand­wick.  More »

Capriccio completes Damian Lane treble

Saturday, 27 February 2021

In a big day for coun­try-trained hors­es, War­r­nam­bool fil­ly Capric­cio has tak­en out the In­glis Dash for Daniel Bow­man.  More »

More news headlines »