CONGRATULATIONS to the New Philippine Jockeys Association and to everyone in the Philippine Thoroughbred industry who worked on the promulgation of a long-awaited piece of legislation: the law adjusting the retirement age of jockeys.
Years in the making and patiently shepherded by both the jockey leadership and racing personalities in Congress and government, Republic Act 10789 was finally signed into law by President Benigno Aquino III last May 3.
The law, called the Racehorse Jockeys Retirement Act, amends Presidential Decree No. 442, the Labor Code of the Philippines, by inserting Article 302-A, which specifically sets the retirement age of jockeys at 55 rather than the usual 60, in recognition of the “inherent dangers” of the profession “that may cause life-threatening injuries, permanent disability, and even death.”
This law will enable jockeys to receive their SSS benefits at age 55, which is their usual retirement age.
Now let’s hope that under the incoming administration, the racing authority bill and the racing taxes bill will finally receive the same positive attention.
The former seeks to turn the Philippine Racing Commission into an “authority” or something like a GOCC (government-owned and –controlled corporation) from its present status as a line agency under the Office of the President.
As an authority, it will have to raise its own revenues rather than receive its annual budget from the national government.
The racing taxes bill, which I worked on extensively when I was a consultant for Philracom years ago, passed the Lower House during the Arroyo administration but got stuck in the doldrums thereafter.
The bill aims to lower Philippine taxes on horseracing betting, the highest in Asia, to spur industry growth. In a paradox that the industry has observed in historical sales data, the lower the taxes, the higher the gross sales; therefore the higher also the benefit to government in the form of direct taxes, which annually hovers at around P1 billion.
Reducing racing betting taxes can make the industry self-sustaining, rather than the heavily government-subsidized activity that it is today.
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There will be no US Triple Crown winner this year, thanks to Exaggerator’s victory in the May 21 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico that relegated Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist to third place.
Ridden by Kent Desormeaux (who I met at Santa Anita Park back in 2002—a real gent and accommodating to fans such as myself), second-choice Exaggerator avenged four previous losses to Nyquist and handed the latter his first defeat by running off-the-pace and pulling away down the stretch to win by 3-1/2 lengths.
Longshot Cherry Wine also staged a rally from the back of the pack to cop second place.
Exaggerator and Nyquist are expected to meet again on June 11 in the Belmont Stakes, the third jewel of the US Triple Crown.
However, on May 23, Nyquist’s connections announced that the horse had a fever, possibly due to a virus, and his trip to Belmont Park was put off. Exaggerator will be shipped there on May 29, giving him a couple of weeks to settle down and familiarize himself with the track.
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