Jockey Club digs in over payment

However, Jockey Club spokesman John Maxse today defended the rule. "I think the rule is pretty clear and it is not likely to be changed - absolutely not," he said. "It has been in for 18 months and I don't think that during that time, under that particular rule, we have charged anyone.

"The mention of £100 is really just a mark in the sand, whereby it could be more than a round of drinks or exceed what could be determined as ordinary generosity."

But with the integrity of racing under fire following the critical BBC Television investigative programme - Kenyon Confronts - jockeys and trainers are having to be ultra-cautious on the subject of information passed on.

When asked about Rule 243, Michael Caulfield, secretary of the Jockeys' Association, said: "I do not intend to add to the debate. We know the rules and we do our best to abide by them. We promote racing and do our business in a very professional way. We are the most tightly regulated of all sports people you could possibly wish to come across, and as a group we are well aware of our responsibilities to racing. Under pressure, we carry out our jobs admirably."

Former Derby-winning jockey John Reid, now retired and president of the Association, said: "To be honest I've never actually read that rule, but I know all about it. Every day we get asked for information by TV and radio pundits and say what we think. You can tell as many people as you like but when you take payment for it, it is a different kettle of fish.

"Giving information is not a crime. Everybody wants it, that is what the whole racing game is about. There is no problem about that with us, but if you accept money then it is another matter. The bottom line is payment."

Jockeys riding today are reluctant to discuss the subject. It is almost as if an official directive has been sent out to warn them against public comment. "I'd rather not talk about that" and "I know nothing about that sort of thing" are typical reactions to inquiries.

Some were unaware of the £100 limit, and some thought that any payment, however small, was not allowed.

One former prominent rider, who did not want to be named, said that jockeys had been passing on information for years. "It has always gone on - jockeys giving people a nod and a wink, but what you have got to keep in perspective is that riders are the worst tipsters in the business. It is only a matter of opinion," he said.

"Someone would come up to you in a bar at the races and ask you. Say the horse won, he'd slip you fifty quid and say: 'thanks for that'. If the horse lost you'd probably never see him again. What's wrong in that?

"You would get it wrong as many times as you got it right. I know it's an old saying, but horses are not machines. You are not dealing with a Ferrari that Michael Schumacher can jump in and do 150 miles per hour no bother.

"Just look at the amount of times that a top stable jockey picks the wrong horse from the yard in a big race. I used to take more notice of the stable lad than perhaps the trainer who told you that the horse you rode last time was fine. The lad might tell you it had been coughing for a week.

"This information business has always been around and it always will be."

Maybe so, but all the more reason to have rules that are clear and unambiguous.Rule 243

A licensed or permitted person or a jockey, or a registered stable employee shall not communicate directly or indirectly to any person for any material reward, gift, favour or benefit in kind information about a horse which is not publicly available or is not provided for in Appendix N to these orders and rules unless the person in question is the owner or owner's representative.

Note: the Stewards of the Jockey Club will not consider a reward, gift, favour or benefit to be material provided it has a value of less than £100 and there is no pattern of receipt indicating the provision of information on a frequent basis."