Jockey Club
Encyclopedia
- For the North American thoroughbred horse racing industry see: The Jockey ClubThe Jockey ClubThe Jockey Club, formed on February 9, 1894, is the keeper of The American Stud Book. It came into existence after James R. Keene spearheaded a drive in support of racehorse trainers who had complained about the Board of Control that governed racing in New York State.-History:On its formation, The...
. - For the club that was a fixture of high society in 19th century ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
see: Jockey-Club de ParisJockey-Club de ParisThe Jockey Club de Paris is best remembered as a gathering of the elite of nineteenth-century French society. The club still exists at 2 rue Rabelais, and hosts the International Federation of Racing Authorities...
.
The Jockey Club is the largest commercial organisation in British horseracing. Although no longer responsible for the governance and regulation of the sport, it owns 14 of Britain's famous racecourses, including Aintree, Cheltenham and Newmarket, amongst other concerns such as the National Stud and property and land management company, Jockey Club Estates. Registered charity Racing Welfare is also a company limited by guarantee with the Jockey Club being the sole member.
Formerly the regulator for the sport, The Jockey Club's responsibilities were transferred to the Horseracing Regulatory Authority (now the British Horseracing Authority
British Horseracing Authority
The British Horseracing Authority, also known simply as the BHA, is the regulatory authority for horse racing in Great Britain.It was formed on 31 July 2007, after the merger of the British Horseracing Board and the Horseracing Regulatory Authority .Its stated objectives are to: “provide the most...
) in 2006.
History
The Jockey Club was founded in 1750, not as a club for jockeyJockey
A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...
s, but rather as one of the most exclusive high society
Upper class
In social science, the "upper class" is the group of people at the top of a social hierarchy. Members of an upper class may have great power over the allocation of resources and governmental policy in their area.- Historical meaning :...
social clubs in the United Kingdom, sharing some of the functions of a gentleman's club such as high-level socialising. The club's first meetings were held at the Star & Garter Pub at Pall Mall, London
Pall Mall, London
Pall Mall is a street in the City of Westminster, London, and parallel to The Mall, from St. James's Street across Waterloo Place to the Haymarket; while Pall Mall East continues into Trafalgar Square. The street is a major thoroughfare in the St James's area of London, and a section of the...
before later moving to Newmarket; a town known in the United Kingdom as "The Home of Racing". It was historically the dominant organisation in British horseracing
Horseracing in the United Kingdom
Horse racing is a popular spectator sport in Great Britain, with hundreds of years of unique heritage. Gambling on horseraces is also considered the cornerstone of the British betting industry....
, and it remained responsible for its day-to-day regulation until April 2006.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, The Jockey Club had a clubhouse in Pall Mall, where many other gentlemen's clubs were based. The fact that it acquired a governing role in the sport reflected the dominant role of the aristocracy in British horse racing up to the 20th century, and the removal of this role was in part a conscious effect to move the sport away from its patrician image. This can be compared with the way that cricket's Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
became the governing body of cricket by default, but later surrendered most of its powers to more representative bodies.
Before 2006, it was one of the three bodies which provided management for horse racing in the United Kingdom in conjunction with the British Horseracing Board
British Horseracing Board
From 10 June 1993 until 30 July 2007, the British Horseracing Board was the governing authority for horseracing in Great Britain. It was created in 1993, and took on responsibilities previously held by the Jockey Club...
(itself an offshoot of The Jockey Club) and the Horserace Betting Levy Board.
The Jockey Club was responsible for:
- Race course medical and veterinary arrangements for riders and horses
- Employment and direction of race course Officials
- The licensing of racecourses
- Licensing of trainers, riders, valets
- The registration of owners and stable employees
- Disciplinary matters
- Security and anti-doping measures
- The conduct of racing
The New System
These regulatory responsibilities were transferred to a new Horseracing Regulatory Authority (HRA) from 3 April 2006. It should be pointed out that this major re-organisation did not arise from a fundamental failure of the existing arrangements, but an understanding that the old system might not meet modern conditions. The HRA itself ceased to exist on 31 July 2007 as its regulatory duties were merged with the governing responsibility of the British Horseracing BoardBritish Horseracing Board
From 10 June 1993 until 30 July 2007, the British Horseracing Board was the governing authority for horseracing in Great Britain. It was created in 1993, and took on responsibilities previously held by the Jockey Club...
to create the new British Horseracing Authority
British Horseracing Authority
The British Horseracing Authority, also known simply as the BHA, is the regulatory authority for horse racing in Great Britain.It was formed on 31 July 2007, after the merger of the British Horseracing Board and the Horseracing Regulatory Authority .Its stated objectives are to: “provide the most...
.
Property
- Jockey Club Racecourses: operates 14 racecourses in Great Britain, which host a quarter of the racing calendar. This includes four of the five 'Classics' of Flat racing: The Oaks and The Derby at Epsom Downs and the 2,000 Guineas and the 1,000 Guineas, and major National Hunt meetings include the Cheltenham Festival and the Grand National at Aintree
- Jockey Club Estates: property and land management company, which looks after training facilities at Newmarket and Lambourn
- The National Stud: a breeding and bloodstock training operation transferred to the Jockey Club in 2008
- Racing Welfare: a racing charity that aims to help to those working in the Thoroughbred industry
Racecourse ownership
Jockey Club Racecourses was formerly called Racecourse Holdings Trust. The fourteen racecourses owned by Jockey Club Racecourses are:Large courses:
- AintreeAintree RacecourseAintree Racecourse is a racecourse in Aintree, Merseyside, England.It was served by Aintree Racecourse railway station until the station closed in the 1960s....
- Merseyside - CheltenhamCheltenham RacecourseCheltenham Racecourse is a racecourse for horse racing events, located at Prestbury Park, in the suburban village of Prestbury on the outskirts of the English town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire...
- Gloucestershire - EpsomEpsom Downs RacecourseEpsom Downs is a Grade 1 racecourse near Epsom, Surrey, England. The "downs" referred to in the name are part of the North Downs. The course is best known for hosting the Epsom Derby, the United Kingdom's premier thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old colts and fillies, over a mile and a half...
- Surrey - Haydock ParkHaydock Park RacecourseHaydock Park Racecourse is a racecourse in Haydock, Merseyside, England. The track is a mostly flat left-handed oval of around 1 mile 5 furlongs with a very slight rise on the run-in. There are courses for flat racing and National Hunt racing...
- Lancashire - Kempton ParkKempton Park RacecourseKempton Park Racecourse is a horse racing track in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, England, which is a western suburb of London 16 miles from the city centre. The site is set in of land....
- Surrey - NewmarketNewmarket RacecourseThe town of Newmarket, in Suffolk, England, is the headquarters of British horseracing, home to the largest cluster of training yards in the country and many key horse racing organisations. Newmarket Racecourse has two courses - the Rowley Mile Course and the July Course. Both are wide, galloping...
- Suffolk - Sandown Park - Surrey
Smaller courses:
- CarlisleCarlisle RacecourseCarlisle Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located at Blackwell, Cumbria village, near Carlisle, Cumbria, England. The course has been on its present site since 1904, when it moved there from another location near Carlisle. The course is 1m 4f in circumference, right handed, and hosts...
- Cumbria - ExeterExeter RacecourseExeter Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located near the city of Exeter, Devon, England. Locally it is known as Haldon racecourse because of its location on top of the Haldon Hills...
- Devon - HuntingdonHuntingdon RacecourseHuntingdon Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in The Stukeleys near Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, England.It is also the venue for the annual Mascot Grand National, a race between the mascots of various football and other sports teams....
- Cambridgeshire - Market RasenMarket Rasen RacecourseMarket Rasen Racecourse is a National Hunt racecourse in the town of Market Rasen, in Lincolnshire, England.The course is a right-handed oval with a circumference of around one-and-a-quarter miles...
- Lincolnshire - NottinghamNottingham RacecourseNottingham Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England. It is situated at Colwick Park, close to the River Trent and about 3 km east of the city centre....
- Nottinghamshire - WarwickWarwick RacecourseWarwick Racecourse is a horse racing course in Warwick, England. It is a leading flat racing and steeple chasing course, and has a programme of 25 meetings throughout the year, many of which are televised. The first stand was built in 1808, it has recently undergone a major refurbishment of its...
- Warwick - WincantonWincanton RacecourseWincanton Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Wincanton, Somerset, England.The steeplechase fences are large, making it a good test of a chaser...
- Somerset