Rudolph Muir, chairman of the Jamaica Racing Commission, shares a point with lone female jockey traineee, Georgina Sergeon (right, foreground) and fellow hopefuls, at a function on Wednesday at the commission's office, Winchester Road, St Andrew. - Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer
Twenty students were introduced at the launch of the 2009 jockeys' training programme on Wednesday at a function hosted by the Jamaica Racing Commission at its Winchester Road offices. Among the new batch of trainees is one female - 18-year-old Georgina Sergeon, who is a past student of Kellits Secondary School in Clarendon.
Sergeon, who is only the second female to be trained as a jockey, behind Azel Cowie in 1991, was sponsored by trainer Fernando Geddes. She hails from Spanish Town.
"Although I'm the only female in the batch, I do not feel out of place," said Sergeon. "The course is beneficial to all of us and if we look out for each other in the months ahead, we will make the grade and become good jockeys in the long run."
Two-part course
The other 19 trainees and their sponsors (trainers) are Jodeien Anderson (trainer Richard Azan), Vijay Ashley (trainer Philip Feanny), Steven Bennett, Cavel Brown and Chalrick Budhai (Vin Edwards), Arthur Budhu (Neive Graham), Aaron Chatrie (Carl Anderson), Richard Cole (Tensang Chung), Ainsley Dancel (Randolph Scott), Osive Donegal (Barry Dawes), Conrod Ellis (Gary Subratie), Jevvanne Erwin (Spencer Chung), Doushane Gordon (Bill Deenah), Michael Grant (Welsh Soutar), Robert Halledeen (Stedman Curtis), Fabion Jones (Anthony Nunes), Richard Mairs (Anthony Ferguson), Kareem Garvey-Richardson (Patrick Fong) and Marlon Walcott (Richard Phillipps).
The course, which will be conducted in two phases, began on February 2 and will end in July. Following their graduation in late July, the youngsters will ride for the first time as apprentices on the first Saturday in August at Caymanas Park.
Term one runs from February 2 to April 24, followed by a two-week break. Term two, in which the emphasis will be placed on race riding, gym work and the rules of racing, will run from May 4 to July 24.
Venues for training
Venues for training are the Caymanas Estates (riding techniques) and Gregory Park School (academics). Noted equestrian, Susan Wates, and retired Barbadian jockey, Venice Richards, who assisted with the last batch in 2006, will teach horsemanship and race riding techniques, respectively. Coordinators are once again Desmond Riley (operations steward) and the JRC welfare officer, Ina Lawrence (apprentice master).
In his address. Jamaica Racing Commission chairman, Rudolph Muir, called racing the "best little-misunderstood industry", but was quick to add that "there are positives we can point to in our industry".
These include an increase in the final crop (between 420 and 450), a 12 per cent increase in the sale of yearlings and a marked increase in the export of horses.
To the trainees he said: "You have been chosen by a process which has eliminated persons who should have been sitting in you seat ... Do not waste it ..."