The Hong Kong Jockey Club today (Monday, 20 November) announced a revision to its policy on the permission to Club licensed jockeys to leave Hong Kong during the season to ride elsewhere.

In addition to circumstances of jockeys riding a Hong Kong-trained horse racing overseas, jockeys riding in a HKJC-sponsored Trophy race which is being simulcast in Hong Kong, and jockeys taking part in jockeys’ invitation races, the revised policy is that:

• Permission to ride overseas in Group 1 races will generally be limited to races in the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) World’s Top 100 Group 1 and Grade 1 races established for the year by the LONGINES World’s Best Racehorse Rankings Committee, and/or Group 1 races being simulcast in Hong Kong. Once permission to ride in a Group1 race is granted, the jockey is allowed to take rides in other races on the same race card but jockeys have been directed to be discerning in this respect.

• Jockeys will be limited to riding at one race meeting per overseas absence.

• Permission will be limited to riding in jurisdictions whose Rules of Racing allow for deferral of penalty sufficient to ensure that jockeys are able to fulfil their riding commitments in Hong Kong. In this respect, the Club will liaise with any jurisdiction whose Rules currently do not provide for the required period of deferral: the Club will establish whether an arrangement which is acceptable to both jurisdictions can be achieved, which will allow Hong Kong-based jockeys to fulfil race riding engagements in Hong Kong at the racemeeting(s) subsequent to any penalty being issued in the overseas jurisdiction.

These changes take effect from 1 January 2018.