Pradeep Chouhan
In these tough times dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic when the horse racing industry in India is unable to feed its dependents—particularly the small jockeys and track riders—the Seoul Racehorse Trainers' Association (SRTA) has stepped in to help.
In association with the Korea Racing Authority (KRA), and with help from the Indian embassy in Seoul, the SRTA is arranging to send a consignment of 10,000 masks, an equal number of soaps and sanitisers, over 2,500 sanitary pads for women from the families of Indian riders, and educational material for their children. Jockey Pradeep Chouhan, president of the Jockeys Association of India (JAI), confirmed the development. "Our boys and their families will get some welcome relief," he told mid-day. "This is SRTA's way of saying thank you to us, and we are touched by their kind gesture," he added, pointing out that the JAI had offered the services of 10 experienced former jockeys, aged between 25-35 years, to the SRTA when they needed work as the pandemic took over the world.
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"All 10 track riders from JAI have been showing good performance so far. We appreciate your help and cooperation," Yoo Jin Suk of SRTA said in a special note sent to JAI to announce the aid.
"It is our effort to seek gainful employment for our boys who work hard, and with passion, but struggle financially. Their problems get compounded when events like the pandemic grind the industry to a halt," Chouhan explained.
"We have been giving Rs 10,000 per month to the needy jockeys for the last 5 months, but getting them jobs is clearly a more respectable option.
"Enthused by the Korean experiment, we have written to over 50 turf clubs around the world in the hope of replicating this model," Chouhan signed off.
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