Racing: Square-bashing fear for the `Haydock 21'

The drivers of London's tourist buses may wish to take a diversion past Portman Square tomorrow morning, to allow their passengers the chance to witness a slice of old England at first hand.

Twelve jockeys, representatives of the group now known as the Haydock 21, will appear at Jockey Club headquarters at 10.30 sharp to answer a charge that they wilfully exercised the right to withdraw their labour, on the grounds that to continue working would be unacceptably dangerous. This shameful behaviour can no longer be punished by hanging or transportation to the colonies - much, you suspect, to the dismay of some of the Club's crustier members - but the possibility remains that some very well known names, including Frankie Dettori and Pat Eddery, will be fined for putting their personal safety ahead of other considerations.

Haydock Park and the events of 16 October last year may never have quite the resonance of Tolpuddle or Peterloo, but since four months have passed since the "crime" was committed, the details bear repetition. After the first race of the day, many of the riders involved felt that the ground on the home turn was waterlogged and unfit for racing. The local stewards, having inspected the course, disagreed, but when it was announced that the meeting would proceed as planned, the jockeys due to ride in the next race refused to leave the weighing room, and the officials had to abandon the card.

An unpleasant postscript soon developed. Some of the trainers and owners of runners in subsequent races criticised the jockeys, in tones rich with echoes of the Victorian approach to industrial relations. "These jockeys are getting like footballers," was a typical comment, "they're just too big for their boots."

Since many of the riders concerned dispersed to distant corners of the earth shortly afterwards, it has taken a long time for the Jockey Club to set a date for its disciplinary inquiry into their actions. Even so, barely half of those involved will be able to appear in person, though the importance with which many view the case is demonstrated by Dettori's decision to return from Dubai for the hearing. Eddery, who succeeded Dettori as champion jockey last season, will also be there.

The very fact that the Club seems intent on accusation rather than investigation is irritating to many since, as Michael Caulfield, secretary of the Jockeys' Association, pointed out yesterday, "it is only the jockeys on trial, and only they who face public censure".

Caulfield would have preferred a broader inquiry such as that which followed the void Grand National in 1993. "That would have had the full co-operation of the Jockeys' Association and could have led to an agreement on how to avoid similar problems in the future," he said. "Sadly we now find ourselves in a position of conflict, but we have a thoroughly prepared case and will vigorously defend the charges. We have absolute confidence that the jockeys have not breached any of the Rules of Racing."

The Jockey Club's response is that all relevant factors will be taken into account. On 15 November, when the decision to hold an inquiry was announced, the Disciplinary Committee's chairman, Christopher Hall, said: "We will investigate in detail, examine the way in which the meeting was conducted, determine whether all Jockey Club procedures were correctly followed and, if not, identify what went wrong. To say it is just the jockeys who are on trial is incorrect."

None the less, in choosing a format for the inquiry which could result in fines for the riders but not for the stewards, the Jockey Club has laid itself open to the charge of supporting the bosses against the upstart workers. The only precedent for the events at Haydock occurred in July 1989, when 11 jockeys who refused to ride at Beverley were fined between pounds 250 and pounds 750. A great deal has happened to the Jockey Club since then, but a similiar outcome tomorrow would indicate that the hearts and minds of the turf's elder statesmen are as reactionary as ever.