Jockeys will be restricted to riding in designated regions under new measures implemented by Racing NSW to help rein in the spread of coronavirus.
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In a bid to limit travel and exposure to the virus, the governing body has segregated the state into three regions - metropolitan, north and south/west, and introduced additional protocols.
From Friday jockeys will only be permitted to ride in their nominated region and will not be able to accept rides in other regions.
The Hunter and North West Racing Association, which covers from Cessnock up to Deepwater and west to Moree falls into the 'north' region alongside the Mid North Coast and Norther Rivers associations, and Gosford, Wyong and Newcastle.
It has the biggest number of jockeys for trainers to chose from with 68, as of March 24, opting to race in the region including leading HNWRA hoops Brooke Stower, Andrew Gibbons, Racheal Murray, Grant Buckley and Robert Thompson, and top apprentices Yvette Lewis, Samantha Clenton and Mikayla Weir.
The restrictions will have an affect on the Country Championships, with jockeys that have nominated to race in the northern region unable to ride in the Final at Randwick on April 4.
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Clenton piloted the Cody Morgan-trained Ligulate to victory in the Tamworth qualifier. Buckley was second on Hit The Target for Scone trainer Stephen Jones before coming out and winning the 'Wild Card' race aboard Todd Howlett's Two Big Fari at Muswellbrook on Sunday.
The club is set to race again on Friday, the meeting to be one of the first affected by the new protocols.
Also under the changes, jockeys who elected to ride in the metropolitan area will only be allowed to attend trackwork on Tuesdays (at a metropolitan racecourse) but are still permitted to ride in barrier trials in the metropolitan area. All other jockeys can continue to ride regular trackwork but can only race-ride or barrier trial in their selected area.
In addition a jockey not located in NSW at 5pm on Monday will not be permitted to attend and/or ride at a NSW racecourse or licensed premises until further notice. Likewise any jockeys that leave the state.
- Northern region jockeys: Robert Agnew, Shane Arnold, Emily Atkinson, Jayden Barrie, Mitchell Bell, Matthew Bennett, Liam Blanch (a), Vlad Bolozhinsky, Grant Buckley, Aaron Bulloch, Samantha Clenton (a), Luke Cumberland, Louise Day (a), Amelia Denby, Jenny Duggan (a), Craig Dwyer, Andrew Gibbons, Jacob Golden (a), Cejay Graham, Peter Graham, John Grisedale, Leanne Henry, Belinda Hodder, Jake Hull, Rory Hutchings, Reece Jones (a), Jeff Kehoe, Leah Kilner (a), Keegan Latham, Yvette Lewis (a), Serg Lisnyy, Ben Looker, Lee Magorrian, Noriyuki Masuda (a), Kirk Matheson, Elissa Meredith, Georgina McDonnell, Matthew McGuren, Darryl McLellan, Codie McPherson, Stacey Metcalfe (a), Ashley Morgan, Rachael Murray, Daniel Northey, Chris O'Brien, Matthew Paget, Deanna Panya, Paul Payne, Jeff Penza, Olivia Pickering, Christian Reith, Luke Rolls, Tom Sherry (a), A Skerritt, Geoff Snowden, Ray Spokes, Michael Squires, Kassie Stanley, Brooke Stower, Scott Sweedman, Chris Taylor, Robert Thompson, Stephen Traecey, Jasen Watkins, Mikayla Weir (a), Kyle Wilson-Taylor (a), Jodi Worley, Qin Yong (a)
