The Korea Racing Authority announced Thursday that it has introduced an "integrated thoroughbred jockey system" allowing top jockeys to ride at both the Seoul and Yeongnam — Busan-Gyeongnam and Yeongcheon — tracks regardless of their home affiliation, with a pilot program launched Wednesday.
Under the previous system, jockeys were restricted to competing at their home track. The integrated system pools the top riders from both regions, giving horse owners a wider choice of jockeys and improving the race-day experience for fans.
The authority selected 10 jockeys for the pilot — six from Seoul (Kim Seong-hyeon, Shin Hyeong-cheol, C.C. Wong, Jeong U-ju, Jo Sang-beom and Jo Han-byeol) and four from Yeongnam (Da Silva, Park Jae-i, Seo Seung-un and Jeong Do-yun). Selection was based primarily on performance over the past year, with riding experience and length of service at each track also taken into account. The selected jockeys will operate under the integrated system through Dec. 31.
Integrated jockeys may ride at either track on any race day without restriction. Based on the pilot results, the authority plans to expand the system in stages, including converting all foreign jockeys to integrated status starting in 2027.
"The integrated jockey system is designed to give owners and racing fans a broader choice of riders and to raise the overall quality of racing at both tracks," said Song Dae-yeong, head of the authority's racing division. "We will monitor the pilot closely to ensure the system takes root in a stable manner."
yjc@heraldcorp.com
