JC / Railbird

The Shame of It

In a sport as rich as racing, that a journeyman jockey like Gary Birzer can be paralyzed in an on-track accident and then find himself burdened with more than $500,000 in medical bills is a scandal. What’s even more scandalous is that the Jockeys’ Guild, the very organization charged with protecting and representing Birzer and his fellow riders, has betrayed its members for the enrichment of one man and his family and cronies — at least, that’s the conclusion I came to after reading the testimony given at Tuesday’s congressional hearing on jockeys’ insurance. Alan at Left at the Gate has all the links and all the damning revelations from yesterday’s hearing.