Australian riders will be remembered and recognised at race meetings across the country on Jockey Celebration Day.
Punters are encouraged to wear orange, an official colour of the National Jockeys Trust, on Saturday as they remember the hundreds of fallen jockeys during a minute of silence and blessing of the track.
Races in each state have been named in honour of the annual event that raises awareness and funds for the NJT, which supports seriously injured riders and their families.
NJT colours (orange and white) will be worn by the top weight in each race at metropolitan meetings.
“Jockey Celebration Day is a significant day in the racing calendar, a day to remember the fallen, and to recognise the role jockeys play in the racing industry,” Paul Innes, chairman of the NJT and chief executive of the Australian Jockeys’ Association, said.
A memorial garden to commemorate the 89 riders who have died doing their job in South Australia will be opened at Morphettville in Adelaide before the first race.
Nationally, 880 jockeys have died from race falls since 1847.
Eagle Farm racetrack in Queensland will hold a Jockey Foot Race to raise money, while the WA Jockeys Association will hold its annual reunion at Belmont and an online auction.
JOCKEY CELEBRATION DAY RACE MEETINGS ON AUGUST 6, 2016:
* Victoria – Flemington and Bairnsdale
* NSW – Randwick, Newcastle, Kempsey and Louth
* Queensland – Eagle Farm, Gold Coast, Toowoomba, Bowen, Corfield, Gladstone, Mareeba, Tambo and Warwick
* SA – Morphettville and Roxby Downs
* WA – Belmont and Wyndham
* NT – Katherine
* TAS – Devonport (on Sunday August 7)
INJURED AUSTRALIAN JOCKEYS
* 880 jockeys have been killed in race falls since 1847
* About 200 jockeys are injured on racetracks each year
* 89 per cent of jockeys will have a fall that requires medical assistance
* 40 per cent of jockeys will have a fall that stops them riding for five weeks
* About five per cent of these falls are career-ending
*Source: National Jockeys Trust
