Scorecard

THE WELL-HELMETED JOCKEY

Most Thoroughbred tracks these days pay a premium of $108 a day to Lloyds of London, which, though 118 tracks participate, does not make a fortune on the deal. Insuring jockeys against injury is as risky as betting on them. In 1962, for example, with only 1,300 members in the Jockeys' Guild, Lloyds had to settle 1,305 claims that ranged from a broken finger to death.

Eight years ago, after a boy named Leroy Nelson was killed in a spill at Caliente, John Alessio, proprietor of the track, was moved to confer with Bert Thompson, national managing director and secretary of the Jockeys' Guild. Together they worked out a scheme for promotion of the helmet.

At first jockeys hated the helmet, as baseball players once did. But if Eddie Arcaro, who agreed to wear his only as a personal favor to Thompson, had not had one on when he fell off Black Hills in the 1959 Belmont and landed on his head, he might not be around today to root for its continuance as compulsory equipment.

Since 1958, when the helmet became compulsory in most states, racing deaths have dropped from an average of 4 or 5 a year to 1�. Even so, the Guild is taking care of 10 paraplegics, all of whom receive a monthly check for life and training in a livelihood that will help support them. Two have become certified public accountants under the plan.

A pension plan for jockeys seems to be impossible, since they arc independent contractors, but Thompson persuaded horsemen to boost the fee for a losing mount from $20 to $25. Out of this $5 increase the Guild takes $1 for dues and puts the other $4 into a savings account for each individual jockey. Two years ago, when Ronnie Ferraro won the national title as an apprentice, he had 1,755 mounts. That meant he had saved more than $7,000.

"The idea behind this," said Thompson, "is to keep the jockeys free of obligations. Years ago bookmakers and trainers would lend riders money, and after they'd be well into debt to them they'd want the jockeys to do something funny in a race. Today almost all of our boys are free of any obligations."

And Lloyds is much happier.