The Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA) and the Jockeys’ Benefit Association of Canada (JBAC) have announced a new fee structure for jockeys across Canada.

The new few structure primarily addresses mount fees for unplaced finishes, but there will also be a 5% increase to the current fee guide for second and third-place finishes. There will be no change to the win fee structure.

Fine tuning the jockey fee schedule has been a hot topic of debate over the last several years, but the President of the HBPA, Sue Leslie, is happy with the recent agreement. “Early on in the negotiations we identified that the mount fees for unplaced finishes in Fort Erie needed to be fixed. This new pay structure addresses those issues. It’s a very good outcome for the jockeys and good outcome for the owners.”

Mount fees for unplaced finishes have been adjusted in relation to the purse structure of each race. For races with purses up to $10,000, the new mount fee is set at $75. In the prior fee structure, jockeys riding in races with purses from $5,000 (or less) to $10,000 could earn a flat fee between $41 – $51 (not including HST). For races with a purse between $10,001 – to $50,000 the unplaced mount fee will be $100. Again, in the prior fee structure, jockeys could earn anywhere from $53 – $99 for races with a purse between $10,001 to $34,000.

For races with a purse of $50,000 and above, the new standard mount fee for unplaced finishes is $115.00.

The HBPA announcement noted there are no changes to stakes and handicap fees.