“TENSIVE” The race was abandoned immediately after “disrespected” jockeys went on strike as part of a long-running dispute following a protest by riders – who walked out after the first race at New York’s Aqueduct racetrack
In a dramatic turn of events that sent shockwaves through the thoroughbred racing community, the final eight races of a nine-race card at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York, were abruptly canceled on November 30, 2025.
The cancellation came mere moments after the completion of the opening race, as a group of jockeys, feeling increasingly disrespected by track management, staged a collective walkout.
Led by prominent rider Kendrick Carmouche, who serves as the New York representative for the Jockeys’ Guild, the riders refused to mount their horses for the remainder of the day, citing a culmination of grievances that had been simmering for months.
The incident unfolded on a crisp autumn afternoon at the historic Aqueduct, a venue that has long been a cornerstone of New York racing since its inception in 1959.
As the field crossed the finish line in Race 1—a routine allowance contest won by a longshot named Shadow Legacy—the atmosphere in the jockeys’ room shifted from focused anticipation to palpable tension.
Word quickly spread that Assistant Clerk of Scales Brian Pochman had been sent home earlier that day after objecting to additional duties imposed by the New York Racing Association (NYRA), the organization overseeing Aqueduct, Belmont Park, and Saratoga Race Course.
Pochman, a veteran official responsible for weighing jockeys before and after races to ensure compliance with weight allowances, was not dismissed but instructed to leave the premises, a move that riders interpreted as a blatant overreach by management.
Carmouche, a seasoned jockey with over 3,000 career wins and a reputation for his steady hand in the saddle, emerged as the voice of the protest. In interviews with the Daily Racing Form shortly after the walkout, he did not mince words.
“I have never seen such disrespect to a jockey colony and the people who work in the jocks’ room,” Carmouche stated, his voice steady but laced with frustration. He emphasized that the Pochman incident was merely the tipping point in a year-long saga of perceived slights.
Among the most galling, according to Carmouche and his colleagues, was NYRA’s April decision to bar family members—including wives, girlfriends, and children—from entering the jockeys’ room, relegating them to a cramped adjacent kitchen area. “Our sport is a family sport,” Carmouche argued.
“It is important to us to have our kids and families at the races. This feels like we’re being treated like outsiders in our own home.”
The dispute extended beyond personal access. Riders also pointed to a December 2024 incident where NYRA denied full-time employment status to a valet, a role critical to the daily operations of the jockeys’ room. These cumulative issues, riders claimed, eroded trust and compromised the collaborative spirit essential to racing’s integrity.
The Clerk of Scales position, in particular, is sacrosanct; inaccuracies in weighing could lead to disqualifications or fines, potentially undermining the fairness of competition.
By assigning extra tasks to Pochman—details of which remain unclear but reportedly included administrative oversight unrelated to his core duties—NYRA had, in the jockeys’ view, risked diluting the role’s precision and professionalism.
As news of the standoff broke, confusion rippled through the grandstand and beyond. Horses, already saddled and parading in the paddock for Race 2, were led back to their barns, leaving owners, trainers, and bettors in stunned silence.
The New York Racing Association issued a terse statement via Senior Vice President of Racing and Operations Andrew Offerman: “NYRA is responsible for oversight of the clerk of scales, assistant clerk of scales, and all racing officials in accordance with New York State Gaming Commission rules.
The procedures employed by those officials are designed to protect the integrity of racing and are NYRA’s responsibility to maintain and enforce.” Offerman noted that the jockeys had raised “several unrelated issues” during a post-Race 1 conversation, but efforts to mediate on-site failed.
The track remained open for simulcasting other races nationwide, and online wagering through NYRA Bets continued uninterrupted, but the live spectacle—complete with the thunder of hooves and the roar of the crowd—was over before it truly began.
The walkout’s immediate fallout was financial and emotional. Nearly 65 horses had been entered in the canceled races, many shipped in from out of town and administered costly pre-race treatments like Lasix.
Tina Bond, president of the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, decried the disruption as “a bad day for our sport in New York,” calling on NYRA to reimburse affected horsemen for their expenses.
Bettors, too, voiced outrage on social media, with some decrying the loss of a full card’s worth of wagers. “Horseplayers, jockeys, owners, and trainers can and will take their business elsewhere,” one frustrated punter posted on X, formerly Twitter.
The Jockeys’ Guild, the national advocacy group representing over 1,200 riders, swiftly backed the action, with President and CEO Terry Meyocks labeling it a necessary stand for workplace dignity.
Behind the scenes, the long-running dispute traced its roots to broader tensions in an industry grappling with modernization and regulation.
Aqueduct, slated for permanent closure once the rebuilt Belmont Park reopens in late 2026, operates under heightened scrutiny from the Gaming Commission, which enforces stringent protocols to combat issues like race-fixing and medication misuse. NYRA’s push for efficiency—streamlining staff roles amid budget constraints—clashed with the riders’ demand for specialized expertise.
Carmouche and allies like John Velazquez and Javier Castellano argued that such changes prioritized cost-cutting over safety, potentially endangering both equine and human participants in a sport already under fire for animal welfare concerns.
By Monday, December 1, diplomacy took center stage. Meyocks, along with Velazquez, Castellano, Carmouche, and Flavien Prat, convened with NYRA executives including CEO David O’Rourke and Offerman.
The four-hour session, described as “lengthy and productive” by the Guild, yielded commitments to review the disputed duties, enhance communication channels, and revisit family access policies within regulatory bounds. Meyocks issued an optimistic statement: “Today’s meeting was an opportunity to turn the page…
We thank NYRA for their willingness to listen and their commitment to a renewed level of communication with the riders.” NYRA echoed the sentiment, expressing eagerness for a “strong weekend of racing” ahead.
As of December 3, 2025, live racing has resumed at Aqueduct without further incident, with an eight-race card drawing solid crowds on Thursday and Saturday. The Cigar Mile Handicap, a Grade II stakes featuring high-purse action, proceeded smoothly, signaling a tentative thaw.
Yet the episode lingers as a cautionary tale for an industry at a crossroads.
In a post-Belmont era, where consolidation and reform loom large, the jockeys’ bold strike underscores a fundamental truth: the heart of horse racing beats not just in the thundering herds, but in the resilient riders who guide them.
For Carmouche and his peers, the walkout was less about one day’s races and more about reclaiming respect in a tradition as old as the turf itself.
Whether this resolution holds or foreshadows deeper fractures remains to be seen, but for now, the gates are open, and the sport presses on.
