Our senior jockeys won't ride forever so we have to start looking for long-term replacements.
- Kevin Ring
Tasmanian racing is facing a critical shortage of jockeys over the next few years and, if any advance warning is needed, it will come this week.
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Seven jockeys who either live in Tasmania or fly-in on a regular basis will be unavailable for the eight-race meeting at Spreyton on Saturday.
Tasracing will almost certainly have to find some fill-ins from interstate.
The absentees will be Siggy Carr, Troy Baker, Anthony Darmanin, Chris Graham, Alex Patis, Ryan Bishop and Racha Cuneen.
Carr and Baker are heading to Albury with some horses on a 'working holiday'; Darmanin is staying in Victoria for a wedding; Graham will at Moonee Valley to ride Mystical Pursuit; Patis is taking a holiday before relocating to Queensland; Bishop has a hand injury and Cuneen is riding at Moe.
At this stage, the only "ins" are apprentice Scarlet So, back from suspension, and Dylan Mo who will ride at his second local meeting.
Tasmanian Jockeys Association general manager Kevin Ring believes this week's shortage is a preview of what is to come.
"Our senior jockeys won't ride forever so we have to start looking for long-term replacements," Ring said.
"The apprentices that we get from Asia are good but they don't stay - they're not allowed to.
"So we need to try harder to get kids here from Victoria and other states.
"Tasmania offers a great opportunity for those second-tier apprentices that may not be getting much of a go elsewhere.
"We have always been able to blood apprentices in Tasmania but we want some that will stay on and ride here as senior jockeys."
It's unfortunate that Mo is only in the state for a short time as he created a good impression at his first meeting on Sunday.
The 25-year-old from Hong Kong bowled over most punters when he won on rank outsider Wineglass Bay but made amends by leading all the way on short-priced favourite Century Arrow.
McNIFF CALLED IN FOR SA DUTIES
The voice of Tasmanian racing is to become the voice of South Australian racing - for one day only.
The state's premier thoroughbred racecaller Colin McNiff has been recruited to call the meeting at Morphettville on Wednesday.
He is looking forward to it but admits he's glad the fields are mostly small and there's not too many new colours to remember.
McNiff and fellow RadioTAB and Sky Channel caller Matty Robertson already have a busy schedule at home, with colleague Shane Yates sidelined at present by ill-health.
