JP van der Merwe is the only jockey that was party to the protest action that ultimately brought racing at Hollywoodbets Durbanville to a standstill on 26 March 2025, to have so far accepted an Acknowledgement of Guilt, and effectively aligned himself to a statement issued by the Coastal Jockeys Association on Monday 31 March 2025.
JP van der Merwe – putting the matter behind him (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
The Sporting Post fielded a number of enquiries after an article Cape Jockey Protest – JP van der Merwe fined, published by ourselves early on Tuesday 22 April 2025.
At the outset, we should state that JP van der Merwe is not the only guilty party in the matter. In simple terms, he is the only rider to have exercised the offer of an Acknowledgement Of Guilt and move on with his life.
As the case against the jockeys was likely deemed cut and dried by the NHA, an AOG of a fine of R100 000, half of which is suspended for five years, was offered to the riders involved.
So far, JP van der Merwe is the only rider in the group, to have accepted the fine and chosen to move on. Any riders not taking up the AOG will be summonsed to an Inquiry to be held in May.
The Inquiry will give these riders the opportunity of representation and also to provide any mitigation and other argument. It is not inconceivable that the fine paid by Mr van Der Merwe, could even be increased for his colleagues, by the Inquiry Board.
The Coastal Jockeys Association, on behalf of all jockeys that participated in the jockey work stoppage action at the Hollywoodbets Durbanville race meeting on Wednesday, 26 March 2025, issued an unreserved apology to all stakeholders on Monday 31 March 2025, for what they termed their ‘inappropriate actions’. All stakeholders included owners, trainers, grooms and Cape Racing.
The statement read further:
We are especially sorry to all owners who were on-course on the day.
Our actions caused significant embarrassment and harm to a sport we love so much and a sport from which we are fortunate to earn a living.
We also understand and appreciate that our industry is dealing with significant financial challenges, and we cannot and must not take our opportunity for granted.
While our emotions ran high on the day, this is not an excuse. We know better. And commit to doing better going forward. We will learn from this.
We do have issues we wish to resolve, but we realise there are better, more constructive means of doing so. We intend to seek guidance from the support structure around us to ensure we tackle any problems constructively and positively.
We would like to extend our heartfelt appreciation to all those who have supported us and shown us kindness and understanding over the last week, despite our actions.
In particular, we need to extend a special thank you to Greg Bortz, the Chairman of Cape Racing. He was understandably upset with our actions but has been understanding, available, helpful and supportive throughout.
It is because of this emotional support and understanding, together with the enormous financial support and generosity of Hollywoodbets, enabling us to continue to benefit from this industry, that we are confident in our future. And we, the jockeys, intend to play a positive, constructive role in helping take our sport to the next level going forward. Ends.
