Jockey arrested over theft of TV at Greyville

I thought it may be Derryl and it really saddens me that he is once again out of control. I met Derryl many years ago when he was apprenticed to Ormond Ferraris. A friend of mine had a share in a horse that he rode in his debut and if memory serves me right he finished fourth or fifth, a much better result than was expected. The kid was all smiles in the ring beforehand, very polite and clearly delighted to be having a ride. After the race the partners asked Ormond if the kid could ride next time and I will never forget the old mans answer, he said as long as he behaves himself. At the time I thought he meant be on time to work. The horse duly ran a few weeks later and won but if memory serves me right was ridden by Tobie van Booma but I could be mistaken here. I was on a training week with my work so didnt attend the races. My mate did however tell me after that Daniels had been taken off my Mr Ferraris because of ill discipline. His substance abuse stories emerged not long after that. I remember thinking what a waste, this kid had it all. I am told that Ferraris rated him one of the best apprentices that he had ever worked with.

All the best Derryl, I pray you find the strength to beat this curse

Surely the jockey club or whoever he is employed by has an EAP programme, aren’t regular blood tests done to ensure riders operate in a safe work environment?
This is extremely sad due to an individual having to resort to such extremes to ‘survive’ .

Doc R it’s a double edged sword if the person does not want help and those around him offer then it’s only the individual to blame, however if the person is being egged on by his supposed friends then that is sad.

Gold Circle as a Business should now probably resort to all jockeys, store handlers and grooms being subjected to breathalyser tests before entering the course . Huge inconvenience for those who are clear but also assists in identifying those who require assistance and are to embarrassed or proud to come forward.

Mr Eudey some help here please....

If I recall jocks had to under go routine "checks" ..... Are they still subjected to this?

To the powers that be that have charged him..I understand that the law has to be respected BUT I would rather that they APPROACH THE COURTS AND SEND HIM FOR REHABILITATION...THE COURTS HAVE THE POWER TO DO SO......INSTEAD OF JAIL TIME IT SHOULD BE HELP TIME.

Jocks are subject to random tests on all racedays in SA.
Jocks are self employed.
The episode in question happened long before raceday, early on the morning.

I think GC bashng is wrong - The Jocks have an association - They must look after their own - This is an on going problem - They have enough funds to have a Association Wellness Program - The operators do many things I do not agree with but looking after Jocks , who are self-employed and mostly financially stable, should not fall under their obligations - Addiction or substance abuse , within the Jock population, is very high as can be seen from the various sanctions the NHRA has dished out over the last few years(and for decades there have been tragedies and hard luck stories of talent wasted and lives lost) - We all know the names so no need to embarrass anyone - There is a problem so step up and help your own -

Unfortunately tough love almost always sound callous,but you do have a point, Mr H.
But, we all have our own views.
Mine is simple,if you have not been there yourself,you'll never know how difficult it may be, even though we only have ourself to blame for our situations

Why do we pity esteemed people, the rich, celebrities, sportsman/women when they do wrong. What's makes him different from the whoonga smoker at the taxi rank who is trying to steal from you to feed his addiction. Because he has tattered clothes and from a poor background we despise him for what he does but we don't know what circumstance brought him there.

They should be no respite.

Last word, no profession/employment makes you an alcoholic/drug addict etc. That's an easy excuse to do wrong.

During his year ban should the industry not seek him help?

Bob Brogan wrote: During his year ban should the industry not seek him help?

Last I heard he is assisting Doug Campbell and working his horses.

That's good......but he still has a problem

i hope he recovers from his demons whatever they may be. and to all that try assist him well done.

TRAINER Mike de Kock has lashed out at the
National Racing Authority (NHA) for what he calls
“highly insensitive” remarks in a recent case
involving the suspension of jockey Derryl Daniels.
A statement released by the NHA this week, read:
(and we’re using it since it’s old news now!):
“(Daniels) … (conducted himself)… in an improper
manner on Racecourse property by forcibly breaking
into Greyville Racecourse on 5 January 2018
and Scottsville Racecourse on two separate
occasions on 6 January 2018 and on each occasion
stealing a television set. These actions had the
effect of discrediting horseracing.”
De Kock said: “Whoever wrote this
release has no integrity and no
empathy for his fellow human beings,
and should be ashamed!”
“Derryl Daniels committed wrongful acts, but there
was no reason to degrade him like this. The man
obviously has problems and is in desperate need of
help, but instead of standing together as an
industry and getting him help, we’ve disgraced him
in public.
“Sadly, this is the way of the NHA. They like to
publicize what they believe are victories so they
can be perceived to be protecting the integrity of
racing. They are not. They are hurting all of us in a
simple-minded fashion.”
“We’ll never hear of the things the NHA do wrong
or of the incompetence or their staff or of the
problems in their administration, yet they will jump
at a chance to hurt and punish a fragile individual
who needs nothing but help. They have added to
his woes,” De Kock said.