Racing: Hewy needed the money

When well-meaning friends suggested Ray Hewinson, 42, retire from riding over fences, he liked to give one reason not to.

"It's called poverty," he would say.

"Hewy" rode in his last jumps race at Ashburton on Sunday, crashing to his death from Hilton Jewel, a hurdle horse with problems.

It was the sort of challenge Hewinson found irresistible, but also the sort of challenge his financial position did not allow him to pass up.

His death exposes the soft financial underbelly of the racing game.

Below the glamour of the Sir Patrick Hogans and the Lance O'Sullivans is a fraternity essential to the industry but struggling to make a decent living from it. Hewinson was a life member.

He could have done better as a motor mechanic or panelbeater, an area where his skills were in strong demand.

But the lure of the turf, the sense of belonging in a tightly knit, tolerant, sometimes callous but ultimately supportive racing community was too strong.

Hewinson had been riding off and on since 1977 for fewer than 70 winners in all. Many were longshots.

He was often left with the unruly or difficult horses which were more likely to do something wrong in a race.

In recent years his raceday rides per season would have grossed less than $5000 in riding fees, minus expenses, which are significant.

Jamie Bullard, a leading Canterbury hurdle and flat rider, said after being thrown from Hilton Jewel - the horse on which Hewinson was killed - at Waimate two weeks ago that he was retiring from jumps riding after the Grand National meeting in August.

"You want to have a go at it because it is a thrill and means extra rides for some good stakes.

"But the risks are just not worth it any more," Bullard said.

Hewinson earned his main racing income as a work rider for the stable of Peter and Dawn Williams at Riccarton, one of the largest of its type in Canterbury. Riding at trial meetings added some income.

Payments for riding horses in training vary but are relatively low, matching the prizemoney structure.

Many jockeys waive any fee for gaining the raceday ride. The top riders may be paid a small retainer.

Many others are paid on a casual basis, usually less than $10 a horse and often nothing. Only four or five jockeys in the South Island make their living just from riding.

Damian Browne, the leading jockey in the south this season, said sufficient riding income from raceday was not easy for him, never mind battlers such as Hewinson.

"I do not get as many rides as some because of my higher weight," Browne said.

"I get nothing for trackwork riding.

"In the winter you can go a few weeks without getting paid at all if a meeting is put off.

"But it is just the way things are. It is already tough on owners financially."

The Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) service will assess reports on Hewinson's death prepared by NZ Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) and the local racing club where the fatality occurred.

OSH's Canterbury-West Coast service manager, Margaret Radford, said the organisation's expert in racing in Auckland would provide an "overview" to ensure all policies and procedures were followed.

Radford said the tragedy was worsened by the fact that it was the second fatal fall in the region in six months.

She said OSH kept in regular contact with racing clubs over the issue of safety and had met the NZTR as recently as last Friday.

- NZPA