The departure to the colder climes of the Northlands racetrack in Canada of former champion Dane Nelson and former top apprentice Shamaree Muir has left a significant void in the quality of the present crop of jockeys.

Joining with Nelson and Muir on overseas tracks are Paul Francis, Richard Mairs, Richard Mitchell and Trevor Simpson, thereby adding to the dearth of top jockeys at the disposal of trainers at Caymanas Park.

The local brigade is led by champion Shane Ellis, former many-time champion Omar Walker and another former champion Wesley Henry. These three are established riders, but Walker and Ellis are not readily available as they are linked to their respective stables. Robert Halledeen has ridden two of the three Classic winners in 2016, Future King in the Post To Post 2,000 Guineas and a ride for the ages when winning the Jamaica Oaks on A Thousand Stars. While Halledeen has made good strides recently, he does not ride many horses on any given raceday.

Then there are the new set apprentices, five of whom occupy places among the top 10 leading riders thus far this season. This grouping of apprentices is led by Linton Steadman with 15 winners, with the rapidly developing Bebeto Harvey on 12 winners.

While a small batch of the apprentices from the original list of 20 are making noteworthy progress, and with the number of top-notch riders choosing to ply their trade overseas, some conditioners are expressing concern about the availability of experienced riders, especially for Classic races and for other big races.

A close look at the 10 starters in the Oaks run two weeks ago proves the point that there are not many accomplished riders in the pool at this time. The riders in the Oaks were Halledeen, Ian Spence, Odean Edwards, Chalrick Budhai, Harvey, Ameth Robles, Aaron Chatrie, Doushane Gordon, Jevvanne Erwin and Ellis. Significantly, Walker did not get a ride in this Classic race.

Spence has paid his dues over the years but has never been regarded as special; Edwards is a claiming apprentice; Budhai finds it really difficult riding more than 10 winners per year; Harvey is an apprentice still learning to ride around two turns; Robles is on and off, more off than on; Chatrie rides winners but is not the most consistent; Gordon showed well when he started his career but is currently on a revival trail trying to reignite his career; while Erwin is ever present without really establishing himself in the top drawer.

The short-term remedy to this obvious lack of quality riding choices is for the present crop of apprentices to really make their mark in the shortest time possible. With the migration of some of our better riders, the apprentices are now in a position to stake their claims and propel themselves and the sport forward.