PIKE RIDING CAREER UNCERTAIN

Jockey William Pike could be facing early retirement

Riding rules in WA mean that jockeys are required to be double vaccinated if they are to ride competitively in the state at major tracks like Belmont and Ascot.

The changes in rules now mean that Pike is looking towards early retirement and spoke to the media for the first time in an interview with Freedom Media WA.

In a detailed interview Pike highlighted that there would be a lot of uncertainty for riders in the future given the change in rules being enforced from the 5th February 2022.

"My future is very uncertain right now. I really don't know what my future's going to be like," Pike said. 

"I would love to keep riding. I would love to stay on top for as long as I can until one of the young guns come along and boot me off my perch.

"I really don't want to leave it, but under the circumstances right now with the rules and different things in place, it's getting harder and harder to go out and do my daily job."

Pike has been quiet on the situation in recent weeks and chose to talk to Freedom Media after citing other news outlets had already made comment on the situation without knowing all the facts.

"The mainstream media has a way of twisting words and leading up to this, I didn't want to comment, I wanted to make sure I had my story straight and they (the media) went and posted things anyway and I thought that was a bit out of line."

"I wanted my story and my reasons told factually.

"I didn't want to get a headline out there that makes some guy in an office get a smug smile on his face."

Pike also made clear the reason he had chosen not to be vaccinated.

Suppose at one point they were touting a digital passport just so you can get into restaurants and whatnot. It's how the future's going to be they say. Well I don't see how that can be acceptable. You want to go to a restaurant and have a nice meal, why should you have to worry about giving out all your details?" 

"For me as an athlete as well, health implications definitely have a play in it. The vaccines came around really quickly, how did it get here so quick? I just had questions and it doesn't feel like we've had the time to digest it and take it all on board in an intelligent way."

Check out the full interview on the below YouTube video.

More News