07:25 AM EDT on Tuesday, June 27, 2006

By WILL GRAVES / Associated Press Writer

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- The embattled Jockeys’ Guild may have found an unlikely ally in the Rev. Jesse Jackson.

Jackson would serve as co-national manager with former sports agent Dwight Manley in a proposal put forward by Manley to the guild’s senate on Monday.

“We’d have equal title, equal authority and basically be a two-person post,” Manley said.

Manley had originally asked Jackson to appear at the meeting to speak on Manley’s behalf. Manley is one of two finalists for the guild’s national manager position. The guild fired former manager L. Wayne Gertmenian last November following allegations of widespread mismanagement that left the guild more than $1 million in debt.

Jackson gave a 15-minute speech encouraging a united front while the guild fights for better benefits, including more comprehensive health care coverage and a larger share of purses.

“The jockeys must leverage their power to demand a share of the industry’s growth,” Jackson said.

Manley said that as Jackson spoke to the jockeys after his speech, Jackson began to feel strongly about wanting to be involved in the guild, which represents more than 1,200 riders at the nation’s horse tracks.

“He came knowing this would be a big project, and once he was here and got a real taste firsthand, we realized to do this right, that’s what the right answer is,” Manley said. “It’s not about me. It’s not about him. It’s going to take a lot of people to make that change.”

A longtime advocate of workers’ rights, Jackson said it is time for jockeys to receive the same benefits athletes in other sports like baseball and football enjoy, including revenue sharing and retirement plans.

“Why shouldn’t the jockey be some of the beneficiary of his work?” Jackson said. “These guys, with the risks they take and the hits they take, and the medicine they take ... all those who benefit should share in the revenue.”

Two-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey John Velazquez, who was elected the chairman of the guild’s board of directors on Monday, said he was surprised by Jackson’s appearance but would not comment on how Jackson’s sudden addition to the ballot would affect voting.

The other finalist for the post, David Stevenson, also addressed the jockeys. Stevenson is a former jockey who now works as a consultant.

Current interim national manager Darrell Haire, who had also applied for the job, wrote a letter to the senators last week saying he would also accept a position as a regional manager.

Haire said he wasn’t sure when a vote on the national manager would take place but said it could happen before the meeting adjourns on Wednesday.

Velazquez wasn’t sure what to do when his peers nominated him for the position. He had been named the board’s interim chairman after Gertmenian’s firing.

“I almost declined it, but they wouldn’t let me,” Velazquez said. “It’s a lot of work and a lot of commitment. There’s a lot of things to accomplish.”

It’s been a rocky seven months for the guild since Gertmenian’s ouster. He was fired after riders blamed him for allowing their health care coverage to lapse. Gertmenian said the insurance was canceled because of financial constraints.

G.R. Carter will be the guild’s vice chairman. Jon Court was elected secretary and Jeff Johnston treasurer.

Mark Guidry, Alex Solis, Jerry LaSala, Perry Compton and Edgar Prado were also elected to the guild’s board of directors.

Only 16 of the guild’s 27 senators were able to attend the meeting. The group is also considering moving the guild’s national headquarters back to Kentucky. The guild had been located in Lexington before moving to Duarte, Calif., in 2002. Velazquez said he would like to see the guild return to the Bluegrass State.

“Definitely, we would love to get back here,” Velazquez said. “We’re just trying to see financially how we can afford it.”

(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)