IT IS ironically symbolic of the summer ahead that the turf Flat season should open at Kempton Park today with most of the leading jockeys detained elsewhere. Soon, the grass course at Sunbury will be dug up to accommodate its floodlit future, while impending restrictions on jockeys’ midsummer schedules could mean some of the top names are missing from evening racing.

Constant expansion of the fixture list, due to be developed further with extra twilight meetings next year, has brought the potential workload of Flat riders to breaking point. Inevitabile stress and fatigue brings the prospect of a calamity on the roads as carloads of jockeys dash to ride at two or even three meetings in a day.

The industry working group, set up by the Jockey Club to examine the issue, will put forward proposals early next month. It is understood that limitations on jockeys will be introduced for a trial period, from June to August, and are likely to operate in a similar fashion to the restrictions on lorry and coach drivers. Jockeys will not simply be told that they can ride at only one meeting each day but their working hours will be assessed to include time on the roads and early-morning work riding.

It sounds a sensible solution, and has been thrashed out by a committee that included jockeys and trainers. Nevertheless, the Jockey Club fears it will face resistance from a proportion of jockeys unwilling to accept any restrictions. There may even be those willing to challenge the move legally.

Some of the potential militants will be at Kempton today for a poignant fixture. Julian Thick, managing director of the Sunbury course, believes it is the first time Kempton has staged the opening of the turf season. Barring a late change of heart, it will certainly be the last.

Thick said yesterday: “With Flat racing year-round, the start of the turf does not have quite the same impact but it’s nice for us to have the first meeting and the feature races have held up well. We’ll be short of some top jockeys tomorrow but then I don’t think any Flat course in this country could compete successfully with the Dubai World Cup.”

After the second day of the meeting on Monday, Kempton is due to stage only two further days of Flat racing before closing down for ten months to prepare for the conversion to floodlit all-weather racing. That process is likely to be given the final green light within the coming week.

“We are days away from signing a construction contract and we’d be incredibly reluctant to turn back now,” Thick said. “But we must be satisfied that there is a coherent fixture programme for 2006 that makes it worthwhile for us to press ahead and build.”

On Wednesday, proposals from the British Horseracing Board (BHB) for an expanded fixture list, revealed in The Times this month, were considered by the Levy Board. Early indications are that the board will fund some, but not all, the additional fixtures.

Kempton and Great Leighs, both embarked on expensive floodlit projects, must decide swiftly on viability. Thick said: “Our plans are long-term and 2006 was always likely to be an interim year. We’ll study the Levy criteria and decide whether we go for it to get up and running.”