Jockeys' Association chief John Blake hopes the senior riders' boycott of Wolverhampton will help spur on a resolution to the current stalls debate.

Of the top jockeys, only Seb Sanders is due to ride at tonight's fixture with the majority of the 66 declared runners being partnered by apprentices.

The boycott is in response to the introduction of a new team of stalls handlers hired by owners Arena Leisure at tonight's meeting.

Leading riders have outlined their concerns over safety issues with the new team and the long-term prospects for the RaceTech handlers, who are currently used on British racecourses.

Although Wolverhampton are set to race, Blake believes the lack of established riders sends a clear message to Arena.

''I'm not surprised at all by the way things have happened. I anticipated the apprentices would be required to ride but I have been called by a number of trainers who haven't declared their horses in support,'' he said.

''We didn't expect the meeting to completely fall because the owners and trainers, although fully aware of the issues, want the opportunity to run and it may be that some trainers would be under pressure from owners.

''I expected there to be some who were required to ride and neither I nor my members would criticise them for that.

''I don't see the meeting going ahead as any kind of failure. It has highlighted the issues and now they are receiving the kind of attention and debate they deserve.''

Reports yesterday morning suggested the senior riders' may also elect to boycott Wolverhampton's next meeting on September 3 if the disagreement is not resolved - a situation Blake would not rule out.

''I think it's important for people to know this is not a game of bluff,'' he explained.

''The jockeys are giving up opportunities to earn a living by doing this and they could, potentially, be putting pressure on their relationships with owners and trainers by not riding

''I would not rule out any further action but we need to find an industry-wide solution involving all parties and hopefully this action will bring that forward.

''I had some productive talks with Ian Renton last Friday to try to avert the strike and although that was not possible, hopefully a solution can be found.''

Renton, Arena's director of racing, is also keen to maintain the dialogue with not only the Jockeys' Association but also the current stalls provider RaceTech.

''We are still in discussion,'' he said. ''I had a very constructive meeting with John Blake last Friday to discuss the situation and I think, more importantly, the potential ramifications on RaceTech.

''We should sit down with RaceTech and hear their view - I'm not privy to the discussions between the RaceTech management and their employees - to try to ensure we have a suitable solution for the whole industry going forward.''

Most of the top riders will be in action at Windsor tonight but Sanders has one ride booked for his retained trainer Sir Mark Prescott in the opener while Nicky Mackay is the only other reasonably well-known name to accept a ride.

Although some of the jockeys on show may be new names, a number of leading trainers including Paul Cole, Luca Cumani and Walter Swinburn have declared runners.

Arena's racing manager Ian Renton is pleased they, and the other trainers, have chosen to compete.

''I am very happy that the owners and trainers have managed to secure sufficient numbers of riders to allow them to take part tomorrow evening,'' he said yesterday.

''I was relatively confident (that the meeting would go ahead).

''The trainers were very keen to run their horses at Wolverhampton tomorrow evening with the probability they were going to be putting their apprentices up.

''I fully anticipated there would be quite a degree of solidarity amongst the senior jockeys not appearing there tomorrow night but I did not believe this would endanger the meeting.''