The Female Jockeys’ Allowance – A Step Forward or Back ?

The Female Jockeys’ Allowance – A Step Forward or Back 

The Issue

Last week we considered the need for the mares and fillies sex allowance and whether it was fair. Today, we tackle the even more controversial subject of the female jockeys allowance, a topic re-ignited by the decision of the French racing authorities in 2017 to introduce a weight allowance of 2kg for female riders (reduced to 1.5kg in March 2018).

There is no doubt, that despite the recent achievements and positive publicity surrounding a number of female jockeys, Hollie Doyle and Bryony Frost remain the only two female riders in the top 20 of their British jockey championships.

There are two schools of thought as to why this is the case. The first view points to the fact that in all elite sports, female athlete are at a physical disadvantage. While recognising that physical strength is not the be all and end all in racing and that the ability of the horse, technical expertise and race management are all major factors, the difference between winning and losing often rests on fine margins and the physical element cannot be ignored. The counter argument is that female riders have proved to be the equal of men when given the chance but have been denied equality of opportunity in terms of numbers and quality of rides by an anti-female bias from owners and trainers that has prevented female jockeys from progressing up the ranks.

However, despite the best intentions of the French Racing authorities to address the issues through the introduction of a weight allowance for female jockeys, the initiative has only served to widen the debate, with leading figures in the racing industry more divided than ever on whether the French initiative is indeed a step forward.

Weight Allowance for Female Jockeys – A Step Forward?

 It is fair to say that the weight allowance has received a frosty reception outside of France and there are a number of female riders who remain opposed to it labeling the allowance  “offensive”, “sexist” and a “backhanded insult”. The gist of the criticism is that it does not address the core issue of prejudice among owners and trainers as the real reason for the lack of opportunities for female jockeys.

Taken at face value, the headline figures suggest, that in terms of meeting the objective of providing more opportunities for female riders, the allowance has been a resounding success. A year after the allowance was introduced, the number of rides offered to female jockeys in France increased from about 6% to 16% and the winning strike rate from under 5% to just over 9% This compares to an overall winning strike rate for male jockeys of 9.78%. In light of these statistics, there would appear to be little doubt that France Galop has been proved right in introducing the allowance and you could expect other countries to follow suit.

However, opinion remains divided on whether this is the right path to follow. Kevin Blake in his At the Races columns in 2015 and 2019, forcibly argues that the French authorities have been correct in their approach. He points out that the allowance has resulted in the strike rate of female jockeys improving to marginally below that of the male jockeys, but no higher. This he suggests is evidence that the weight allowance has effectively leveled the playing field by addressing the inherent disadvantage of female riders being physically weaker. He further argues that this evidence also justifies those owners and trainers that previously were unwilling to use female jockeys, as without the allowance, they were not competing on a level playing field.

There are others however, who remain convinced that the root cause of the problem remains prejudice. They argue that the weight allowance would not be required if only owners and trainers gave female riders a fair chance every time they were selecting a jockey for one of their horses. While acknowledging that the overall numbers of female rides has increased, there is still a discrepancy in the quality of rides being offered. It is pointed out that opportunities still remain limited for female riders in the better quality races in France and the weight allowance has not had the same impact on providing equal opportunity as it has at the lower levels of racing.                                                                                                                                     

The Surrey Racing View

With regard to the female jockeys weight allowance, we are lucky at Surrey Racing to have a group of syndicate owners who simply want the trainer to book the best jockey for the horse and race, regardless of the sex of the jockey.

It is our feeling that attitudes in the UK are changing for the better and that the change is accelerating. It is encouraging to note that the current Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year, Hollie Doyle, who finished second in the British jockeys table in 2020, has a realistic chance this year of becoming Britain’s first female champion jockey. Evidence suggests this is not limited to the UK as in Ireland Rachael Blackmore is vying for first place in the Irish jumps table and in Melbourne, Jamie Kah holds a clear lead in their championship.

We accept that we are still a long way from a truly level playing field and further work and effort is needed to improve the quality of rides being offered to female riders, as well as the number of rides. However, it is our feeling that the success of jockeys like Hollie Doyle, Hayley Turner, Nicola Currie, Bryony Frost and Bridget Andrews, and the increasing pipeline of young female talent coming through the apprenticeship ranks, will do more to breakdown barriers than a weight allowance, which in any event, is viewed with scepticism by many female jockeys in this country.