WHAT’S THE STORY?
AFTER years of debate, it’s official – the performance of women jockeys as race riders is equal with that of their male counterparts.
It’s long been a male-dominated sport with no woman ever having been UK champion jockey or anywhere near it, but campaigners for greater equality have always maintained that given equal chances on horses of equal quality, women jockeys are just as good as men.
NOW WHO SAYS SO?
A STUDY carried out through the Thoroughbred Horseracing Industries MBA at the University of Liverpool analysed data covering a 14-year period.
The study suggested that, once the quality of the horses they are riding is factored in, the performance of female jockeys is essentially no better or worse than male jockeys.
The study was written by Vanessa Cashmore, work based learning manager at the Northern Racing College and a recent graduate from the Thoroughbred Horseracing Industries MBA which is funded by governing body the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), the Horserace Betting Levy Board and the Racing Foundation.
IS THERE A BIAS AGAINST WOMEN JOCKEYS?
THE study would appear to say so. The fact is that only 11.3 per cent of professional jockey licences in Britain are held by female jockeys, but only 5.2 per cent of available rides were taken by female jockeys during the period of the study.
Cashmore said: “This study strongly indicates that female jockeys are every bit as good as their male counterparts. I hope it helps to provide more opportunities for female jockeys, and also encourages more women to further their careers as race riders.”
WILL ANYBODY LISTEN?
THE BHA is already working with the sport’s recently formed Diversity in Racing Steering Group.
Nick Rust, chief executive of the BHA, said: “This study provides further evidence towards something that many in the industry have felt for some time – that there is no reason why female jockeys should not be considered as good as their male counterparts.
“We are proud that British racing is one of the few sports where men and women can compete on equal terms. However, if female jockeys are not being given the same opportunities as the men, then this cannot be considered as equality.
“Understanding why there are fewer female jockeys than male, and why those jockeys get fewer rides than the men – in particular in higher profile races – is something that we are determined to address.”
WHY ARE THERE MORE WOMEN JOCKEYS IN FRANCE?
IN France where France Galop is the governing body, the authorities have given female jockeys a weight allowance in certain races. That means they have to carry less weight in a handicap race than the men and that increases the winning chance of the horse. The BHA says it will consider the results of the French initiative but British owners and trainers are not generally in favour of it, while the women jockeys themselves say they just want the chance to compete on equal terms.
Gemma Tutty, rider of almost 50 winners from more than 600 career rides, said: “This study confirms what we already knew and have been saying all along, that female jockeys can be just as good as male jockeys. I hope this study helps to persuade more owners and trainers to give female jockeys a chance in the saddle, especially in the bigger races.”
YOU MAY HAVE HEARD OF LESTER PIGGOT, KIEREN FALLON AND FRANKIE DETTORI, BUT CAN YOU NAME A TOP WOMAN JOCKEY?
PROBABLY the most famous woman who used to be a top amateur jockey is Clare Balding, the television broadcaster. She hasn’t ridden in a race for some years, but the experience she gained in racing – her father Ian trained the great Mill Reef and her brother Andrew is a top trainer – helped make her a star.
The woman jockey who is usually considered to have been the best female professional jockey of all time in the UK is Hayley Turner with 780 winners including a Group One – the highest level in flat racing – which was the July Cup of 2011. She retired and is now a racing pundit. Kirsty Milczarek looked set to emulate Turner’s feats until she was badly injured and forced to retire at the age of 29. The same fate struck the brilliant Irish-born rider Cathy Gannon, three times female jockey of the year, who had to retire last year at the age of 35 after almost losing her foot in a stalls accident.
In National Hunt, Bryony Frost and Lizzie Kelly are currently the top jockeys, along with Scotland’s only professional female jockey, Lucy Alexander.
The stats mentioned above are sure to change – the study showed that nearly three-quarters of the students at the two main jockey “academies”, the British Racing School and Northern Racing College, were female in the academic year 2016-17.
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