MINIMUM RACING WEIGHT

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 250, 16 July 1920, Page 7

MINIMUM RACING WEIGHT

PROPOSAL TO INCREASE IT REJECTED. , "Time and time again. I am sure, the hoalth of our jockeys has been ruined by having to waste in order to reduce their weight to the necessary minimum," remarked Mr. A. S. Orbell (Dunedin), in submitting tho following remit yesterday to the Racing Conference:—"No horsa shall carry less than 6st, in any weight-for-age flat race, or 9st. in any hurdle race, or !)st. 71b. in any steeplechase.' The minimum weight to be carried by any horse in any handicap flat race shall be 7st., and tho top allotted in any such race shall, except in races for two-year-olds, not be less than 9st." Asking, "What is the result of this practice?" Mr. Orbell declared: "In order to get relief tho lads rush to tho whisky bottle, and that is the end of them, so far as their racecourse career is ooncomod. ... At tho present time, there are 307 jockeys licensed by the various district committees in tho Dominion, and out of that number there are only eleven who can rido under seven stone. I find that three of those cloven jockeys never rodo a winner at all this year; three of the remainder only rode six races between them: while tho most successful lad only rode thirteen winners." Mr. Orboll went on to cmphasiso the difficulty of owners securing light-weight riders. The motion wns supported by a Southland delegate (Mr. H. Hassall), who urged the necessity for raising the minimum to seven stone. If the oonferenco failed to pass tho resolution, tho result would bo that in a few years owners would not have anybody who could ride (tot. 7lb. Sinco the Southland Club had raised the minimum it had prospered considerably.

The proposal was opposed by Mr. Lan Cr. Duncan (Wellington), who ijaitl it would tend to removo one of tho incentives to tho production of first-class horsemen by debarring jockeys from starting their career when young. 'Tho younger a boy started in to learn riding tho better horseman he would develop into. Tho raising of the minimum would also have the effeot of raising tho maximum weight, thus penalising many first-class horses.

After further discussion th» remit was rejected.