Does Jockey Gender Make a Difference?
Experts from the University of Nottingham have found that the sex of a jockey doesn’t influence any aspect of racehorse physiology and performance.
Article by Charlotte Schrurs and David S. Gardner
Charlotte Schrurs
The findings of the study, presently published as a preprint at Research Square, offer a new perspective on the possible balance of elite male and female jockeys on the start line of races.
Studies assessing the effect of the sex of a rider on racehorse performance and physiology during training have not been reported, mostly due to the lack of available data for female participants within the sport.
David S. Gardner
The racing of Thoroughbred horses has a tradition dating back to the 18th century in the UK. However, it was not until the mid-late 20th century that the first ladies’ race was held. In the present day, more than 90% of participating jockeys, in most racing nations, are men. This is likely an unconscious bias toward male jockeys being, on average, physically “stronger,” able to push horses harder, and thus performing better in races than female jockeys.
In horse racing, male and female jockeys compete against each other in the majority of races. This is because the competitive advantage is less on the physical attributes of the rider but more on skill level or ability to partner with an animal. Indeed, racing requires quick reaction time and agility from the jockey while being able to navigate the horse with dexterity across the peloton at peak speeds often exceeding 37mph. This decade has seen a marked increase in participation of female jockeys at an elite level in the racing industry. In 2021, the Irish jockey — Rachael Blackmore — made history by winning several high-profile races. This year, she continued her remarkable rise by becoming the first female jockey ever to win the Gold Cup at the Cheltenham Festival.
Success stories like this are shaping global betting behaviors on the racetrack and challenging the public’s confidence in the ability of male or female jockeys to win big races. In the UK and Ireland, previous research had suggested an underestimation of the ability of female jockeys to win races, as recorded in betting behavior.
In racing, a competitive advantage may lie in the ability of a jockey to control the horse, and/or less weight carried by the horse (i.e. weight of jockey plus saddle). Experts from the University of Nottingham have found that the sex of a jockey doesn’t influence any aspect of racehorse physiology and performance.
Researchers from the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science at the University of Nottingham (UK) worked with Scientific Director Guillaume Dubois, PhD, at Arioneo Ltd — a company that developed a bespoke exercise tracking device for horses; and an Equine Sports Medicine specialist (Dr. Emmanuelle van Erck-Westergren, PhD; Equine Sports Medicine Practice, Belgium) to answer some of these questions.
They monitored 530 Thoroughbred racehorses, ridden by 103 different work riders, which were randomly allocated to a horse (66 male, 37 female) over a total of 3,568 workouts (varying intensity from slow/med/hard canter to gallop) at a single racing yard (with varying tracks – all weather, dirt and turf ) (Ciaron Maher racing) in Victoria, Australia. Variables such as speed, stride length and frequency, heart rate and rate of recovery were recorded with a validated fitness tracker (the ‘Equimetre©’). This tracker was specifically designed to monitor horses during their daily exercise routine with advanced data analysis services (www.arioneo.com).
An average racehorse weighs ~1,100-1,300lbs, an average jockey, ~108-121lbs. Yet, a few ounces extra on the back of a racehorse has been shown to influence race performance. Therefore, weight carried by the horse (jockey, plus saddle and added weights where necessary) is used to further equalize any perceived performance advantage. This allows horses of varying levels to participate in so called “handicap” races. In such races, each horse is attributed a predetermined weight to carry determined by the racing regulatory board.
Horses with better racing records are allocated higher weights in order to further equalize any perceived performance advantage. Hence, jockeys are weighed in before and weighed out after races.
All being equal, would a racehorse during race-pace workouts perform any differently when ridden by either a female or male jockey? Would that racehorse be more or less likely to win a race?
The research monitored 530 Thoroughbred racehorses, ridden by 103 different work riders, which were randomly allocated to a horse (66 male, 37 female) over a total of 3,568 workouts.
WHAT IT IS COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY?
Computed tomography (CT) helps veterinarians make diagnoses and trainers make decisions. CT scanners take hundreds of x-ray images rotating around the target and create an exact 3D digital rendering. The diagnostic power is in the ability to scroll through the 3D rendering slice by slice, at any angle you choose.
What can it do?
• Small stuff: Tiny P1 fractures and early condylar and coffin fractures: scrolling slices one at a time the tiniest cracks, even bone sclerosis patterns that precede cracks, become clearly visible.
• Hard to see spots: Small bones of the knees and hocks, the suspensory origin, non-displaced cracks in the sesamoids: difficult to evaluate properly on radiographs but clear on CT. CT is also far superior for finding and correcting abnormalities of the skull, teeth and sinuses.
• Cartilage: Arthroscopic surgery has typically been required but by injecting the joint with radio-opaque contrast (sometimes called “dye”) we can see cartilage lesions on CT.
• Fracture prognosis: Two simple condylar fractures may have vastly different outcomes based on trauma unnoticed on plain radiographs. CT enables more accurate prognostication critical for planning the horse’s future.
• The neck: It is shocking how many abnormalities are visible with 3-dimensional imaging of the neck. Nerve compression is visible even when it comes from the side; previously undiagnosable with regular radiographs.
• Surgery: CT guidance enables accurate fracture reconstruction and precise placement of screws in difficult locations.
When to use it?
Think of CT as a microscope; use it when you know where the problem is, but you just can’t see it on radiographs. If you cannot localize the issue, you probably need a bone scan (scintigraphy).
What sets the Mid-Atlantic Equine CT scanner apart?
Image quality and a standing horse.
Two main types of CT: cone beam (x-ray beam is a cone, producing image distortion) and fan beam (beam is a thin blade).
Image detail is far superior with fan beam; the main reason Mid- Atlantic Equine moved to it from the robotic CT. Most fan beam CT units are small and require general anesthesia. The CT scanner at Mid-Atlantic Equine is a Canon large bore CT mounted on a computer controlled platform, allowing true CT imaging in a standing horse (foot to forearm or gaskin, nose to base of the neck C5/6 or 6/7). Under anesthesia imaging of elbows, shoulders, chest, thoracic spine, back, pelvis, SI, hips and stifles can be obtained. Medical care so advanced it almost makes you wish you were a horse. We offer every type of medical care your four-legged athlete could ever need. With board-certified specialists in all fields we provide everything from upper airway, arthroscopic and laparoscopic surgeries, to internal medicine, complex fracture fixation and advanced diagnostic imaging, including bone scans and MRIs — all in one place.
It’s enough to make a human jealous.
Contact:
Tel. 800.724.5358 Address: 40 Frontage Road Ringoes, NJ 08551
Web: www.midatlanticequine.com
Sean McCarthy comes out form under the radar
Sean McCarthy is a rarity among trainers. He speaks in complete sentences. Here’s what he said in a post-race interview after the biggest win of his career, Majestic Harbor’s 6 1/4-length upset at 14-1 in the Grade I Gold Cup at Santa Anita on June 28...
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Gallant Stable
Majestic Harbor’s dominating victory in the Gold Cup at Santa Anita, which was previously the Hollywood Gold Cup, gave Ron Beegle, who races in the name of Gallant Stable LLC, and his partners David Osborne and wife Loren Hebel-Osborne their first Grade 1 victory. It was also trainer Sean McCarthy’s first Grade 1.
Beegle, 51, is the co-founder and operating partner of Goode Partners LLC, a private equity firm established in 2005 that focuses on investments in small- to middle-market consumer product, retail, and restaurant companies, and he has been on the board of directors of Aeropostale, a mall-based, specialty retailer of casual apparel and accessories with 914 stores worldwide, since 2003.
He is also on the board of directors of Neiman Marcus Inc., an American luxury specialty department store.Beegle graduated from Allegheny College in 1985 with a Bachelor of Science degree in economics. He earned an MBA in finance at the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at New York University in 1991. The following year, he founded and was president of Norray Management Company.
He joined Broadway Stores, Inc., in 1994 as the senior vice president of corporate finance and administration.In 1996, he began working for Gap Inc. as senior vice president of finance (CFO) for Banana Republic. Under his leadership, Banana Republic was established as one of America’s leading fashion apparel brands; Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy began a successful on-line business; and the Gap division executed a well-regarded business turnaround.
Beegle is a founding director of the USA Swimming Foundation, the national governing body of swimming with 400,000 members, and is a trustee at his alma mater.He hooked up with the Osbornes through a chance meeting. “My wife used to run the Visa Triple Crown promotion,” David Osborne said. “When Ron was at the Gap, he came in, and we struck up a friendship.” That led to a lasting partnership.
“I’ve been in horses my whole life,” Osborne, who is 50, said. “I showed Saddlebreds. Loren showed event horses.”
The Osbornes have 30 horses, some in partnership with Beegle, at their Deerfield Farm in Prospect, Kentucky. Their most successful horse before Majestic Harbor was Laura’s Pistolette, who won the 1995 Humana Distaff when it was a Grade 2 stakes.
The Osbornes have a strong reputation for taking care of their horses after their racing careers are over. “It’s something we feel strongly about,” David said. “If you make the decision to bring them into this world, you should take care of them.”
They were at Santa Anita to watch Majestic Harbor win the Gold Cup in a powerful performance. An hour before the Gold Cup, the Osbornes watched another horse they own finish next-to-last in a $5,000 claimer at Indiana Downs on a simulcast. “He beat one horse,” Osborne laughed.
Majestic Harbor beat all of them.