Female riders to be given weight allowance in Japan from March

Female riders in Japan will from March command a weight allowance of 2kg (4.4lb) on their mounts, following an announcement from the Japanese Racing Authority.

Currently, Japan operates an apprentice system not dissimilar to that used in Britain. Jockeys who have held a licence for under five years receive an allowance of 3kg (6.6lb) for those with fewer than 30 wins, 2kg for those with 31 to 50 wins and 1kg (2.2lb) for those with 51 to 100 wins.

No rider receives the allowance in Pattern or Listed races, and while female riders will receive the allowance for all of their careers, the same rule will apply and they will be unable to claim their 2kg in such contests.

The announcement comes at a time when 21-year-old Nanako Fujita is breaking new ground for female riders in Japan and is currently the only female jockey attached to the more lucrative JRA (three other female jockeys ride on the lesser National Association of Racing circuit).

Fujita has ridden a total of 63 winners (45 JRA, 18 NAR) since making her debut in 2016, with 25 coming this year, and is already the winningmost female jockey in JRA history, having broken the previous record of 34 held by Yukiko Masuzawa. The famed Hitomi Miyashita rode 815 winners throughout her career, however 759 came in NAR and the rest in Korea.

Thought by many to be a future Grade 1 winner, Fujita is already a popular figure on the JRA circuit, with her calendar and photo book proving big sellers with Japanese racing fans.

In France rides being given to women have more than doubled since authorities there pioneered the weight allowance for female riders in 2017. This year Mickaelle Michel, 22, became the first woman to lead the French jockeys' championship and, at the time of writing, remains in the top ten.

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