Reporter Stuart Riley finds out the hard way just how fit jockeys have to be
It's a familiar declaration heard on racecourses and in betting shops around the country: "I could have ridden a better race than that."
Yeah, but could you though, really? Quite aside from requiring the necessary skill of being able to ride a horse, jockeys also need to be incredibly fit – they are professional athletes after all, a fact often overlooked by armchair pundits.
So, to find out just how in shape jockeys need to be, we sent along interepid reporter Stuart Riley to a 'Jockey Fit' gym class at Epsom racecourse where champion apprentice Tom Marquand and personal trainer Hayley Madigan put him through his paces . . .
Read more about Stuart's gruelling morning in this week's RPSunday
If you are interested in this, you might like:
One rasher or two: what do jockeys eat to make the weight?
Horses with altitude: how do racehorses travel around the globe?
They're not going to overthrow humans – but just how clever are racehorses?
So, how much does a jockey really earn?
How true is the famous saying 'you never meet a poor bookmaker'?
Published on 21 August 2018inNews
Last updated 17:13, 21 August 2018
- The latest edition of the Racing Post is available to read online now - here's how you can access it
- How Smart View recorded a 76 per cent profit at the Cheltenham Festival
- Smart View is available on the Racing Post app - how to read the revolutionary new racecard
- Levy reform talks 'accelerating' as clock ticks down to April deadline for agreement
- Kieran Shoemark lands another plum Meydan ride for Gosden stable on Trawlerman in Saturday's Dubai Gold Cup
- The latest edition of the Racing Post is available to read online now - here's how you can access it
- How Smart View recorded a 76 per cent profit at the Cheltenham Festival
- Smart View is available on the Racing Post app - how to read the revolutionary new racecard
- Levy reform talks 'accelerating' as clock ticks down to April deadline for agreement
- Kieran Shoemark lands another plum Meydan ride for Gosden stable on Trawlerman in Saturday's Dubai Gold Cup