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Reporter Stuart Riley finds out the hard way just how fit jockeys have to be

Stuart Riley is put through his paces during a 'Jockey Fiy' class
Stuart Riley is put through his paces during a 'Jockey Fit' class

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

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