Measuring progress: has the French jockeys' allowance opened the way for women?
Scott Burton looks at the stats and takes the temperature of French racing
The announcement in early 2017 that France was to become the first major racing country to grant a blanket 2kg allowance to every female jockey in the weighing room was met with a mixture of surprise and, in some quarters, outright disbelief.
How could a sport that is one of the very few to offer level competition between the sexes now tip the scales in such a way?
By the time the first anniversary of the scheme was nearing, France Galop had seen enough of a change in behaviour among trainers and owners to conclude that the allowance was working well – almost too well in some cases – and decided to reduce the allowance to 1.5kg on the Flat, while maintaining the rule that it could be taken in addition to an apprentice allowance.
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Published on 10 August 2019inFeatures
Last updated 17:36, 10 August 2019
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