Female Jockeys

[griff]

can an average female jockey compete with the average male jockey?/

Before the storm starts I'd like to say my radation doc is a female, my GP is a female, my pastor is a female, my trainer is a female and my wife is a female.. And I know that females can take more "G"s than males and should therefore make better fighter pilots. However, I also know that there are things where females are not competive; things like pro football or long distance running and I believe that is why we have races where only mares and filllies are allowed to run.

And I know that the best female jockeys are better than the avearge male jockeys just like some mares and fillies can out run some colts and geldings. However, we still have races where only mares and fillies are allowed to race..

So, am I at a disadvantage when my horse is riden by an "avearge" female jockey?/

griff

[louis finochio]

My friend the late Bill Shoemaker told me the lady jockeys should stay in the kitchen, as thats where they belong. Thanks Bill.

[Denise]

Oh boy, Griff. You are one brave fellow.
Size matters, a lot. My take on female jockeys (and we've ridden a few) is that if they are normally petite-framed, smaller boned (let's say they're 5' tall and weigh only 100 pounds), it's easier for them to build up strength on that frame than for their counterparts, who have to battle to keep the weight off and have denser bones to begin with. As we all know, muscle is heavier than fat, too, so I believe a male jockey, the same height, whose normal frame might accommodate 120 pounds, is going to have a much harder time maintaining lower weight by reducing, and trying to build strength at the same time. I really believe women do have an advantage in this instance, by nature, but they still have to "ride." I haven't seen too many gal jockeys who flail the whips madly like some of their male counterparts, either. We have a female trainer who rides 6 days a week, and a female morning rider as well. They truly have great "seats" and some of the quietest hands you'll ever see. To be frank, it really does spoil the horses for the afternoon pinheads, to be sure!
To answer your question, it depends on what "average" is for the jockey colony where you race. I know what I look for with riders, but personally, I'd rather just have one who will listen to the trainer and do what's best for the horse in the race. Unfortunately, the jock's inability to listen and follow instructions is not gender exclusive!

[docjocoy]

My friend the late Bill Shoemaker told me the lady jockeys should stay in the kitchen, as thats where they belong. Thanks Bill.

Geez Louis what a way to stir up a hornet's nest.
It seems to me that a jockey, male or female, should be judged on their individual merits, comparing stats to stats.

[bdw0617]

america is behind most of the world when it comes to men and women and the rationale behind the thinking.

I watch racing all across the world. I see races carded where half the entries are mares, half are geldings. I see races where women routinly spank the crap out of guys.

I find it amusing how we get on our high horse about how fillies need to run with fillies, they cant run with the boys, then we get on our biggest stage (breeders cup) and a tiny cute little filly blows past our big grown colts like they are standing still. the biggest race in the world (arc) was won, in hand, by a 3YO filly.

I think in america the issue isn't so much that women can't ride with boys, there just isn't a heck of alot of female talent. Anna N. I'd take Emma-Jayne Wilson over all the socal riding crew outside gogo and maybe bejerano.
at delaware can ride with anyone in the c ountry. I'd take Emma-Jayne Wilson over all the socal riding crew outside gogo and maybe bejerano.

there just aren't enough women talent. but I do believe they can ride. but no one is going to, nor should they, put up an inferior woman rider just becuse she's a woman.

There are 3, maybe 4 riders that are female in america that can ride with anyone on any race.

[louis finochio]

Lets do a hypo there, What chance would a lady rider have if they rode against Bill Shoemaker, Lafitt Pincay, Chris Mc Carron, Eddie Delayousse, Eddie Arcaro, Angel Cordero, None.

[docjocoy]

Lets do a hypo there, What chance would a lady rider have if they rode against Bill Shoemaker, Lafitt Pincay, Chris Mc Carron, Eddie Delayousse, Eddie Arcaro, Angel Cordero, None.

Arrrrrrrgh. Not buying it.

[Dave C]

I tend to agree with BDW. It's a numbers thing. There just aren't that many female jockeys' out there, so it's much harder to for a 'great' female jockey to emerge. When it comes down to what separates the 'great' jockeys from the 'bad' jockeys (male or females) it isn't any physical attributes, it's in their heads. Good jockeys keep their horses out of trouble, so that the talent of the horse rises to the top. Good jockeys don't win races, bad jockeys lose them. That's not a gender thing, it's a brain thing.

[griff]

I agree that Jockeys need to be smart but I also belive they need to be strong.

That probably depends a great deal on the horse being riden but over all I think strength is very important important. I've know some f very strong women in my time but they are few and far between [thank god].

griff

[Denise]

Lets do a hypo there, What chance would a lady rider have if they rode against Bill Shoemaker, Lafitt Pincay, Chris Mc Carron, Eddie Delayousse, Eddie Arcaro, Angel Cordero, None.

Way to go, Louis. You managed to take all the heat off Griff for starting the thread.
The answer is that a female rider would do just fine against those guys, especially if they got a chance at the same types of mounts. Those you list got the best horses, period. The common theme here is that, like every other career, women simply haven't been give equal opportunity to succeed in the same numbers as their mediocre male counterparts, the true measure of equality.
Eddie D. was my favorite rider of all time, frankly, heads and tales above the others you list, because he knew how to get the most from a horse with those very quiet, gifted hands. The good jockeys don't need to be told what to do, and the bad jockeys don't listen anyway, whether they're boys or girls.
And I still maintain that a good female rider, by genetics, has a better foundation to handle horses than her male counterpart who has to "reduce" to keep weight off.

[Bill from WA]

Hello

One of my all time favorite riders was Vicky Aragon (now Baze). She was as tough and talented as any of them, male or female.
Hey Louis, Julie Krone rode with, and held her own against the best of her era. I don't happen to be among those that think women "belong in the kitchen". In my opinion, that is just a ridiculous and chauvinistic rationale.

Bill

[Shammy Davis]

I've got two daughters that ride exceptionally well. One is an avid fox hunter and she can ride the pants off (so to speak) every man in the hunt field. I'm like Denise and Bill from WA, don't judge a book by its cover. I keep TVG on throughout the day and my impression is that on the east coast we're seeing more women jockeys. One of the riders (*.*Homeister, Jr?) took a bad fall at Suffolk Downs, but is back now at Tampa Bay. She rides a good deal of winners.

[zinn21]

I would say the average female cannot compete with the average male rider simply because the average male rider is stronger, more athletic than the average female rider.

But exceptional female riders can certainly outperform an average male rider. Chantal Sutherland is an exceptional female rider capable of competing with the best male riders. She proves it everyday at Santa Anita home to arguably the best jockey colony in the world. Who would you ride-Chantal Sutherland or Isaias Enriquez or a Danny Sorenson??

Take a look at a few of Chantal's rides at Santa Anita yesterday. She can finish with the best of them..

[DDT]

louis

If one of the lady riders was Julie Krone, Anna Napravnik or Rosemary Homeister, Jr. I would say a pretty good chance, depending on the mount. As with everything, opportunity is more often than not the deciding factor, and women in general have been denied equal opportunity in many professions, but, more often than not, when given an equal opportunity, they have had their share of success.

You need to step out of the darkness and into the light, it is almost 2009, not 1909.

DDT

[ct2346]

Louis:

Yours is a pretty simple minded hypo. What chance would Winston Thompson or Alfredo Clemente have against them? Answer? May depend on who is on the best horse...but to simply list the best male jockeys is pointless.

I have used Emma with success in Canada and would not hesitate to use any jock that shows courage and the ability to go through holes, rate, carry across the line, etc