RAISING THE SCALE

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 118, 14 November 1925, Page 19

RAISING THE SCALE

THE MINIMUM WEIGHT IN ENGLAND.

In England the minimum weight in handicaps is 6st and'this means that if they wish to ride in these many prominent jockeys have to risk undermining their health in trying to keep weight down. Steve Donoghne is lucky in being so small that he never has any difficulty in doing about 7.10. With many English racing men the idea obtains that the minimum in. handicaps should be raised, and "Augur," of the "Sporting Life and Sportsman," in discussing the retirement of F, Bullock and V. Smyth, delivered himself a? follows : . '

"Each is compelled to take this step owing to increasing difficulty iv keeping his weight in conformity with a scale which has meant cutting short the careers of other loading lights of the profession. I will go farther and say that it was compulsory wasting which hastened the end of the late 'Danny' Maher. The same brought about the premature retirement of Frank Wootton from the flat-racing arena. , / "In the days one finds first-class jockeys like Ohilds and Carslake, Bullock, Mid Smyth standing down race after race, the reason being oT)yious, while the retainer for one prominent jockey stipulates that he shall, i£ need be. rids at a weight which' I know compels him to strip himself of 51b every time in order to get to the agreed minimum. And he would consider himself very fit if not reducing himself by an ounce. "I often tried to convince Maher that the Spartan-like courfio which he would undergo at times in the process of wasting was laying his constitution open to trouble which he might find difficult to ward off sooner or later, but his enthusiasm and his loyalty to his patrons prevailed —until Nature at length extracted its toll. The interests of everyone and everything connected with the Turf are best served by retaining the services of our accomplished jockeys for as long ns ever possible. That can only be done through the medium of a scale of weights which will enable the horse to have the most competent handling obtainable at such jockeys' normal riding weights."