Did You Know?

Just why are jockeys called hoops? "Hayes hoops cop a hiding", said yesterday's The Sunday Age over Saturday suspensions of Craig Williams and Dwayne Dunn. According to Alec Selman, the former stipendiary steward, an example of it was seen in Melbourne recently when the Irish jockeys were competing there. "One had a fall and rolled along the ground [like a hoop]," he pointed out. The jockey remained motionless, a point all once followed until attended by the ambulance men. "The term originated from the National Hunt racing in Great Britain," Selman added.

- Peter Morley