Where Have all the Skinny Kids Gone?

In Ireland, Turf Club chief executive Denis Egan "expressed serious concern at the decline in the number of apprentices coming into racing, a development that could have serious long-term implications for the sport," ITC figures for 2006 reveal "the number of licences issued to apprentice riders slumped by 13%, leaving Ireland with its smallest-ever pool of future stars" & Egan declared: "The decline is a serious concern. There has been a 63% decline in the number of apprentices signed on by trainers since 2004, with only 10 indentured in 2006." And Egan warned: "This is not a surprise in view of the statistics presented in our body-weights study with regard to the increase in the body weights of teenagers."

Over the past 30 years, the average weight of teenagers joining the Irish Racing Academy & Centre Of Excellence in Kildare "has increased by a massive 30 pounds". Falling numbers is also a worry in Britain "where the Horseracing Authority has noted a year-on-year drop in apprentice numbers from 147 in 2002 to 128 in 2005".

Australia has the same problem too and my tip is that within 10-15 years, there will be more female jockeys than male jockeys!