Here’s a first for Australia and probably the world.
And before I reveal – I’ll just add that it wont be the last time it happens either.
At Carnarvon racecourse in Western Australia today, which is a TAB meeting, every horse will be ridden by a female jockey.
Yep, read that again.
The rise of female riders has grown so large in Australia now that the jocks on this entire 7 – race card is female.
Not a short bloke to be seen anywhere!
And the fields are solid sizes in the main with one of them boasting 11 runners and two other races with 10 in them.
This is not all that surprising, but really, it should be hailed as a day of days for the growth of racing not just in Australia, but everywhere.
Back in 2000, across Australia, the apprentice schools were populated by 75% boys wanting to be riders and 25%.
By 2010, as Mcdonalds and KFC and Pizza Hut and a slew of other take away food stores started to saturate many meal times, boys started getting bigger and the numbers at the apprentice schools started to change.
In 2010 the ratio was 60% boys and 40%.
Two years back it was 65% girls and 35% boys enrolment. The paradigm shift is profound and we will see more and more races across the landscape boasting an all female cast.
Maths make it inevitable.
Pioneers like Kathy O’Hara, Jamie Kah, Linda Meech, Tegan Harrison, Winona Costin, Rachel King, Michelle Payne and Nikita Beriman have paved the way, forged a path, and made riding big race winners a goal of teenage girls.
Congratulations to the Carnarvon Race Club for putting this meeting on.
Big pats on the backs to the many owners and trainers for being involved too.
This is the future of horse racing.