© Photo Healy Racing
A number of Irish jockeys have made a submission to both the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board and Horse Racing Ireland to have all weights increased by one stone when the sport resumes.
During the period that racing took place behind closed doors jockeys were given a 2lbs concession by the authorities to compensate for the fact that there were no saunas in use at the racecourses.
The jockeys say that during the current lock-down all leisure centres and hotels where they would normally avail of saunas are now also shut.
A spokesperson for the riders said: “the lack of available saunas coupled with restrictions of movement in general and the fact that most riders are now spending their days binge-watching old videos of their winning rides and pigging out on junk food we will need a significant weight concession when racing is back up and running.”
“We are only looking for the extra stone for a couple of weeks until we get back into shape. It will just take the pressure off everyone and help us get through the lock-down like the rest of the population. We all have enough to worry about at the moment without having to count calories.”
