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Formerly assistant trainer to the late Peter Walwyn at Windsor House Stables in Lambourn, Berkshire, Ralph Beckett took over the licence in 1999 and saddled his first winner in his own right, Order, at Huntingdon on January 27, 2000. He subsequently moved to Whitsbury Manor Stables, near Fordingbridge, Hampshire in 2006 and, again, to his current state-of-the-art yard, Kimpton Down Stables, near Andover in late 2010.

In his early career, Beckett justifiably earned a unsought and not altogether wanted reputation as a trainer of fillies. His first top-class horse was the Pivotal filly Penkenna Princess, who won the Fred Darling Stakes at Newbury on her three-year-old debut in 2005 and, two starts later, came within a whisker of becoming his first Group 1 winner when touched off by a short head in the Irish 1,000 Guineas.

Following the move to Whitsbury, that first Group 1 winner duly arrived in the form of Look Here in the Oaks at Epsom in 2008. In 2013, Beckett saddled Talent to win the same race and, in 2015, Simple Verse to win the St. Leger at Doncaster and the British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes at Ascot. Indeed, Beckett had to wait until October 3, 2021, when Angel Bleu won the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere at Longchamp, to saddle a colt to a Group 1 success. Angel Bleu followed up in the Criterium International at Saint-Cloud three weeks later for back-to-back Group 1 victories and the following June Beckett saddled Westover to an impressive, seven-length win in the Irish Derby at the Curragh.

Most jockeys are self-employed and, as such, rely on riding fees and a percentage of any prize-money won by their mounts for their income. Riding fees and prize-money are a matter of public record, but details of contracts, or ‘retainers’, to ride for individual owners or trainers are not. Thus, the exact earnings of some of the leading jockeys in the world remain a closely guarded secret.

It is also worth noting that Japan is, far and away, the biggest and most lucrative jurisdiction in the world, so it should come as no surprise that most of the highest-earning jockeys in history are hardly household names outside their native country.

According to the latest ‘Jockey Rich List’, published by the in-house editorial team at the trusted OLBG sports betting website, the highest-earning jockey in history is Yutaka Take, whose 4,495 wins, at the time of publication, had yielded $950 million in prize money. A legend in his homeland, Take has a host of Group 1 and Grade 1 winners to his name, worldwide, including Agnes World, trained by Hideyuki Mori, in the July Cup at Newmarket in 2001.

The next three positions on the all-time list are also occupied by Japanese jockeys, namely, Norihiro Yokoyama, Yuichi Fukunaga and Masayoshi Ebina; the latter is probably best remembered for his association with the prolific El Condor Pasa in the late nineties. The first non-Japanese name on the list is that of Puerta Rican John R. Velazquez, who has plied in his trade in the United States for the last three and a half decades and has six Triple Crown victories to his name.

Obviously, the maximum and minimum weights carried by racehorses varies from one racing jurisdiction to another and also depends, in part, on the discipline in which horses compete. In Britain, horse racing is divided into National Hunt racing, in which horses jump obstacles, and Flat racing, in which horses have no obstacles to negotiate. In National Hunt racing, horses carry a maximum weight of 12st and a minimum weight of 10st 2lb, subject to any weight allowances for inexperienced jockeys, and on the Flat they carry a maximum weight of 10st 2lb and a minimum weight of 8st 2lb, again subject to allowances.

Regardless of the actual numbers involved, all professional jockeys must maintain a certain body weight for races and, historically, have been known to resort to dubious rapid weight-loss techniques, such as self-induced vomiting and taking diuretics, or ‘water’ pills, to do so. Struggles with the scales are nothing new, but in recent years the Professional Jockeys’ Association (PJA) and the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) have adopted a more proactive approach to promoting healthy weight loss among jockeys.

Of course, neither National Hunt nor Flat racing impose height restrictions, but the fact remains that taller jockeys struggle to make the weight requirements. Thus, National Hunt jockeys stand around 5’8″ tall, on average, and weigh in at around 10st 3lb, while their Flat counterparts stand around 5’2″ tall, on average, and weight in at around 8st 11lb. Of course, there are always exceptions; Lester Piggott and Sir Anthony McCoy maintained average riding weights of 8st 5lb and 10st 10lb, respectively, despite both being 5’10” tall.

Yes, you do. Amateur jockeys must hold, at least, a Category ‘A’ Amateur Licence issued by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA). Before applying for such a licence, applicants must successfully complete a two-day assessment course run by the British Racing School in Newmarket or the National Horseracing College in Doncaster. They must then submit an application to the BHA

and, if the application is approved, pay an appropriate fee.

The Category ‘A’ Amateur Licence entitles the holder to ride only in Flat races, steeplechases and hurdle races restricted to amateur jockeys. It is worth noting that, although many such races require membership of the Amateur Jockeys’ Association (AJA), the licence does not include the automatic right to join the AJA.

Once an amateur jockey has gained some experience, and subject to a minimum number of completed rides under the Rules of Racing, or in point-to-point steeplchases, as stipulated by the BHA, he or she may wish to apply for a Category ‘B’ Amateur Licence. Eligible applicants are invited by the BHA to attend a five-day assessment course at one of the aforementioned establishments and, on successful completion, further qualify to ride in all National Hunt Flat races and steeplechases and hurdle races not confined to fully-fledged professional jockeys.

When it comes to turning professional, the BHA Licensing Committee does not typically consider applications from anyone who has not previously held a licence as an amateur, apprentice or conditional jockey. Anyone who has may apply for a Professional Jockey Licence, provided they have ridden 75 winners under National Hunt Rules, or 95 winners on the Flat, and/or are at least 26 years of age.