Apprentice riders and their mounts

[TheAvenger]

Can anyone tell me how apprentice jockeys in Australian racing get a mount on top rated horses? I see race conditions where "apprentices aren't allowed to claim". Does this mean they sometimes have to right to choose their own mount? We slangily call them "bugs" here in the States.
I see the same apprentice (Mick Bell) on 3 top rated horses at Cessnock.

Posted at 03:47 A.M.? not many souls stirring, I'll bet. It's 10:47 A.M. Monday for me. Since it's Tuesday for you, I must be the one who's "down under". HA.

Regards,


Glenn

_________________
"Absolutely nothing is absolutely free"

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: TheAvenger on 2004-03-09 03:57 ]</font>

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: TheAvenger on 2004-03-09 05:27 ]</font>

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: TheAvenger on 2004-03-09 05:28 ]</font>

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: TheAvenger on 2004-03-09 06:16 ]</font>

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: TheAvenger on 2004-03-09 06:20 ]</font>

[Mark]

Glen

Question for you. What's all this jockey declining the mount rubbish. I've seen it happen a couple of times in the last few weeks. A beauty was at Fairgrounds where the horses were getting ready to be loaded when one of them came back in & they changed riders. All because the original jockey "declined the mount". Of course sods law then took over & several of the runners played up, the race ended up being nearly 30 minutes late.

[TheAvenger]

I don't know. I will ask my friends and cronies if they have heard.


Glenn

[sportznut]

Glenn,

The apprentices' claim is simply a weight allowance to take into account an apprentice's lack of experience compared to a senior jockey. In most races, using a 'claiming' apprentice can mean that a horse carries up to 3 kgs less than it's handicap weight. As such, you'll often see them riding horses near the top of the weights. However, in those races where 'apprentices can't claim', the horse doesn't get any weight allowance at all and most owners and trainers are reluctant to use a 'claiming' apprentice in one of these races, unless they are very reliable.


<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: sportznut on 2004-03-09 11:53 ]</font>

[sportznut]

Glenn,

Mitchell Bell is an apprentice, but he has actually outridden his claim, which means that he's had a fair number of wins.

[TheAvenger]

Excellent! Thanks for the info, it's the same deal as here for the apprentices. We would say "Mick is a hot bug", meaning he is a very capable, and winning rider, but still eligible for a weight break. Thanks again, Sportz. I appreciate all of you taking your time to educate me.

Regards,


Glenn

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: TheAvenger on 2004-03-09 12:40 ]</font>