On the subject of weight, if i were a trainer i would be training my horses with riders 5 to 10 kg above racing weights, now not saying i have any idea on how to train but think of it this way, say you have 2 humans, one weights 50kg and another 60 kg and they run in match races all the time, if you suddenly added 10 kg weight to the 50 kg person they would definitely notice it, try it yourself, add 10 kg extra weight and do your normal daily thing, now think of a race horse weighting around 600kg obviously the weight of a jockey makes a different and so does the weight scale it would seam, now if the horses are used to running around with jockeys why not add some extra weight, i suppose it doesn't have to be a bigger jockey it could just be lead bags, come race day wouldn't the horse go "oh ******** this is much easier than training"

I think you'll find that most trackwork riders weigh well over 60kg.

Post moderated. Off topic. Moderator.

Even if the track rider is a jockey, they tend to ride trackwork in a heavier pad and usually in normal clothes, which are a lot heavier than silks. May not add up to much though.
The horses could also be wearing normal shoes, not racing plates. This WILL slow a horse down.

The horse that lost the jockey, yes I saw that race.
The reason that it only wins by a small margin is for two reasons.
First is pace, there is nobody holding it back so it runs on pace but may not be an on pace horse, but no weight at all sees them often win.
Second, they tend to veer all over the place in the head on replays and do lose a bit of ground. Think it was Bossy who said Melbourne races are run at a different style of pace. It's a scramble, then a really slow middle sectional and then a sprint. (according to him). He said you have to ride differently here. Speedy is also right, the horse will run with the pack, even if able to win by half the length of the straight, horses are more comfortable amongst the herd.
It's the jockey that pushes the horse out of it's comfort zone.

As to weight in training versus race day, many heavier track riders are used to get the horse fit, but jockeys are used mostly in fast work and barrier trials. Certain trainers don't need heavier jockeys on their private tracks, they run them on an incline, which has the same effect as a heavier person.
Others use machines with belts that mechanically rise on an incline with fans going to cool the horse and simulate wind.

Here's a very good example:

https://youtu.be/Ftm-qZazMyQ

Just to show that it's a matter of horse psychology when losing a jockey, here's the CITY TATTERSALLS CLUB CUP from last Saturday:

http://racing.racingnsw.com.au/Free...Type=FullReplay


Sasenkile throws his rider at the barriers, gives the field 100m headstart, whizzes by them by the 1:05 mark, then stays a few lengths in front for the remainder of the race.

The interesting part is, per his race history, Sasenkile is a backmarker. Was it just demonstrated that his natural racing pattern is as a frontrunner?

No, just that by nature he wants to run with the herd plus he bolted due to fright.
If a jockey were on him, say an extra 10% of his bodyweight, he would have finished down the track because he needs to conserve all for one big run under those conditions. Notice in the end he was only about a length and a half in front of the winner, with a jockey, he probably wouldn't have placed anywhere near.
That's really the secret to any good horse, finding the correct way to get the most out of them. That's what good trainers can identify.

Updated stats
 

Hi All,

Thought I would post the link to the updated stats as a follow up to my earlier ones.

The effect of the new top weight for NSW Benchmark races

http://goo.gl/rBjovK