South Africa’s new champion apprentice-in-waiting, and our only active female jockey, Rachel Venniker will benefit from a female sex allowance of 1,5Kg for the remainder of her riding career with effect from 1 August.
Rachel Venniker – top notch lady jock (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
Rule changes published in Friday’s racing calendar without much pomp and fanfare, include the intriguing concession for the fairer sex.
This is in line with an experimental 1,5kg discount introduced in France some years ago, which has apparently levelled the playing field to some degree.
Read the latest NHA calendar here
Why South Africa would align with France, while other leading jurisdictions have not gone the route, is not known.
The Jonsson Workwear-sponsored Miss Venniker has ridden 68 winners this season and is at 14th position on the SA national log. She rides with a designated 53,5kg minimum.
The rule 54.14 states that in the case of a female Apprentice, the allowance shall be 4Kg until the end of the racemeeting in which the Apprentice has ridden her 20th winner; thereafter the allowance shall be 3Kg until the end of the racemeeting in which the Apprentice has ridden her 40th winner and thereafter 2Kg until the end of the racemeeting in which the Apprentice rides her 50th winner. Thereafter there shall be a permanent female sex allowance of 1,5Kg for the remainder of her riding career.
Watch the latest In The Box Seat interview (prior to the rule change announcement) with Rachel Venniker:
