The horror of the Scale of Weights

[Kentucky Bred]

About six months ago I saw a cable special on the Scale of Weights, which is the official rules that govern how much (or little) weight the jockeys must weigh. It hasn't changed in 80 years!

Most jockeys are forced to vomit from once a day to all day long in order to make these weights. Why can't the jockeys weigh 120 pounds? Because the Scale say he/she can't and still be allowed to ride.

This article will be an eye-opener:

http://www.dailypress.com/sports/dp-41080sy0jul20,0,2901618.story?coll=dp-sports-local

Forcing grown men (mostly) to do this to make weight is simply disgusting. That TV special showed a toilet with a square toilet seat for men to lean into while they heave. The racetracks realize it is the dirty little secret on the backstretch. We expose this practice to the world to warn teenage girls not to do it, but these supposed athletes are not only allowed to vomit to make weight but the tracks encourage the practice.

Raise the Scale of Weights. I don't care whether that will slow down the horses a few tenths. For once racing authorities; have a moral conscience and stop this neanderthal practice.

Kentucky Bred

[GameTheory]

The official scale of weights (the one that hasn't changed in 100 years) is seldom if ever used. The scale of weights is actually generally higher than the conditions you see in real races.

At 6 furlongs, the lowest weight (for 2 year olds in August) is 102 lbs. It goes up to 111 in Nov-Dec.

3 year olds start at 114 in January and are up to 123 in July & 128 in December. Older horses are all 130 lbs (except 4 year olds in Jan are 129).

At 1 mile and up you shave off a few pounds. It used to be that most races were carded as "X pounds off the scale" meaning the differences between ages would remain the same. But these days it seems anything goes. I don't know what the reasoning behind the weight assignments is anymore....

[SandyE]

102 lbs for 2 year olds in August? That is if they were to run against older horses, which they don't. Wieghts for age races calls for 3 yearolds to carry less weight then 4year olds and older.
As for Jockeys' flipping that's not because of someone telling them to do so but for want of well work. There are by far healthier habbits to get into then flipping. Flipping causes one to feel and be dizzy. Lightheaded nausish and feeling disorientated. You forgot the popping lasix or laxatives for weight loss. There is a site that has the rules and regulations guvorning horseracing that has the scale of weights. The handicap weights as well as weight for age to restricted to age.

[kenwoodall]

Funny how the racng industry standardizes certain things like jockey weight, clothing, fees, meet dates, race conditions for the connections; then varies the track size, distance, depth, rail, class, and equiptment to make betting unpredictable!

I do not use weights or times.