Racing: Recruiting of apprentices at crisis point

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Thoroughbred Racing last week advertised for an "Apprentice Jockey Mentor".

Someone who will travel the country constantly caring for and advising apprentice jockeys.

Great idea.

Except the role needs widening.

While budding young jockeys need caring for, actually finding the youngsters who will become those jockeys is even more critical.

The recruiting needs bolstering.

As the youth of New Zealand grow officially larger by the year, finding potential jockeys has almost reached crisis point.

It's 35 years since Linda Jones and a handful of other young women forced New Zealand racing administrators, and as a result later their Australian counterparts, to license them to ride.

Since then an increasing percentage of the annual intake of apprentices has been female.

That is not entirely thanks to the Linda Joneses of this world, it's simply because there is a larger number of light young women than light men.

Full-cream milk and junk food haven't helped, but even without them the youth of today is unsuitable to be sitting atop a thoroughbred aged 21 weighing just 54kg. Even those who are suitable find the prospect of food and fluid deprivation and 4am starts unattractive.

The dollar has to be the lure - millionaire status is not an impossible dream if a youngster has ability anywhere close to the James McDonald level.

But weight will always be the limiting factor.

Which is why the Australians, facing the same dilemma, are starting to look more and more to Asian and even Arab countries.

Asians are naturally light. For every teenager who is accepted into the riding academy by the Hong Kong Jockey Club, more than a dozen miss out.

Many show immediate promise. Derek Leung, Vincent Ho and currently Alvin Ng are among those who stand out when sent to New Zealand early for work experience.

Danny Nikolic is one of a handful of topline Australian jockeys who is prepared to torture his body to make raceday weight levels, but is adamant he and many of his colleagues should not have to.

Nikolic says his natural weight is around 10kg higher than the 54kg he often has to ride at and believes many jockeys are damaging their health by intense wasting.

He is gaining support in his push to have weight levels in racing lifted to match the 21st century body type.

Until that happens, New Zealand will struggle to find appropriate numbers of suitable apprentices.