Conditional jockey

A conditional jockey is an apprentice National Hunt racing jockey in Great Britain or Ireland under the age of 26 who has not won more than seventy-five races under rules or had not won that many races within the last six months.^[1]

A conditional jockey is entitled to a reduction, known as an allowance, in the weight carried by his horse, dependent on the type of race, which varies according to the number of races the jockey has won. A jockey who has ridden fewer than twenty winners can claim an allowance of seven pounds, one who has ridden between twenty and forty winners can claim a five pound allowance and one who has ridden less than seventy-five winners can claim a three pound allowance. This allowance cannot be claimed when riding in races restricted to conditional jockeys and in some other instances, for example the Grand National.^[2]

The British conditional jockeys championship runs throughout the National Hunt season and the title is won by the conditional jockey riding the most winners. The 2016-17 competition runs from 24 April 2016 to 29 April 2017. The 2015-16 championship was won by Craig Nichol, who rode 36 winners during the season, six ahead of Harry Cobden.^[3]

References