Oisin Murphy, William Buick, AP Mccoy, David Probert, and Frankie Dettori are names that every amateur and professional horseracing enthusiast will know. They ride the most athletic horses specimens in the world and every aspiring racehorse owner will want to own a horse ridden by one of these iconic jockeys.
However, always remember that everything will come at a cost, and having a horse ridden by one of them will cost you a fee, as will a horse that will be ridden by any jockey. Also, when a horse ridden by a jockey wins a race, that jockey will be entitled to a percentage of the winning purse that the winning horse will receive for crossing the finishing line in the first place.
How Much do Jockeys Earn? Self-employed jockeys in the UK are paid riding fees on a ride-by-ride basis, at a fixed rate of £120.66, or £164.74, per ride, depending on whether they compete under Flat or National Hunt rules. In the USA, a jockey receives a “mounting fee” (often $50-$110) for each race, riding sometimes eight races per day.
As a general rule of thumb in the UK, Flat jockeys receive around 7% of the advertised winning prize (purse) and 3% of the advertised place prize as an additional fee to their riding fee. Jump Jockeys receive around 9% of the winning prize and 4% of the place prize as their additional riding fee.
In the USA, the percentages a jockey receives for a thoroughbred race range from 5% for a second- or third-place finish to 10% for first place in the more prestigious race meetings but can be as low as 0.5% for a third-place finish, 1% for placing second and perhaps 6%-10% for first place in the normal run of the mill meetings that happen daily across the USA.
Earning their Salary – How to Train to be a Jockey
When we speak about jockeys, we’re talking about a relatively small person, who has to take charge of a thoroughbred horse that most times weighs ten times more than themselves. They have to assist the horse running at approximately 40 miles an hour, negotiate obstacles in jump racing, and steer a horse to the winning post in a flat race.
They have to do all of this whilst the horse is being urged to run even faster with the aid of a whip and the jockey urging the horse from the saddle. Most jockeys, whether they are in the USA, Europe, the UK, or Asia, begin their careers at a young age, on average between 16 and 22 years old since they must be of a specific weight and height to train to become a jockey.
During their pre-apprenticeship, all prospective jockeys will receive free tuition, study materials, and free accommodation at the Jockeys Academy. Once the theoretical course is completed, the Raceriding portion of the apprenticeship will begin where jockeys are now ready to compete in Race meetings.
Earning their Salary – Vital Statistics
The most vital aspect of being a jockey is not being overweight relative to your height. There are weight constraints that all jockeys must adhere to compete in a race. Depending on the event, these weight limitations may vary with Flat jockeys typically weighing approximately 8 stone (approximately 50 kilograms), whereas jump jockeys may weigh up to 9 stone (approximately 57 kilograms).
In terms of height, there is no set standard for jockeys. However, since jockeys are so lightweight, the typical height ranges between 4″10 and 5″6 feet (between 1.47 and 1.67 meters). Interestingly, even a great like Sir AP Mccoy has a story to tell when it comes to unfortunate incidents which worked out well when hindsight was applied. For the first several years of his career, McCoy worked as an apprentice at the Jim Bolger’s stable. McCoy experienced a horrific accident and shattered his leg in the gallops while riding with Bolger one morning. By the time McCoy recovered from his leg break, he had grown taller, and it was deemed that being a jump jockey was the best choice, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Earning their Salary – The Grind and Supplemental Income
Away from the racetrack, jockeys must deal with more than just the seemingly never-ending grind of life on the road. There’s the pressure of losing weight, staying fit enough to operate a half-ton beast that can reach speeds of 40 mph, and meeting and welcoming the sport’s important participants.
Earnings may be supplemented with other sources of income, like sponsorships and ambassador jobs at racetracks. It all adds up gradually but the culmination of that gradual uptick in earnings only comes through continuous hard work and dedication. The best in their craft across the world can all attest to the grind, the hard work in the morning at the gallops, and the benefits that follow.
Earning their Salary – The Benefits that have ensued from Tragedy
After a fall at the Kempton racetrack in England in October, flat jockey Freddie Tylicki was placed in intensive care after he was trampled after falling from his mount which left him with life-changing injuries. JT McNamara, a former top jump jockey, died at the age of 41. He had been paralysed after a fall at the 2013 Cheltenham Festival broke two vertebrae in his neck.
These two tragic incidents brought the safety of the jockey into the spotlight with jockeys now being provided with several services, including injury insurance and pension plans, as well as the voice to lobby with the racing authorities to increase the visibility and dangers that they face daily.
Earning their Salary – The thrill of the Win
The job provides many benefits, including a good salary, and the ability to freelance. Of course, you always have the thrill of working with Racehorses every day. It is also the love of the sport that drives these giants of the horseracing industry to rise at the crack of dawn to gallop their horses at the various stables.
Ultimately, jockeys are rated on the number of winners they ride and the strike rate they attain at the end of every Racing Season. There will be challenges and disappointments along the way and difficult conversations with owners when there needs to be. However, the thrill of the win is always unparalleled in the life of a jockey, and of course, the monetary rewards that align themselves with those wins.