Are Weight Allowances Needed?
The Issue
The issue of fairness is never far away when discussing weight allowances in racing. Traditionally, the focus has been on whether mares and fillies need the sex allowance and, if they do, are the amounts right? However, since the introduction in France of a weight allowance for female jockeys, the debate has widened, with leading figures in the racing industry divided on whether the French initiative is indeed a step forward.
No one can doubt the motive for introducing allowances, which aim to equalize opportunity, make races more competitive and encourage more female horses to stay in training.
As race horse owners our priority is winning races and we will leave it to others to debate the politics surrounding weight allowances. However, as a horse racing syndicate that owns mares and fillies and that races in France we cannot simply ignore the issue.
This week we will take a look at the topic of the Mares and Fillies Allowance and next week, cover the even more contentious issue of the female jockeys allowance.
Are Mares and Fillies Good Enough to Win without an Allowance?
Weight allowances for mares and fillies have been part of racing for decades, with mares and fillies in NH racing now receiving 7lbs and those on the flat 3lbs. Evidence produced by both the UK and Irish authorities suggests that the median rating of fillies and mares is between 10-12lbs lower than for male horses over hurdles and jumps, and around 8lbs lower on the flat. On this basis, the existing allowances would seem a perfectly reasonable way of leveling the playing field, and if anything, should still favour the male horses. However, performance on the racecourse may suggest otherwise.
As Tom Segal of the Racing Post pointed out in his Weekender article in December 2020, the last two Christmas Hurdles, the last two Irish Champion Hurdles, the Champion Hurdle, the Fighting Fifth, the last five runnings of the Hatton’s Grace hurdle, seven of the last ten Arcs and five of the last nine King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes have all been won by mares or fillies. Mike Cattermole in the Sporting Life has written a similar article questioning whether some of the great mares and fillies would have won the biggest races without the allowance. Of course, we will never know, but you can’t help thinking that the likes of Dawn Run, Annie Power, Epatante, Treve or Enable would still have claimed the scalps of their male counterparts in some, if not all, of the major races. The overall, conclusion of these two columnists was, that for the best horses, the weight allowance appears to offer the female horses an unfair advantage and the statistics tend to support this.
So how can this contradiction be explained? One possible explanation may have been provided by James Willoughby in his Thoroughbred Racing Commentary (2017), which produced detailed analysis to show that on average, male horses do indeed perform better than female horses on equal weight but as you move up the ratings and the horses get better, the difference narrows. By the time you reach Group/Graded level, the statistics suggest that mares or fillies with an allowance have a small but distinct advantage when it comes to winning.
This does not necessarily alter the findings of the of the broader evidence on which the allowances are based. Supporters of the allowance argue that despite the apparent evidence of the female bias in top races, this still does not reflect the true picture, as the data takes no account of the fact that only the very best fillies and mares are declared to take on the males in these major races and as a result, there is distortion which exaggerates the overall success of mares and fillies when competing against males, even in the best races.
The Surrey Racing View
There seems no doubt, that overall, female horses are at a physical disadvantage when competing with the males and on average perform less well than males on equal weights. However, as the fortunate owners of Gran Luna, a very talented and promising 5 year old mare trained by Nicky Henderson, the owners in Surrey Racing will no doubt have discussions in the future as to whether she runs in mares only or mixed sex race. We happen to think she is good enough to hold her own in mixed company, but obviously the 7lb allowance would be a major factor in any decision. Whether the allowance is too generous or fair is not really a concern for the owners, whose main concern is to give their horse the maximum opportunity to win at the highest level possible. The allowance certainly does that.
If you have enjoyed this article look out next week for our views on the female weight allowance that has been introduced in France.