Racing Victoria to conduct trial for overweight approvals

Racing Victoria (RV) has announced the conduct of a one-month trial regarding approvals for riders to compete one kilogram overweight in professional flat races.

Under approval from the RV Board, the trial will see all professional flat races between 1 and 31 March 2025 exempt from Local Rule (LR) 74A(3) which states the following: 

LR 74A Procedure for horses carrying overweight in flat races

…

(3) One kilogram overweight: 

(i) up to 51.5 kg: If a rider is to be one kilogram overweight, permission must be obtained from the Stewards who may grant approval if the nominator or trainer agrees and the horse is handicapped at 51.5 kg or less. 

(ii) 52 kg and above: A rider will not under normal circumstances be granted permission to ride one kilogram overweight if a horse is handicapped at 52 kg or more unless there is no other rider available.

Throughout March, if a rider, at any weight, is to be one kilogram overweight, permission can be obtained from the Stewards, who may grant approval if the nominator or trainer agrees.

The exemption is designed to allow riders to maintain their association with horses which they might otherwise be removed from due to weight restrictions. 

It is noted that the booking of a regular or targeted rider at one kilogram overweight may be the preferred option of the nominator or trainer to afford the horse its best opportunity of success.

The trial will be conducted under strict processes with applications to ride one kilogram overweight to be made to the Stewards by no later than 2pm on the day of acceptances.

Consultation will occur with participants throughout the trial with its success or otherwise to determine whether or not the trial period is extended or adopted on a permanent basis.

The key processes to be followed during the trial are as follows, with trainers, racing managers, jockeys and rider agents asked to familiarise themselves with these:

On or Before Acceptance Day

1. Connections can apply for a rider (including a non-claiming apprentice) to have permission to ride one kilogram overweight at any weight.

2. For the avoidance of doubt, claiming apprentices are not permitted to ride overweight and their minimum weight must still be declared at the time of acceptances.

3. Requests to ride a half kilogram overweight will still be managed in accordance with LR 74A as per current practices.

4. No overweight approvals will be granted for any rider declared to ride at a horse’s true weight (applicable for Saturday metropolitan meetings only).

5. Applications must be made to the Stewards by no later than 2pm on acceptance day for the relevant meeting. Exemptions to this time requirement will only be granted in exceptional circumstances by the meeting’s chairperson.

Between Acceptances and Raceday

1. If a rider becomes unavailable and permission is sought for a replacement, a suitable rider at the handicapped weight should be sought. 

2. Only in special circumstances, including where a replacement rider at the correct weight is not available, will permission be granted for the replacement to ride one kilogram overweight.

Raceday

1. Should a previously approved rider advise the Stewards that they can ride a nominated horse below the approved one kilogram weight allowance, this will be approved provided that the application is made prior to weighing out.

2. If any rider is found to have not weighed out in accordance with their permitted overweight, that rider may be penalised.

3. If a rider becomes unavailable during the race meeting, a suitable rider at the handicapped weight should be sought. 

4. Only in special circumstances, including where a replacement rider at the correct weight is not available, will permission be granted for a replacement to ride one kilogram overweight.

The trial will first take effect next Wednesday, 26 February when acceptances are taken for the Howden Australian Guineas meeting to be held at Flemington on Saturday, 1 March.

If a rider is granted approval to ride one kilogram overweight this will be announced via the @RVStewards X (formerly Twitter) account and noted in the ‘probable weight section’ in the fields for the race meeting on the Racing Australia website.