While lady jockeys are rare in South Africa these days, the Japan Racing Association have latched on to the popularity of their local heroine Nanako Fujita.
The JRA has released new regulations which could lead to some of the world’s best female riders plying their trade in Japan, reports racing.com.
Jamie Kah – one of the Aussie jockeys who could make a bid for Japan (Pic – Magic Millions)
The licences would be short term and vary from country to country, however are less demanding than the required conditions for Australia’s male riders, for example.
The criteria set down for Australia’s female jockeys requires that they have been among the leading riders over the past two seasons in either Melbourne or Sydney.
The key performance indicators to be met are at least 10 city wins and a Top 30 finish in the respective metropolitan premierships.
This whittles the list to just five: Rachel King, Jamie Kah, Linda Meech, Kathy O’Hara and Samantha Clenton.
From the available world pool of qualified female hoops there will only be five short-term contracts issued at any given time.
