Jockeys to wear surnames on breeches in move to modernise horse racing

Jockeys will wear their surnames across the seat of their breeches for the first time in a move to modernise horse racing and attract new fans.

The inclusion of jockey’s names will be trialled at Coolmore Nunthorpe day on August 23 as part of York Racecourse’s Ebor Festival, which has been held since 1843.

The move has been driven by the Professional Jockeys Association, who made the decision to trial the novel idea last spring in order to increase engagement and make the jockeys “the stars of the sport”.

William Derby, York Racecourse Chief Executive and Clerk of the Course, said: “The jockeys are the stars of our sport and we want to further spotlight their talent, commitment and personalities to race fans and beyond”.

This decision follows the gradual addition of names to shirts in rugby union, with this year’s Six Nations the first time all shirts had players’ names on in the tournament’s history. Test match cricket made the same move in 2019 for the Ashes series, and has continued with it ever since.

Unlike other sports, however, the names will be put on the breeches of the racers as their silks, which cover their upper half, are property of the horse owners. Permission would therefore be required, although it is understood that names on silks could also be an option down the line if the trial is successful.

The initiative has already garnered interest from Newbury Racecourse while York are already looking to repeat the scheme again next year.

‘Almost no one knows what we look like’

Amongst those in support is leading jockey Paul Mulrennan, who won the Nunthorpe Stakes back to back in 2015 and 2016.

“It’s a good idea and it’s something new,” he told Telegraph Sport. “We’ve just got to get off our arse and try new things.

Mulrennan added: “I think there’s just so many people, young people, who don’t really know a lot of us jockeys as [we’ve been] going around with a helmet on all the time. Almost no one knows what we look like.”

The uniform change could dispel some of the mystery surrounding horse racing on two fronts; identifying who the jockey is and also distinguishing them from their horse, which they often do not own and instead ride multiple horses per day.

“I feel like we’ve got to keep moving with the times,” explained Mulrennan. “I remember it happening with the football and I think a few people were a bit unsure, because of the numbers. Maybe numbers will be something we’ll look to do in years to come, too.

“A lot of people don’t realise that on days like today I’ve had three different rides, three different owners, three different sets of colours.

“A lot of people that I meet don’t know a lot about racing assume that you’ve got your own horse, your own colours, but a lot of the time it’s different owners, different horses.”

At York, the race meet will further emphasise this idea of promoting jockeys through activities such as autograph-signing sessions, a pop-up jockey training gym and demonstrations of how to ride a racehorse.

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