Betting on female jockeys can bring greater rewards

Betting on female jockeys can bring greater rewards than male jockey. However, the betting public prefers male riders. The research was funded by the Racing Foundation. It analysed British horse racing data from 664,536 runners in National Hunt races from 2001 to 2021. The results for horses with female riders were significantly better than their odds predicted. In a 20-horse race, females would finish one place higher than the odds implied.

The percentage of female-ridden horses has nearly trebled over the last decade. Fewer participants in each race has driven an increased win rate among both male and female jockeys. Bettors seem to ignore this information. When excluded from the analysis, the public underestimates female riders. The public should not ignore the fact that female riding is getting better. It is more comfortable to tell yourself that an unexpected event is an exception.

There are few female jump jockeys in British horse racing. The majority of training staff are female. Women make up half of all point-to-point riders.

Betting on female jockeys can bring greater rewards. The study shows that this is not true in racing.