FEATURE
It wasn’t always this way. Victorian Jockeys Association chief executive Matthew Hyland has a unique perspective on how much has changed, having spent a lifetime in the sport, first as a successful apprentice and jockey, then as a trainer, and now at the helm of the VJA. His father, Pat Hyland, was a member of the Australian Racing Hall of Fame, best remembered for his association with the freakish sprinter Vain. “I can tell you it’s a very different proposition from 1985, when I started as an apprentice, compared to today – but that’s the same for all sport,” Hyland said. “The apprentice school in 1985, compared to what it is now, is worlds apart. There’s an emphasis on education and on how to prepare yourself that just didn't exist back then. “Today they are far better prepared. There’s no stone left unturned in their preparation – the talent still has to be there, because you still have to go out and execute it in a race, but the groundwork is completely different.” Hyland said apprentices now need to be well prepared from day one, given they’re competing against the state’s top jockeys most Saturdays. Education around fitness and diet, he said, has changed substantially. “These young people – who are also taller than jockeys of the past – have a lot more access to dietitians and athletic programs that help them refine their weight based on what they’re eating and how they’re training. Rehydration is also taken seriously,” he said. “The days of starving yourself and then jumping in the sauna are pretty much gone, because it’s just not a sustainable way to manage your weight. “Some of the old practices were very unhealthy. Proper protocols are in place and jockeys follow specific fitness programs instead.” As a result, Hyland said, jockeys no longer have to fear the kind of dramatic weight fluctuations that once defined the profession. “Jockeys are much better educated about their weight now. It’s fallen in line with how other
sports prepare, because they're training specifically for the job.” That said, some of the old tools haven’t disappeared entirely. “They still need to lose weight, and they still have to keep an eye on the scales – saunas are still needed sometimes, to shed that last little bit.” What has changed, Hyland said, is the education and management around when and how saunas are used.
“Jockeys are so much better at managing their bodies now – their hydration, their weight, their fitness, full stop. They have to be, because it’s a relentless schedule. It’s nothing like it was 25 years ago, when there weren’t anywhere near as many night meetings.”
Racing Victoria and the VJA identify and support the next generation of talent through the Apprentice Jockey Squad, a pre-apprenticeship program for riders expected to progress into the following year’s ranks. Candidates are assessed not just on body weight, but on athleticism, horse-riding skill, and their appetite for the hard work ahead. That kind of individualised approach is now backed by dedicated infrastructure. Racing Victoria’s new Rider Development Centre, officially opened in June, gives jockeys, trackwork riders and apprentices a purpose-built home for exactly this kind of preparation. The facility includes a fully equipped gym, physiotherapy and treatment rooms, a dedicated mechanical horse room, and training areas designed to support both technical skill and physical conditioning. It’s built to serve riders at every stage – from the 25 trackwork riders completing their Certificate III and the 70-strong Rider Development Squad, through to the 38 apprentices currently in
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