Measuring progress: has the French jockeys' allowance opened the way for women?

The announcement in early 2017 that France was to become the first major racing country to grant a blanket 2kg allowance to every female jockey in the weighing room was met with a mixture of surprise and, in some quarters, outright disbelief.

How could a sport that is one of the very few to offer level competition between the sexes now tip the scales in such a way?

By the time the first anniversary of the scheme was nearing, France Galop had seen enough of a change in behaviour among trainers and owners to conclude that the allowance was working well – almost too well in some cases – and decided to reduce the allowance to 1.5kg on the Flat, while maintaining the rule that it could be taken in addition to an apprentice allowance.