Jim Crowley backs sauna ban as 'another step forward' for jockeys' welfare

Former champion jockey Jim Crowley has backed the proposed plans by the Professional Jockeys Association of consigning racecourse saunas to the past.

Since the resumption of racing last June, saunas on the racecourse have been closed as part of Covid requirements, with jockeys handed a 3lb weight allowance to cope with the lack of access. And Crowley believes this precautionary measure should remain in place.

Appearing on ITV Racing's Opening Show on Saturday, the Shadwell jockey said: "I think it's another step forward. Pre-Covid we would all jump into the sauna ten minutes before the race. Because of that they raised the weights and I think nowadays jockeys are bigger people. There are some really big lads in there now."

Crowley, who started out as a jump jockey for ten consecutive seasons before switching codes to the Flat in 2007, also believes the weight allowance for jockeys will have little effect on the horses on raceday, in exchange for a much healthier pre-race prep for the riders.

He said: "Taking away from the saunas, if you look at the horses who are being ridden out in the mornings, most of the exercise riders are ten and a half or 11st and they're riding those horses out for between half an hour and an hour every morning. An extra 3lb that horse carries for ten minutes in the afternoon is not making a huge amount of difference."

While the future of saunas in the weighing room remains unconfirmed for the time being, the ban on jockeys riding at more than one meeting a day is set to remain in place for 2022, with Crowley again providing his endorsement.

He cited the ever-growing issue of Britain's traffic problems as one of the main reasons why 73 per cent of the weighing room voted in favour of maintaining the current rules in place, saying: "I've been driving up and down the country for numerous years now and I think the traffic has got worse. It took me seven hours to get to Haydock.

"Especially with Covid, more people are in the country, they're not going away for the summer and trying to get anywhere, you've got to stick an extra hour on the journey.

"I think [the one-meeting rule] it gives opportunities to some of the riders who wouldn't ride as many winners. For me it will probably cost me a winner here or there, but it works both ways, you can pick up spares at those meetings and I think it's a good thing.

"Jockeys from abroad used to think we were mad. They were asking why jockeys were running out of Ascot with their wash bags to get to Kempton, probably for not much prize-money. So I think in this day and age it's a good thing."

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