Less chicken nuggets, more plant-based meals - the changing menus for jockeys

Jockeys' food provision has undergone a transformation at numerous racecourses following a Professional Jockeys Association (PJA) initiative to improve standards.

Arena Racing Company (Arc), which has been subject to criticism for the standard of food on offer to racing's on-course workforce, gave its backing to overhaul the choices available to jockeys by rolling out a new menu on a seven-day rotation at five of its tracks, with the intention that of all 16 of its courses will upgrade by the autumn.

PJA jumps president David Bass has been one of the driving forces behind the programme, having seen the benefits of a change in diet during his own riding career.

"Some racecourses are better than others and I want to try and improve the food at all the tracks," he said. "For a sport where we're supposed to be elite athletes, if you went round and saw some of the food at our racecourses, it's not a professional look.

"We're going through a period where we're trying to improve facilities and make everything more professional and I think it's important to try and educate the next generation of jockeys on nutrition, and this initiative helps with this."

Bass, who more than three years ago went from being a "full-on meat-eater" to consuming a plant-based diet, believes offerings at racecourses play a key role in changing bad habits.

"For a long time, we've been used to chicken nuggets and chips – and I probably would be killed if I got rid of chicken nuggets – but I wanted to have better meals and more choice and some of the tracks now have a plant-based option, meat option and a vegetarian one," Bass said.

"The food is healthy and tasty and we have a breakdown of what's in the meals in terms of protein, carbs and calories, plus allergy information, which is very important."

Despite some initial scepticism, Bass has already seen the positive effects of the initiative on some of his fellow jockeys.

"A few of the jockeys laughed at me when I said we should have smoothies instead of fizzy drinks and now they actually like them," he said.

"I've recently seen numerous jockeys staying behind after racing to have a good nutritious meal, which has to be positive, and that saves us stopping at garages or getting fast food at the services. We have to change our habits but with the food being better, we're finding it easier to change."

PJA racing director Dale Gibson said: "Arc is leading the way on the revamped jockeys' menus. From what I have seen, and tasted, it has raised the bar and deserves full credit, with similar improvements also taking place at the Jockey Club's 15 tracks.

"Our senior performance nutritionist Dan Martin has been working closely with other racecourses to improve their food provision for all professional jockeys, which also ties in with longer term weighing room facility upgrades.

"There are already venues that are first class but it's about trying to get everybody on the same page. The weighing room is the jockeys' workplace for a number of hours and food provision is an important part of that, hopefully we're making meaningful progress in this area."

Champion jump jockey Brian Hughes agrees work needs is required to improve the food offering at tracks for all of racing's personnel.

Brian Hughes: 'the racecourses need to pull their finger out, there is no two ways about it'Credit: Alan Crowhurst

"We're not after five-star food, we just want something that is edible and available at the time we need it. When you've finished after the last, you need something to eat," he wrote on his Novibet.ie blog.

"They have got to look after their participants, and that includes stable staff. Without stable staff we don't have an industry, and if we're not prepared to look after them there's a big problem.

"The racecourses need to pull their finger out, there is no two ways about it."

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