THE Irish Jockeys Association and Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board are closely watching the ongoing campaign by jockeys in Britain to reopen racecourse saunas.

Weighroom saunas in Ireland, Britain and France were closed during Covid and remain shut, as racing authorities took the view that it made more sense from a health and safety perspective to increase the racing weights and/or give jockeys an additional weight allowance at the scales, rather than encourage them to lose weight rapidly in a sauna.

In March 2022 it was confirmed that racecourse saunas in Ireland were permanently closed. As compensation, the body protector allowance of 3lb was increased to a 4lb “safety allowance” and it was announced that every jockey would in time be allocated a minimum riding weight, as already happens with apprentices.

However, a recent survey conducted by Britain’s Professional Jockeys Association called for the reopening of the saunas, and Irish Jockeys Association secretary Andrew Coonan admits that the majority of Irish riders hold similar views.

In recent weeks a string of high-profile flat jockeys in Britain have gone public with claims that the absence of racecourse saunas is doing more harm than good.

Tom Marquand, Neil Callan, Richard Kingscote and Ben Curtis have all called for saunas to be reopened, saying that a significant number of jockeys are sweating at home or in the car on the way to the races, which is taking a toll on their mental and physical wellbeing.

Andrew Coonan told The Irish Field: “The initial decision to close the saunas was taken very much with the best interests of riders in mind and based on the medical evidence at that point in time. The additional allowance at the scales has been very helpful to riders.

“However, there may be unintended consequences of closing the saunas which we now need to look at. A doctor would have to bear in mind the research which shows the health risks associated with sauna use, and set that against the health risks involved in driving to the races having excessively wasted at home. It’s a difficult task to assess what’s best for the overall protection of the jockeys’ health and wellbeing.”

Coonan says he is in regular contact with the PJA on the matter, and the IHRB’s senior medical officer Dr Jennifer Pugh says she remains in close contact with the IJA.