SIR - I am writing as the owner of Hi Corbett Court, who recently finished an excellent second in the Goffs Millions, ridden by the outstanding Siobhan Rutledge.

Siobhan was exceptional. She gave our horse a superb ride on one of the biggest stages in Irish racing and deserves enormous credit for her performance.

Her ride, however, has prompted me to raise an issue that I believe racing needs to seriously address: female jockeys should receive a 7lb weight allowance.

At present, there is no specific weight allowance for female jockeys. Yet racing already recognises the importance of weight and physical differences in the sport, with allowances applying in a number of circumstances, including allowances for fillies and mares when competing against male horses.

So I believe it is entirely reasonable to ask: if racing recognises physical differences between male and female horses, why does it not recognise the physical differences between male and female jockeys?

A 7lb allowance would not diminish the achievements of female jockeys. Quite the opposite. It would acknowledge the physical differences between male and female athletes and potentially give talented female riders a more level playing field.

Siobhan Rutledge is a perfect example of why this debate matters. She has shown that female jockeys have the skill, determination, courage and ability to compete at the very highest level. Nothing about proposing an allowance takes away from that.

I intend to raise this issue with political representatives in both the UK and Ireland. There is currently considerable discussion between governments and the racing industry about the future of racing, particularly around betting taxation and the financial pressures facing the sport.

If governments are prepared to engage with racing authorities about taxation and the future funding of the industry, I believe they should also be prepared to ask whether the rules governing female jockeys are fair.

I am calling for a 7lb allowance for all female jockeys to be seriously considered by the relevant racing authorities.

This is not about Hi Corbett Court, and it is not about asking for any recognition for our horse after finishing second. Siobhan rode him brilliantly and deserves all the credit for her performance.

It is about a wider issue concerning women in racing.

I believe now is the time for racing authorities, governments, jockeys, trainers, owners and the wider racing community to have an open debate about whether female jockeys should continue to compete without any specific weight allowance.

I would welcome the opportunity to discuss this issue further and would be very interested in hearing the views of your racing and sports correspondents. - Yours etc.,

Declan Corbett

Corbett Court Hotel

Kilworth

Co Cork

SIR - Once again we are seeing a Europe-wide horsemeat scandal across Ireland, France, Belgium and the Netherlands, with horses being exported to the Netherlands where passport and identity fraud has allowed horses not fit for human consumption to enter the food chain.

Searches have been carried out in Galway, Kilkenny, Tipperary, Kildare, Dublin and Donegal, as well as across Europe. This follows on from several previous food safety scandals, as well as both the Panorama and RTE documentaries which evidenced identity fraud and welfare abuses in equine slaughterhouses.

There is a simple solution. For those who want to eat horsemeat, that meat should come from horses bred and farmed specifically for meat, with full lifetime traceability and welfare oversight, the same as we expect from other meat products that we eat. A microchip with a specific prefix could be used for all horses bred and produced for human consumption.

Then, as a supposedly civilised society, we need to rethink how we can make humane euthanasia and carcass disposal work as the only end-of-life option for horses. Audits of equine slaughterhouses world-wide have, on too many occasions, uncovered identity fraud and welfare abuses - the issue simply doesn’t go away and it is time we realised that.

Other countries make use of rendered waste - we can surely find ways to do the same. And if such a system needs subsidising that is very easily done by introducing a horse licence, just as there is a dog licence. Owners pay a small annual licence fee for each horse they own and that money goes into subsidising humane euthanasia and carcass disposal.

Let’s consider this now and spend the same amount of time and effort that has been put into establishing a still non-existent equine slaughter facility into creating a humane and viable alternative. The existence of an equine slaughter house, historically and globally, opens the door to the risk of fraud, welfare abuses, and harms our social license to operate. We can and must to better. - Yours etc.,

Debby Ewing

Ludlow,

Shropshire

(formerly Wexford)

SIR - Through your columns I’d like to take the opportunity to acknowledge the fantastic work being done by TG4 to promote Irish racing.

The channel’s recent coverage of Listowel was top class, as usual. They show the horses in the parade ring and they interview absolutely everyone they can. What a great service they provide.

I believe TG4 has now broadcast racing from 24 of Ireland’s 26 racecourses, all free-to-air. Bualadh bos to all concerned. - Yours etc.,

Willie Murphy

Ballycurragh Stud,

Rathoe,

Co Carlow