Racing people have some well-established lines to fall back on when faced with a microphone, like the rider who insists they “wouldn’t swap my horse for any of them” when they would clearly prefer to be on the favourite. In similar vein, every jockey is expected to mark the moment of retirement by saying the thing they’ll miss most is the camaraderie of “the weighing room”, a term used literally to describe the place where jockeys are weighed but also figuratively as a collective reference to all jockeys. In either sense, it is generally made to sound like an ideal workplace, full of good humour and mutual support.

That reputation has taken a couple of dents in recent weeks, the result of some pretty dark hints from one of its best-known inhabitants, Bryony Frost, who has evidently had moments of friction with other jump-racing figures. Details have begun to emerge, of a complaint being made about the trainer Johnny Farrelly after a verbal exchange at Uttoxeter in 2019, and of another verbal clash between Frost and the jockey Robbie Dunne at Southwell last September.


Bryony Frost: 'Some people will always frown. Opinions are not facts'
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These and possibly other incidents like them are thought to be what Frost had in mind when she told the Guardian recently: “There are ongoing things that need to be sorted out and there is protection that needs to be given to others. So at the moment I can’t go too much into it. But it’s something I’m going to be trying extremely hard to make better and move forward in a positive way ... I think for our younger generation there are things that must be improved.”

The two incidents were reported to the British Horseracing Authority and may still lead to hearings, or may have been quietly dropped; the sport’s ruling body won’t say. Whether Frost herself complained is unknown but any official involvement is beyond the pale for some, as one still-young retired rider, Rhys Flint, tweeted: “Bad form going to the BHA ... say what you have to say, take it on the chin, move forward”. While some protested, his tweet was liked by a number of current jockeys, trainers and stable staff, who appear to agree that what happens in the weighing room should stay there.

To some extent, that attitude reflects a feeling that racing’s internal disputes are best kept out of the public eye, for fear the nuances, motivations and daily realities in this odd little world will never be understood by outsiders. But it also suggests nostalgia for a simpler, rougher time of long-gone decades, when, if a steward stumbled across jockeys trading punches, he was expected to forget it immediately and close the door quietly behind him. The late Ginger McCain described the weighing room of those days as “a man’s domain ... You had that smell of men’s bodies, sweaty and masculine. The toilet was a bucket in the corner that never got emptied until it was full”.

Modern plumbing could just about be taken for granted by the 1980s, when Peter Scudamore was the dominant champion jump jockey, but perhaps the prevailing mood had not changed much. He once reflected: “When you go back to it, it was a ruffian sport of very, very tough men, and it’s hard to get rid of that completely. It’s always going to be there.”

National Hunt jockey Peter Scudamore reading a newspaper in the weighing room as jockeys wait for their next race in 1988.
National Hunt jockey Peter Scudamore reading a newspaper in the weighing room as jockeys wait for their next race in 1988. Photograph: Chris Smith/Popperfoto/Getty Images
Scudamore keeps in touch with the weighing room as an employer of jockeys at the Kinross stable of his partner, Lucinda Russell, and through the exploits of his son, Tom. He sees it as a “surprisingly non-violent space, for the level of competition” and can recall seeing only a handful of fights, but stands up for a jockey’s right to speak their mind plainly to their rivals.

“When I was riding, the older jockeys didn’t like amateurs ... because they didn’t keep straight. When you go out to ride, it’s a risk. You weigh up those risks and say, look, given reasonable luck, I can get this horse round. But you add somebody who’s wobbling all over the place or taking you along at too strong a pace, it adds to the danger and people don’t like it. It’s affecting their ability to earn a living and the welfare of the horse.”

Scudamore, an admirer of Frost’s skills in the saddle, did not want to comment on the specifics of her reported troubles but the importance of keeping straight is thought to have been a factor in her clash with Dunne. Her mount, Wisecracker, persistently edged left as he jumped round Southwell and may, at a late fence, have contributed to the fatal fall of Dunne’s mount, Cillian’s Well.

Was Frost at fault for allowing Wisecracker to move away from the rail between fences? Or does blame lie with Dunne for trying to move up the inside of a horse who had been jumping that way? Opinion is divided and neither jockey has yet addressed the issue in public. Cillian’s Well was trained by John Flint, whose son, Rhys, later tweeted his complaint about involving the BHA.

While there is no suggestion Frost made a deliberate manoeuvre on Wisecracker, nipping up another jockey’s inside has long been seen as a rude and provocative act which has led to reprisals on occasion, including at last year’s Cheltenham Festival, where the crack Irish amateur Jamie Codd earned a six-day ban. Scudamore got a three-week ban for his furious reaction when Bruce Dowling did it to him at Newbury, and recalls another occasion when he was on the receiving end, being put through the rails by a northern‑based jockey defending his patch.

“I went mad but I was the idiot for poking up his inner. He was saying, don’t come up to Cartmel, being cocky. And you respect that. You’ve got to stamp your authority.”

It may colour Frost’s relationship with her fellow jockeys that she appears to have some reputation for jealously guarding the inner, which is certainly no sin in the eyes of her employers or any punter who may have sided with her mount. She got a two-day ban in her moment of greatest triumph, having allowed Frodon to interfere with a rival on the final bend on their way to winning the King George on Boxing Day.

Bryony Frost riding Frodon (right) clear the last to win the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park in December 2020.
Bryony Frost riding Frodon (right) on their way to victory in the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park in December 2020. Photograph: Alan Crowhurst/PA
But that little dose of official trouble was a rarity for Frost, the BHA confirming last week that she has just one other finding of interference against her, a two-day ban handed out by the Plumpton stewards in 2018. It is a record to be proud of, after more than 1,200 rides, and undermines any suggestion she is doing anything wrong on the track.

Some observers fear Frost is, at least in part, a victim of jealousy from riders who do not get the same number of chances in major races, who allow themselves to be rubbed up the wrong way by her free‑form emoting in TV interviews, so different from the reserved stoicism that most jump jockeys favour. Is there a residual chauvinist element at play? Whether a different woman in her situation would have a similar experience is hard to know, because for now she is the only one in the top 40 and, at age 25, already holds the British record for wins by a female jump jockey.

Bryony Frost looks to the skies as she is surrounded by the press after her win on Frodon in the Ryanair Chase at the 2019 Cheltenham Festival.
Bryony Frost looks to the skies as she is surrounded by the press after her win on Frodon in the Ryanair Chase at the 2019 Cheltenham Festival. Photograph: Pat Healy/racingfotos.com/Shutterstock
But there are other women getting regular work at a slightly less exalted level, including Bridget Andrews and Page Fuller, while youngsters such as Lilly Pinchin and Millie Wonnacott are building enviable reputations. Wonnacott, who won the Somerset National with a finely judged ride last week, has had a reassuringly straightforward experience to this point.

“Personally, I’ve had no trouble in the weighing room,” she says. “I’ve never experienced any problems whatsoever. Some people get verbal. But to me that’s just sport in general. You’re going to get that anywhere. We’re all trying to do our best, we’re all competitive. Some things get said in the heat of the moment and it’s brushed off within five minutes in most situations. It’s very rare that I would come across a fight or a serious argument. Everyone lets them get on with it and the next moment it’s all over.”

There would rarely be more than three women at the races on the same day but a good relationship exists among those happy few, Wonnacott reports. “We’re like one big happy family, us girls. We all get on. There’s absolutely no bad blood between any of us.”

She makes the point that, in the Covid era, all jockeys see less of each other, with changing rooms spaced apart through every grandstand and everyone under instruction not to linger after their last ride of the day. As a result, a troubled jockey may feel more isolated than in normal times.

Plenty of help is available for any jockey having a hard time, through their trade association or the Injured Jockeys Fund, which routinely helps riders struggling with pressures on their mental health. Those pressures often revolve around exhaustion, the constant need to travel and to lose weight, to compete and succeed, as well as financial concerns.

But the IJF’s chief executive, Lisa Hancock, reports that bullying in the weighing room, or anything resembling it, has never crossed their radar. “I can’t recall any support we have given specific to challenges they’re experiencing in the weighing room,” she says.

“We’ve got pretty good dialogue with a significant number of jockeys in all parts of the country now and lots of them stay with us, at Oaksey House or Jack Berry House; there are injured jockeys staying at both those places right now. They become a bit of an extended family to the team at the centres. I would hope that if there were concerns, they would come out in those kinds of environment, when it’s quite relaxed.”

Brian Hughes, Britain’s champion jump jockey, is satisfied that the weighing room still deserves a good reputation. “I’ve never felt there’s anything to worry about. There’s a good mix of people, boys and girls, and plenty of older figures who are more than welcoming to the younger generation.

“If there was a jockey unlucky to get a fall or get injured, then you see people’s true colours come out and everyone wants to do their bit. You know someone’s going to help you out, whether it be a colleague or a valet.”

What would he say to the parent of some horse-mad teenager, with their sights set on jockeyship but worried about those recent reports? “There’s absolutely no reason to fear. This is a dream for us all. I would say to anyone who wants to pursue this dream to kick on and do it. There’s absolutely nothing to worry about.”

Haven't read all of this thread but has anyone mentioned the alleged fisticuffs in the jockeys room some years ago between Sophie Doyle and Kirsty Milczarek?

When discussing the plan for the ride, Nicholl's and Frost would have nailed down the easy pace that she'd set and how it would be the best way to win the race.

Nicholl's main thoughts though would be that it would also suit Cyrname with his stamina concerns and that is what the main reason for Frodon even being in there would have been IMO

It was a good ride with the plan carried out but it wasn't a great tactical masterclass, she set a steady pace and wasn't pressed on the lead, it gets overblown because the jockey was a bird.

Ramruma , thats beside the point ,imo Frost is basically saying its because shes a Woman that this happened , I'd say no its because Dunne felt it could have been a Man and he would have said the same thing and maybe even a little stronger.Here we have a situation were Frost wants to be treated as a jockey for Work purposes but like a Woman when it comes to verbals .Thats only my opinion, I have two Daughters myself and would be the first to back them if I felt they were been bullied unfairly but when the real World asks them questions hopefully they can stand up for themselves after all we are all supposed to be equal now, do you set separate standards for male and female jockeys or is it all inclusive...

workrider as you well know,life as we live in is not equal.1 in 4 domestic abuse victims are men,but we are fed only females could be victims.I urge you to watch a Danish film(subtitled) was on Film 4 last week something like guilty  or perhaps The Guilty and it gets the mind thinking perhaps how B Frost has used and abused male jocks.

Ramruma , weather she is sitting alone or with her fellow Lady jockeys is not the point, she feels she is the victim full stop, has she never exploded herself on track during a race, I'd say its quite common in the helter skelter of everyday race riding, next time you get a chance pop down to the last fence with several coming to it with a chance, I can assure you its not their prayers they're saying.
Sageform , nobody is denying shes got talent .
San Quentin, I play golf with a friend who is getting on in years and his wife beats him up, so I know exactly where you're coming from.The thing is he's to scared of her to do anything about it...

workrider, several on here have doubted her talent and believe she only gets good rides because of her dad and because she is a girl. We all know that racing is a reactionary sport in many ways ands I am quite sure that there are still jockeys, trainers and owners who don't approve of professional female jockeys at all. It is changing but it has not gone away.

Absolute rubbish , Bryony Frost , Hollie Doyle , Rachel Blackmore are as good , if not better than 90% of their male counterparts . There is no bias against women jockeys in this day and age , the only bias could possibly be from disgruntled male riders who haven’t the ability to stop losing mounts to their female colleagues .

robo 02 Feb 21 11:05 
Absolute rubbish , Bryony Frost , Hollie Doyle , Rachel Blackmore are as good , if not better than 90% of their male counterparts . There is no bias against women jockeys in this day and age , the only bias could possibly be from disgruntled male riders who haven’t the ability to stop losing mounts to their female colleagues .




Plenty of bias on this forum towards women jockeys by some of the people.

That’s absolute shiite, what happens behind is invariably directly related to the front runner . Bold jumping front runners frequently force errors out of opponents , and win races as a result of that . Also front runners frequently put chasing jockeys in a stew as to when they should make inroads and also as to how much they have left in front . It’s a combination of good jockeys in front abs thick ones behind which shape results

so you think pumpkin told frost to ride a race to disadvantage cyrname and CDO,

Ist time poster gone to sleep by the looks of things

1st time poster 02 Feb 21 14:10 
your judging apples and pears,frost isnt riding 30 horses a week so isnt getting questioned,critiqued on 27/28 losing rides like the so called top jocks are

Agree, and furthermore, and particularly so now, she would not get criticised when she does ride a poor race because they'd all be frightened to death to say a word against her.

Exactly Penzance, the notion that he was there as some sort of pacemaker is absolutely preposterous. The big trainers regularly run more than one horse in big races , and the notion that one is ridden to benefit another is a fanciful one . When denman took out kauto star in that vintage gold cup , he wasn’t ridden to protect the stamina of kauto star

Why would Frodons style of racing suit cyrname ?, that’s a load of rubbish .

Never mind

He's a front runner that sets a steady pace that helps protect the stamina of his better fancied stablemate in behind, you seem to think that being a front runner "per se" busts the theory without considering the really very fundamental part of the pace being set

So the jockeys on horses like lostintranslation and Santini are going to let frost set a slow pace for cyrname , and counteract their own chances . Ya that’s a very likely scenario .

that's right, they danced to her tune.

Look, it's a fact she set a steady pace, that suited her horse, there's no denying that and Nicholl's knew that that might provide a decent fallback if plan A failed.....but....whether he would admit it or not, he also knew that Frodon up front would help plan A, that's all I'm saying.