(KGTV) — As another racing season opens at Del Mar, you may have heard that horses wear weights to compensate for the different weight of the jockeys.
It's true.
Obviously, a horse with a lighter jockey would have an advantage.
To counteract that, all the horses in a given race are assigned a fixed weight they must carry.
If the jockey weighs less than that, he must carry weights or use a heavier saddle to make up the difference.
At the end of the race, the jockey has to weigh out to make sure he's still carrying the assigned weight.
There is one exception called a handicap race.
In that, a horse which has run well is assigned extra weight to give its lesser opponents a better chance.
