
Small scale —
Jockeys line up for weighing ahead of the Melbourne Cup.

Weighing in —
Sweat suits, saunas, hot baths and starvation are still in use in the racing industry. Though there is a growing movement to change it.

Daily dieting —
The minimum riding weight in the U.S. is 53kg.

A dangerous gamble? —
A hungry, dizzy rider on a 450kg horse galloping at 64km, poses a danger to everyone on the track, PJA medical adviser, Anna-Louise MacKinnon, said.

Room for improvement —
Nine-time Epsom Derby winner Lester Piggott weighs in, 1980. Dietary education has greatly improved in Britain in the last 20 years.

Food for thought —
Australian jockey Scobie Breasley's weight is measured in sultanas in 1959. Riders must follow strict low-calorie diets to keep their weight down.

A jockey's journey —
British jockey Steve Donoghue is weighed before a race in 1930.

The ultimate price? —
At 178cm, British jockey Fred Archer was one of the tallest on the field in the 19th Century, and struggled to keep his weight down. The strain was partly blamed for his suicide in 1886, aged 29.