Hayley Addison delivers the scales of justice if weight comes up light

AS A Racing Victoria clerk of the scales, Hayley Addison's job is one of the most important in an industry that relies on kilograms.

Hayley Addison at Flemington where the old-fashioned scales are still used. Picture: Nicole Garmston

IN the racing game, they say weight can stop a train.

And for Hayley Addison, her job is all about weight.

As a Racing Victoria clerk of the scales, Addison's job is one of the most important in an industry that relies so heavily on kilograms.

She has to make sure jockeys are not too light, nor too heavy, when they weigh out before a race and weigh in after.

They have to ride at their allocated weight, although under special circumstances they can be allowed by stewards, and the trainer of their mount, to ride half a kilo over.

Quirks can blow out the weight of a jockey, such as rain and mud soaking their silks, pants and riding gear during a race or if they sneak a drink or sandwich after they've weighed out. And a sweaty horse's perspiration can add weight to the packing, such as a towel or foam protector, under the saddle.

Horses carry an extra kilogram than their advertised weight as each jockey has a mandatory 1kg allowance for a safety vest, which weighs 400g-700g.

If a horse is shown in the form guide as having 55kg, it will carry 56kg, and some argue this dilutes weight-carrying records.

In some cases saddles are so tiny they weigh as little as 120g.

Addison, who is on the clerk of scales panel, recalls a night meeting last year at Cranbourne when Michael Kent's apprentice Jake Bayllis weighed so little he had to top up his weight by a whopping 20kg.

"He was so light, but all of a sudden they grow and they get heavier," she said.

"But he had to use a big saddle, lots of packing, a big heavy lead bag.''

But for a lot of jockeys, it's a constant battle to remain at a comfortable riding weight and not go through the torture of starvation and saunas to lose kilos.

Addison's checklist for weighing a jockey before a race is to make sure they've got their boots on, have the colours, lead bag if necessary and the gear and packing associated with the saddle, including the irons, girth, surcingle and breast plate.

"But you have to be on your toes to make sure they have all the gear they are going to ride with because they can be disqualified if they don't carry their weight," she said.

In cases of jockeys weighing in heavier after a race, Addison said sometimes it could be caused by changing a girth in conjunction with a trainer or a simple thing like having a drink.

Flemington is one of the few tracks that still use old-fashioned scales, rather than the digital style.