{"id":129737,"date":"2025-09-11T10:58:10","date_gmt":"2025-09-11T10:58:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/129737\/"},"modified":"2025-09-11T10:58:10","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T10:58:10","slug":"i-dressed-up-as-a-jockey-to-support-axetheracingtax-strike-one-thing-ruined-the-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/129737\/","title":{"rendered":"‘I dressed up as a jockey to support #AxeTheRacingTax strike \u2013 one thing ruined the day’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Daily Star Features Editor Meg Jorsh left the lovely region of Yorkshire to join jockeys in the big smoke as they the horse racing world went on its first ever strike, but it did not go too well\"MegDaily Star writer Meg Jorsh had an eventful day(Image: Jeremy Selwyn)<\/p>\n

It\u2019s fair to say I have an unusual job. As features editor of the Daily Star, I\u2019ve ended up in some odd situations and I\u2019d say I\u2019m not easily surprised.<\/p>\n

Still, I didn\u2019t expect to be dressed as a jockey today.<\/a> I wasn\u2019t planning on heading to Parliament Square <\/a>and if I had been, I would have tried to avoid carrying pretty much everything I owned.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m on my way to cover a photo call organised by the British Horseracing Authority, in support of their #AxeTheRacingTax campaign<\/a>. It\u2019s not normally the kind of thing I do, but I\u2019m nearby at about the right time and frankly, it\u2019s nice to be helpful.<\/p>\n

\u2018Yeah, so you\u2019ll need to pick up your jockey outfit before you go,\u2019 says my boss. \u2018I beg your pardon?\u2019 \u2018Go on, it will be brilliant. You\u2019ll look great. See if you can get one of the jockeys to give you a piggyback.\u2019<\/p>\n

\"StrikingThere were plenty of jockeys at the protest(Image: Jeremy Selwyn)<\/p>\n

Now, I\u2019m not a huge woman. I\u2019m quite short, if anything. But I believe the average jockey keeps their weight down to around 50kg, to help them go faster on a horse. If I rode one, I would probably kill them.<\/p>\n

As a compromise, I decide to offer a piggyback to the first jockey I meet. I head over to Mad World Costume Hire and Party Store, in central London, where the helpful staff are waiting with my outfit.<\/p>\n

I slip into my jodhpurs, picking out some pink and black silks that look\u2026 not terrible, actually. With the matching hat and goggles, I\u2019m almost convincing. Still, there\u2019s a worry at the back of my mind. I\u2019m dressed as a jockey, but I\u2019m not a jockey. Is this cultural appropriation?<\/p>\n

I send a snap to our picture editor, who\u2019s concerned about the whip I\u2019ve been given. \u2018I\u2019m sure you know Meg, but that\u2019s not a jockey\u2019s whip.\u2019 I did not know. We conclude that it\u2019s best if I stash it in my suitcase.<\/p>\n

\"DailyMeg was heading to show support but was hindered by London transport(Image: Jeremy Selwyn)<\/p>\n

At this point, I should mention that I don\u2019t live in London, so I\u2019m lugging around a small suitcase on wheels. With the jockey costume in a surprisingly bulky plastic cover, it\u2019s absolutely full to bursting.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve also picked up far too many presents on my travels, which I\u2019m taking back to Sheffield in two large carrier bags. Then there\u2019s my work gear, including a laptop, in my backpack. I\u2019m half jockey, half snail.<\/p>\n

It shouldn\u2019t matter though, once I\u2019m in the back of an Uber. I don\u2019t fancy changing in the street outside Parliament, so I\u2019m already wearing my outfit, but the friendly Greek driver is very understanding.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve left plenty of time for the journey \u2013 or I would have done, if it wasn\u2019t for the Tube strike that\u2019s pretty much gridlocked the capital. Still, I\u2019m hopeful. It\u2019s a half hour journey, isn\u2019t it? Ok, 45 minutes.<\/p>\n

\"modelThe strike saw model horse with ‘#Axe the racing tax’ listed on it(Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n

By the time I arrive \u2013 about an hour and a half later \u2013 the Uber driver is my best friend. He\u2019s got three degrees, it turns out. We\u2019ve talked about ethics, philosophy and his position on the Parthenon Marbles. I\u2019m disappointed I can\u2019t take him with me.<\/p>\n

Of course, the jockeys are long gone. My long-suffering photographer, who was there the whole time, has all the details. Apparently they\u2019ve disappeared into the nearby Queen Elizabeth II Centre, but we\u2019re not allowed to join them.<\/p>\n

So now I\u2019m dressed as a jockey, in Parliament Square, for no particular reason. Ok, this is fine. I pose for a few photos and head into a caf\u00e9 to change, feeling guilty at the space I\u2019m taking up with my belongings.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s nearly time for my train, so I check the quickest route to St Pancras. And according to the TfL app, it\u2019s currently\u2026 a 57 minute walk. Assuming you\u2019re not carrying loads of stuff, which I am. And it\u2019s raining.<\/p>\n

As I hit the road, a human snail soaked in rain and sweat, a thought hits me and I can\u2019t help but smile. My nine-year-old daughter still thinks I\u2019ve got a pretty cool job. And the weird thing is, she\u2019s actually right.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Daily Star Features Editor Meg Jorsh left the lovely region of Yorkshire to join jockeys in the big…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":129738,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[8029,388,3004,101,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-129737","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-racing","tag-horse-racing","tag-london","tag-racing","tag-sports","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/129737","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=129737"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/129737\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/129738"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=129737"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=129737"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=129737"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}