"Can a horse win a race without a Jockey? In terms of rules and technicalities in the world of horse racing, the answer is no."
"A horseracing victory requires the jockey to be on from the starting gate and make it to the finish line to be eligible for a formal win..."
"The issue of a jockey losing equipment but staying on the horse is a gray area. If a horse loses heavy equipment but keeps its jockey, it becomes lighter and gains an unfair edge."
"The biggest reason of all is that they keep the horse on the correct path which lessens the threat of two horses running into each other and causing an accident."
"When it comes down to keeping a playing field as even and fair as possible, jockey weight is of utmost importance as it comes down to simple physics and math."