October
SeptemberMs, please
Monica Olson (27/8) questioned why Michelle Payne was the only jockey whose name carried the honorific "Ms" in Winning Post (since amended).
If Winning Post were to follow the RVL model, all jockeys and female riders would be listed with their given names followed by their family name, i.e. Michelle Payne, Craig Williams, etc.
If, however, you were to follow common usage in the Herald Sun and The Age, you would prefix all female riders with "Ms", which I would support as it identifies and highlights female riders, which I think most devotees appreciate.
Our female rider ranks continue to expand: I think there were 10 or more rode at the most recent Echuca meeting ... and they are riding plenty of winners. At Sandown on August 24, Ms M Payne, Ms L Cropp and Ms K Mallyon — a first-time city winner — each rode a winner.
On another of last week’s topics, leave the Mackinnon Stakes where it is, as an essential event in the lead-up to the Melbourne Cup. It loses its value and significance if shifted to after the cup.
And please, don’t get me started on the mutterings of Matthew Julian Stewart!
Canterbury (Vic)