Female participants continuing to benefit from Maternity Support Scheme

By Andrew Smith

Lani Allen’s dream is to one day win a race with her little boy watching on trackside.

The jockey, alongside husband and fellow hoop Anthony Allen, gave birth to baby Hugo last week in Brisbane.

She is one of 10 jockeys who have so far benefited from Racing Queensland’s Maternity Support Scheme.

The scheme was introduced in September 2020 to provide financial support for both female jockeys and harness racing drivers during their pregnancies.

Queensland participants are required to cease riding or driving during the final two trimesters of their pregnancies.

With participants unable to access the Federal Government’s Paid Parental Leave Scheme until the birth of their child, RQ’s Maternity Support Scheme was born.

Eligible participants receive an amount equal to the average weekly income they earned from riding or driving in races during the past 12 months, capped at $750 per week for a period of 20 weeks.

Lani said the financial contribution had been invaluable in the lead up to giving birth to Hugo.

“Obviously as a jockey and being pregnant, we’re only able to ride to 12 weeks to be covered with insurance, so as an athlete that’s really hard to not be able to continue to do your job,” Lani said.

“If I had become a mum three or four years ago, I wouldn’t have got a dollar - whereas now it’s great we’ve caught up to the times and we’re actually getting something.

“It’s normal, it helps with the expenses when we can’t earn our normal income racing…it’s great that it’s there for us now.”

The female jockey ranks continue to swell across the Sunshine State, with around 55% of licensed track riders female, along with 72% of apprentice jockeys being women.

Lani had her last race ride at Beaudesert on ANZAC Day earlier this year before ceasing riding in accordance with Queensland racing rules.

The 32-year-old said the Maternity Support Scheme had given herself and fellow female hoops confidence that they would not be financially disadvantaged by choosing to start a family.

“You can see the females coming through - I think we almost have more females in Queensland than we do males, and we don’t come here just to be a career woman,” Lani said.

“Some of us also want to have children so I think it just means we can have our kids earlier if we want to or have them late as possible, it just gives us a bit of a freedom if we do want to have a family.

“I just think it’s excellent that Racing Queensland has come up to the times to support the females in our industry, it’s really important.

“It’s life - at the end of the day, this is what we do, we breed, and it’s just great for all females that have had babies in recent years.”

Lani and Anthony suffered the devastation of giving birth to a full-term stillborn in December 2023.

Thankfully, Hugo arrived as a happy, healthy baby on December 12.

Lani has 295 career wins to her name, and is already looking ahead to a return to the saddle as she chases a new goal as a mother.

“I have this image in my mind of having my little boy trackside and riding a winner, it is something that I see,” she said.

“I don’t know how long it will take me to get there, but it’s just something I would like to conquer.

“I don’t know if I would come back full-time to achieve that - maybe I would just achieve that and that would be me done, but I think there’s just something in having your child trackside and riding a winner.”

Another jockey to benefit from the scheme was Rachel Shred.

The Far North Queensland-based hoop welcomed baby Dalton into the world on October 27.

The 26-year-old said the introduction of the scheme had changed her thinking around becoming a mother.

“It’s definitely very helpful, because we are capped off at 12 weeks so we can’t actually make any income…it was amazing, I’m so glad that they started doing it,” Rachel said.

“There was so many times I was thinking maybe I shouldn’t have a baby because how am I going to support myself.

“When the scheme came out, I started considering it a little bit more and I can still go back to riding obviously, but it definitely was a life saver.

“I saw myself being back in the saddle already but unfortunately we had a very rough birth…he’s only seven-weeks-old so I’ve got a bit longer to go but definitely going to give it a go anyway.”

RQ CEO Jason Scott praised the success of the Maternity Support Scheme since its inception four years ago.

“Heartwarming stories like Lani and Rachel’s are why Racing Queensland introduced this scheme in the first place,” Scott said.

“We remain committed to removing any barriers that prevent female participants from making a career out of racing.

“It’s important that our female participants are not financially disadvantaged should they choose to balance family with their careers and this scheme has been a vital tool to help remove that barrier.”

To be eligible for the Maternity Support Scheme, Queensland participants must meet the following criteria:

• Is an Australian citizen or permanent resident;
• Is a resident of Queensland;
• Has been licensed with the QRIC as a jockey or a driver for at least 12 months prior to the date they are required to cease riding or driving under the applicable rules of racing;
• Has earned income primarily (at least 60%) from riding or driving in races over the previous 12 month period;
• Does not hold any other type of licence with the QRIC; and
• Has or will have reduced income in the second or third trimester of pregnancy as a result of being required to cease riding or driving under the rules of their respective code of racing.

Click here to see Racing Queensland’s Maternity Support Scheme.