Analysis: Why Filipino Jockeys Are Best Read as a Pure Meritocracy — A Riding Market Climbing Up from a 5-Peso Horse Walk
The depth of the Filipino jockey ranks is best understood as the product of a self-made meritocracy. John Alvin Guce's 25%-plus strike rate and Jeff Zarate's 30%-plus — Zarate having started by walking horses for 5 pesos — show why the Japanese-style approach of "bet on the jockey" works powerfully in this market. Primary sources and international comparison provide the grounding.