Apprentice

Also referred to as a bug boy. An apprentice is a jockey who is just getting started in the sport. The apprentice is allowed to carry less weight that a veteran rider. After the rider wins a certain number of races, he loses his bug. The apprentice is allowed ten pounds until he wins five races and seven pounds until he has won an additional 30 races. If he has ridden 35 winners prior to the end of one year from the date of riding his fifth winner, he will receive an allowance of five pounds until the end of that year. An apprentice is called a bug because the program will have an asterisk next to the weight that the jockey carries.