With the minimum weight going up to 54 kilograms on New Year's Day, jockeys have won the battle of the bulge but a new target looms next year.

Buoyed by the statistic from the report on heath and safety for Australian jockeys, which says ''the incidence of falls in flat racing ranges from 31-34 per 1000 rides and result in a high rate of injuries (13-17.7 per cent of falls led to injuries)'', they will, no doubt, continue with potential industrial action over the $5 million, possibly from state governments, sought for the National Jockeys' Trust.

They did some sabre rattling in the spring, and usually get a better response than the trainers on most issues. No longer are jockeys forelock tuggers. Once caught lingering in the Randwick members' enclosure, they were ordered out and Sir Frank Packer made sure they didn't stray. In those days, committeemen reckoned jockeys should be kept small. Getting the limit raised from 49kg was akin to Mao's long march.

We argued that males, no females in the saddle then, were so much bigger than the nourishment-repressed types from depression years and world wars.

''No matter what the limit is, make it 57kg, jockeys will declare overweight,'' an old-time trainer told me and reckoned better results would come from a ''treat 'em mean and keep 'em keen'' policy.

Reducing was just a necessary downside of a demanding but generally lucrative profession. Those who didn't could be replaced by willing wasters. Hopefully the 54kg will mean stronger and healthier jockeys.