Safety in focus: the family bringing clearer vision to jockeys

Maria French, who runs Shore Goggles alongside her mother and father, recalls the moment their interest shifted from casual horse ownership to innovation. “We’d only been involved in racing for about three or four years, just through owning shares in a horse with Annabel Neasham,” she said. “Coming from the optical industry, we naturally noticed the eyewear jockeys were using. It was my mum who posed the question first, and made us wonder if there was something we could do better.”

For a family with many years of experience in optical manufacturing, the thought quickly took shape. “We knew what we could achieve with lens technology,” French said. “Safer, clearer, anti-fog, rain-repellent … it made sense to try. But creating a product and selling it was completely new to us.”

What followed was an unlikely journey from a small Sydney workshop to a rapidly expanding presence on racetracks in Australia, the UK, Ireland and New Zealand − all built on curiosity, craftsmanship and the trust of the jockeys who helped develop the product.

With no racing contacts to speak of, the family’s first breakthrough came through a chance conversation with jockey Robbie Dolan. “I told him what we were working on and he said, ‘You need feedback,’” French said. “So we worked really closely with Robbie. From day one, he was our first wearer.”

From there, Shore Goggles began leaving their product in the NSW jockeys’ room, collecting real-world feedback not just on comfort but also on how the goggles performed at speed, in weather, and under pressure. Each round of testing sparked another round of refinement.

“We kept tweaking and tweaking,” French said. “We’ve done all the safety testing now − they’re ballistic tested. Jockeys want peace of mind because anything can come at your face out there. A shoe, mud, anything.”

Another early supporter was top English rider Tom Marquand, who tried the goggles when here in Australia. “He said, ‘I’ll give it a go,’” French said. “And we’ve stayed close ever since. He took them back with him to the UK, and seeing them on track on that first day overseas was a huge and exciting moment.”

Momentum followed quickly. Brenton Avdulla soon adopted them, Ethan Brown and Joao Moreira wore the goggles across the Melbourne Cup Carnival, and Craig Williams has been a longstanding advocate. “We’ve been lucky to work with so many great jockeys, and particularly blessed to work with Craig,” French said. “We do a custom strap for him with his logo − you can’t miss it!”

The standout for most riders is clarity. “Jockeys were saying it was like looking from an 80s TV to HD,” she said. “The technology heightens contrast. When they’re looking at grass or the track, it’s like editing a photo − everything sharpens. Even our grey lens does that. When the light drops, we have a yellow tint that lifts definition, and our gold and violet mirrors are incredible in bright conditions.”

Traditionally, goggles are made of typically disposable clear plastic, prone to fogging, glare and distortion. Shore Goggles’ lenses are impact-resistant and treated with anti-fog and rain-repellent coatings, giving riders cleaner vision across all conditions. 

The family also hand-assembles each pair.

“No matter how many pieces there are, everything is stitched, fitted and checked,” French said. “It is still just mum, dad, and me making every pair. We always wanted to be hands-on.”

Their visor − made from the same advanced material as the goggles − has also caught on. “There’s a normal visor, but ours is safer, has the coatings, and fits around the helmet properly,” she said. 

For French and her parents, the purpose behind the operation remains unchanged.

“Our first and foremost thought was always the safety of jockeys,”

“There wasn’t a product that ticked all of the boxes. Protect their eyes, cut out glare, and give them clarity. Nash Rawiller has even told us that he reckons he gets suspended less because he has fewer blind spots when wearing the goggles!”

Despite the business gaining popularity internationally, the family remains modest about the scale of their achievement. “It’s been crazy,” French said. “We haven’t even stopped to take it in. But if we see someone win a big race wearing them, it’s so satisfying.”

And the story behind the name? “It’s actually an anagram of our horse,” French said. “Another great idea from mum!” 

The science behind clear vision

Why fogging happens

Fogging is simply physics at work. When cold air hits a warm, moist environment inside a goggle, condensation forms on the lens surface. In racing, where a jockey’s breathing sits close to the goggles and conditions change by the second, moisture builds quickly. The result is a thin, even film that scatters light and blurs vision − something riders cannot risk at full speed.

How anti-fog technology works

Shore Goggles uses hydrophobic coatings designed to control how moisture behaves on the lens. Instead of forming droplets, the coating spreads the water into an invisible layer that doesn’t distort vision. This keeps the lens clear even in humid, rain-affected or high-intensity moments. The benefit is twofold: clarity is maintained, and riders aren’t forced to tear away multiple layers simply to see.

Impact-resistant lenses

In addition to anti-fog coatings, the lenses are built to handle impact from flying clods, a stray shoe or debris on the track. They’ve undergone ballistic-grade safety testing, giving riders confidence in tough conditions, and have been proven to withstand impact at speeds up to 108.35 m/s.

The yellow tint: A hidden advantage

The yellow lens is designed for dwindling light. As natural daylight fades, contrast flattens, and depth perception becomes harder. A yellow tint heightens contrast, sharpens edges and lifts the detail in grass and track surfaces. It works similarly to photographing in low light − lifting the definition without increasing glare. Riders often describe the effect as moving from dull dusk to sharpened clarity.

Mirror tints and colour enhancement

Gold and violet mirror finishes serve a different purpose. These filters heighten contrast in bright conditions and help the eye distinguish fine detail more quickly. In racing, where decisions are made in fractions of a second, that difference matters. A grey lens offers a similar effect in neutral light, reducing glare without flattening colour.