James Lihaba

The official racecard has his name down as Kobeli Lihaba but he is better known as James in the racing fraternity. Only recently having sing his papers, apprentice Kobeli ‘James’ Lihaba has caught the eye of many trainers with his balance and strength with one of his main supporters being Duncan Howells. “He is balanced and listens to instructions. I see other trainers have also noticed, mostly the ex-jocks,” he said. James, who cut his teeth in bush racing in the Eastern Cape, is full value for his 4kg claim and had three winners and three seconds from his 27 rides last month.

James is Gold Circle’s Jockey of the Month for September

Muzi Yeni

Based in Gauteng, Muzi Yeni is making a concerted effort to land the National Jockey Championship, having come close on a number of occasion in the past. He has got the current season off to a cracking start, and has been well supported by KZN trainers. He finished the month with 15 winners in KZN, seven more than local weighing room rivals Serino Moodley and Sean Veale. Being a natural light weight helps his cause and he has adopted the maxim of ‘have saddle will travel’ in his quest for the championship.

Muzi is Gold Circle’s Jockey of the Month for August

Richard Fourie 

The Gold Circle Jockey of the month award is generally reserved for a KZN-based rider but South Africa’s Champions Season attracts the full spectrum of the country’s riders for three months of brilliant racing and it would be remiss not to honour Richard Fourie as jockey of the month. The country’s leading rider and KZN-based Keagan de Melo, hit a figurative ‘roadblock’ in the last month of the season which yielded eight winners while Richard, charging in pursuit of the Jockey’s Championship, rode 15 winners that included a host of Gr1 features, thanks mainly to Sean Tarry but falling 19 short of Keagan’s national total of 277.

Richard Fourie is Gold Circle’s Jockey of the Month of July.

Athandiwe Mgudlwa 

Athandiwe Mgudlwa has always been a talented rider but with limited opportunities. That has all changed since he has teamed up with Gareth van Zyl and his fortunes have turned for the better. Success brings success and ‘Tandy’ as Garth Puller calls him, has become increasing in demand by other trainers. He visited the winner’s enclosure eight times in May, equal to S’Manga Khumalo.

Athandiwe is Gold Circle’s Jockey of the Month for May

Ashton Arries

It has taken Ashton Arries time to mature from sheltered apprentice to fully fledged jockey but the talented rider appears to have settled down and it shows in his recent results. His achievements have not gone unnoticed and apart from getting regular support from leading trainer Glen Kotzen, both in KZN and the Western Cape, he is getting regular calls from local trainers. Rachel Venniker led the April winners table with seven from her 50 rides while Ashton rode six winners from 29 rides in KZN at an impressive strike rate of 20% and a R1 bet on each of his mounts will have yielded a tidy profit of R53.70.

Ashton is Gold Circle’s Jockey of the Month for April.

Jockey of the Month – March 2023

Robert Khathi

Title-chasing Keagan de Melo is the usual suspect at the top of the KZN jockey log for March. He has enjoyed a super month with 18 winners on his march to the national title. Rachel Venniker also had a productive month with ten winners but it was Robert Khathi who had his best month since relocating from the Western Cape with seven winners. Joint third on the monthly log with Tristan Godden, the majority of his winners were for Byron Forster, Andre Nel’s KZN assistant for leading owner Sabine Plattner. Robert’s talents are starting to be recognised by other trainers and we wish him well during Champions Season.

Robert Khathi is Gold Circle’s Jockey of the Month for March.

Jockey of the Month – February 2023

Sean Veale

Keagan de Melo once again topped the list by number of winners in KZN last month, scoring 15 times at a healthy 33% strike rate. But Sean Veale had one of his better months, visiting the winner’s box on seven occasions at a 22% strike rate in spite of traipsing back and forth from Cape Town where he was in support of his boss, Dennis Drier. Dennis boasts a long string of loyal assistants and jockeys and Sean, who took over from Sean Cormack, will no doubt team up with Stuart Ferrie who takes over the stable reins on April 1.

Sean Veale is Gold Circle’s Jockey of the Month for February.

Siphesihle Hlengwa

Keagan de Melo is well on his way to his first National Jockey Championship and inevitably leads the local log by number of winners each month. January was no different, his 12 winners, three more than his nearest rival, apprentice Siphesihle Hlengwa. Siphesihle, or ‘Spare’ to his mates had the benefit of a 2.5kg claim but he was full value for that claim his nine winners coming at an impressive 18% strike rate. 52% of his mounts were in the money and a R1 wager on each of his 48 mounts would have returned a healthy R33.40 profit. Polite and well spoken ‘Spare’ is a credit to himself and the South African Jockey Academy.

Siphesihle is Gold Circle’s Jockey of the Month for January.

Cole Dicken

Serino Moodley was the ‘hot’ rider last month with eight wins and seven seconds with a 56% win/place strike rate. However, he has the backing of some of the top yards. In contrast Cole Dicken, just recently out of his time as an apprentice, has to scratch for rides. Pleasant, hardworking and going to scale at just 49kg he only got 14 mounts last month from various yards but managed three winners and two seconds for a 50% win/place strike rate.

Cole Dicken is Gold Circle’s Jockey of the Month for December

SIPHESIHLE HLENGWA

Apprentice Siphesihle Hlengwa, ‘Spare’ to his mates, had a cracking month, winning seven races and in the process losing his 4kg claim as he passed 20 career winners. His wins came at a tidy 15% strike-rate, equal to that of log-leading rider Keagan de Melo who also had a good month locally with 11 winners. Siphesihle is largely being mentored by former top rider Garth Puller who was responsible for most of those wins and the likeable youngster is starting to repay with interest.

Siphesihle is Gold Circle’s Jockey of the Month for November.