BERNARD FAYD’HERBE

The Gold Circle Jockey Award for the month has been bestowed on Bernard Fayd’Herbe

Weight problems have limited Bernard’s riding activity for some years but one can always rely on him to get the best out of the mounts he does get. The grandson of legendary jockey Harold “Tiger” Wright, Bernard has inherited much of the talent that made “Tiger” the great rider he was and Bernard’s successes over the years included those on the great Pocket Power that included the thrilling finish when he steered the champion to a joint victory with Dancer’s Daughter in the 2008 Vodacom Durban July.

During the month he was able to secure 23 rides on which he managed to reach the winner’s enclosure on seven with another four filling second place to give him a 50% win-place record.

With his laid-back personality Bernard is very popular in racing circles and his success during the month makes him worthy of the monthly award.

Well done Bernard

MARCO VAN RENSBURG

The Gold Circle Jockey Award for the month has been bestowed on Marco van Rensburg

Anton Marcus continues to show he is the king of the course at the moment and again topped the jockey winner’s log for the month but while his incredible riding and tactical talent generally sets him apart, the enterprising ride by Marco van Rensburg in the Listed The Sledgehammer at Greyville was something very special and, in a way, upstaged even “superman” in this instance.

Having in his words “found the winning recipe” for how to ride the Mike and Adam Azzie charge Orpheus, Marco surprised the other riders in the race, in spite of warning them at the start, by setting a cracking pace that carried him clear of the field and to his third straight win on the five-year-old gelding and a new 1 800m course record for the Greyville polytrack of 106.64 secs.

A lot about race riding is knowing the character and ability of your mount and the ability to maximize those talents which Marco did to perfection in a way that was worthy of the monthly award.

Well done Marco

SEAN VEALE

The Gold Circle Jockey Award for the month has been bestowed on Sean Veale

There are many stories of “comeback kids” in racing and that of Sean has proven to be one of the best of them as he re-organised his life and threw his heart fully into his testing career as a racehorse jockey.

Starting out as “young boys” in this high-profile profession, the possibility always exists of some being carried away by the glamour and glitz that is part of the racing scene and they lose direction.

Sean refocused and given the opportunities showed he is one of the most competitive and talented riders in the country. When his name appears next to a runner that has shown potential, more often than not that runner performs well whether winning or not.

During the month Sean shared the rider honours with Lyle Hewitson, each riding 13 winners with Sean adding 16 places to his overall tally and proving profitable to those who followed him with a R29.20 profit where a R1 win bet was wagered on each of his 60 rides.

Well done Sean!

KEAGAN DE MELO

The Gold Circle Jockey Award for the month has been bestowed on Keagan De Melo.

It is impossible to look beyond Anton Marcus as the man to follow in South African racing at the moment as he shows his incredible talent and, in KwaZulu-Natal alone in the month, rode 13 winners.

But there were a number of good performances from other riders and Keagan was one of those that enjoyed a fair month. He finished high up on the jockey log in KwaZulu-Natal with six winners and another 21 placed rides representing a variety of stables including those of top trainers Duncan Howells, Dennis Drier and Dean Kannemeyer among others.

As a young apprentice he showed some positive qualities in performance and personality which contributed to his being chosen to represent South Africa at an international meeting in Qatar. Those qualities have attracted good and varied support over the years and saw him engaged for 52 rides in the month.

Well done Keagan

MARK KHAN

The Gold Circle Jockey Award for the month has been bestowed on Mark Khan.

Race riding is a dangerous game and back in 2010 injuries received in a fall resulted in Mark announcing his retirement from the sport he loved and which had brought him great success including five Champion Jockey titles.

A career that saw him riding for some of the country’s top stables and winning many of the leading races, he also rode successfully in a number of countries overseas which made his forced retirement all that harder. But he stayed close to racing as a racing manager and at the start of the season in August 2017 he was granted his riding license again.

Back in the saddle he is displaying his former talent with success and while Anton Marcus continues to dominate wherever he rides, Mark had a great month in January riding eight winners with another 14 of his mounts finishing in the money.

Good to have you back Mark and well done.

GARETH WRIGHT

The Gold Circle Jockey Award for the month has been bestowed on Gareth Wright

Top jockey Anton Marcus continued his brilliant run of success adding another 12 winners to his KwaZulu-Natal tally during the month, getting some of his mounts home even when they appeared on the brink of defeat.

The battle for top honours behind him was tough and close and all of Keagan De Melo. Warren Kennedy, Gareth Wright, Stuart Randolph and Sean Veale were getting a fair share of the winners.

Gareth had one of the best months of his career with eight winners which came from a number of stables that are increasingly calling on his services with his wins coming at close to a 20% wins-rides rate.

Gareth began his education at Maritzburg College before moving to the Jockey Academy and a riding career that included a period as live-in apprentice to the Justin Snaith stable where he was also fortunate to receive guidance from legendary jockey Felix Coetzee.

Many of his rides and successes have been for the Andre Nel stable which also had a good month in December.

Well done Gareth

ANTON MARCUS

Anton Marcus is Gold Circle’s Jockey of the month.

It may be said that Anton gets all the best rides and for him to top the winner’s log for the month is nothing really to get excited about. But, for any jockey to get nearly 50% of his rides across the line first in one month is exceptional and if not a record, then very close to one.

Making the achievement even more remarkable is that it was not just a case of two out of four rides which is well within the scope of any jockey, but during November, in addition to his rides in other centres, Anton partnered 42 horses and steered 19 – 45.24% – into the winner’s box with eight of his other rides finishing in the placings.

That was an outstanding achievement and more than worthy of the award.

Well done Anton.

WARREN KENNEDY

The Gold Circle Jockey Award for the month goes to Warren Kennedy

Dedication and perseverance have been part of everyday life for Warren who has stuck to his guns over the years in a tough business where he has had to compete against some of the greatest jockeys this country has produced including some that have proven themselves among the best in the world.

His reputation as a rider that does his best on every horse he partners now sees him sought after by many stables and during October threw a leg over 60 horses – 11 more than any other jockey – and steered 11 of those into the winner’s enclosure to top the jockey table for the province.

In addition, Warren is having success in other centres and is currently sixth on the National Jockey Log.

Well done Warren

APPRENTICE LUKE FERRARIS

The Gold Circle Jockey Award for the month has been bestowed on apprentice Luke Ferraris

South Africa’s newest racing sensation, Luke Ferraris has the royal blue blood of South African racing running strongly through his veins being the grandson of legendary trainer Ormond Ferraris and son of top trainer David Ferraris who plies his trade in the East.

However, racing has shown that the right blood does not necessarily produce a champion and many hopefuls have failed.

Not with young Luke though. The young man has taken racing by storm to the extent that during the month he was engaged to ride in no less than 62 races – more than any other rider including some of the country’s leading jockeys. And he made the most of those opportunities finishing second to Anton Marcus on the KwaZulu-Natal jockey log with 11 winners and 12 placings with a win-place success strike rate of close to 40%.

It was a great performance for a young rider and more than worthy of the monthly award.

Well done Luke

KEAGAN DE MELO

Keagan rode 8 winners during this month from 46 rides. He also had 6 seconds, 1 third and 4 fourths. He is a young man that goes about his business in a quiet and professional manner and his results speak for themselves. He has been travelling a lot recently and is clearly a young jockey that must be followed.

Well done Keagan and keep up the sterling riding.