WARREN KENNEDY

The Gold Circle Jockey Award for the month has been awarded to Warren Kennedy

There is no doubt that Warren is the man of the moment among the riders in South African racing and he is certainly taking advantage of every opportunity he gets.

He has been in action in the country for a long time having ridden his first winner, Broadway Boulevard, at Arlington in Port Elizabeth in August, 2003, competing over the years against some of the greatest riders this country has produced. Getting rides was not the easiest thing for the son of the former jockey, the late Terrance Kennedy, but determination and dedication ensured that his day would come.

Now he rides the crest of the wave and a whole bag full of winners confirming the fact that he has always had the talent, he just needed the opportunity. This month he rode 14 winners, nearly double that of his nearest rivals, with another 21 of his 42 mounts finishing in the money.

An excellent performance so well-done Warren.

KEAGAN DE MELO

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

Racing has been through its annual transitional period from the Winter Season in KwaZulu-Natal to the start of the Spring season on the Highveld and with other routine processes taking place the number of rides available everywhere have been limited and it’s tough out there.

Jockeys are looking for rides wherever they can get them and Warren Kennedy is on a winning mission and tops the local log for the month. However, Keagan returned some impressive results in relation to his rides in KwaZulu-Natal during the month with five winners and six other placings from just 21 rides – a win strike rate of almost 25% and a win-place rate of just over 52%.

Keagan is fortunate in having regular support from good stables but accidents can upset matters and while Keagan took a bad tumble at Scottsville recently, one might say he has bounced back well.

Well done Keagan

RAYMOND DANIELSON

The new season has started and the big horses have been put on ice with the lesser lights being given a chance to earn their keep. The month also saw a change in the availability of some top jockeys making way for additional opportunities for other talented riders.

Raymond has generally operated on the Highveld but has snapped up rides in KwaZulu-Natal during the month where he enjoyed six winners and 10 placings from just 22 rides giving him a win percentage of nearly 30% and an overall win-place success rate of 72%.

South Africa boasts some of the best jockeys in the world but many highly-talented riders don’t get the opportunities they deserve. Riders like Warren Kennedy and Raymond have that talent and are making the most of the situation. They both deserve the honour but Raymond just gets the short-head decision.

Well done Raymond.

ANTON MARCUS

The Gold Circle Jockey Award for the month of June has been awarded to Anton Marcus.

It might be said that Anton gets the best of the rides and he certainly has an advantage to a degree. But one cannot claim that the 44 horses he rode during the month were all superior to the others and his opponents never had a chance.

Of those 44 horses he rode, through his tactical ability and riding talents he steered 12 into the number one box and another 14 into the placings at a winning percentage of just on 28 and an incredible win-place success rate of 60%.

His successes included the Grade 1 Daily News 2000 on the very difficult individual Hawwaam for Mike de Kock and his talent, dedication and professionalism is worthy of acknowledgement with the award this month.

Well done Anton.

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