David Thiselton

FORMER national champion jockey Warren Kennedy’s pending emigration has been put on hold and he will be in South Africa for the whole 2021/2022 season. 

He confirmed he would be going all out to regain the jockeys’ title.

Kennedy said he had definitely wanted to defend the title last season but it had “slipped away” midway through the season and he pointed out this term he would be able to be more focused.

He said he had been in limbo last season not knowing the status of his visa applications.

He said other priorities such as the birth of a second child and spending a month in Cape Town to partner Summer Pudding had also taken precedence over the championship. 

He only rode at two meetings between January 9 and the end of that month, L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate day and Cape Town Met day.

However, at the start of that stint he was already lagging in 6th place in the championship on 61 winners, 57 behind the 118 of eventual champion Lyle Hewitson.

Kennedy was also quick to add that at no stage during last season had he “taken it easy”, so  he is under no illusions about how tough it is going to be to stay out in front this season after a flying start.

He is currently on 38 winners, 15 clear of second-placed S’Manga Khumalo and 22 clear of joint third-placed Lyle Hewitson and Muzi Yeni.

Kennedy said Covid-19 related issues had delayed the clearance of the visas for him and family and that next January would have been the earliest they could have departed for overseas.  

As that would be halfway through the season and shortly before the SA Champions Season he has instead decided to “push through for the whole season.”

Kennedy is also still hoping to break into Hong Kong and said being a dual national champion would enhance that chance.

He mentioned Paul Peter’s three-year-olds as being the best chances he currently perceived of big race success this season and among them he mentioned the Silvano gelding Sound Of Summer and the What A Winter colt Mufasa. He also mentioned the KZN star She’s A Keeper but pointed out that Gareth van Zyl was using S’Manga Khumalo more and more and he was not sure he was going to keep the ride on the five-year-old mare.