A Great Singapore debut awaits Habib on Sunday

South African jockey Calvin Habib is looking forward to his Singapore debut on Sunday with four good bookings from fellow compatriot trainer Ricardo Le Grange – including Hongkong Great in $100,000 Kranji Stakes A race over 1400m – even if he had to wait till the eighth race before his first ride at the 12-card meeting.

The now 25-year-old was rejected twice by the South African Jockey Academy and had to look at other avenues to pursue the career in the saddle he so desperately wanted.

The authorities thought Habib was too tall to be a successful jockey in the long run, but the 171cm hoop's determination was as big as his frame and after his second rejection to the jockeys' school, it was amateur racing that called.

"I was small as a kid but I had a growth spurt at 16, and shot up almost overnight," recalled Habib after his first day of trackwork at Kranji on Thursday.

"My weight was okay at the time but the tests by the (South African Jockey) Academy deemed I would have problems keeping it to an acceptable level to be a jockey.

"So (trainer) James Maree – who is a legend in South African racing - approached me to ride in what we call 'work rider races', which are like amateur races.

"I had some success – about nine winners from just over 50 rides – and a board member of the Academy approached me and asked why I hadn't applied. I told him I had been rejected – twice – and he said to try again.

"I did and the Academy accepted me but monitored my weight over a three month period. They knew from tests that I had stopped growing and I kept my weight down and didn't look back."

That was in 2015 and since joining the jockey ranks in South Africa, Habib had ridden over 330 winners – including four at Grade 1 level - and had also ridden seven winners in Bahrain and competed in the World Apprentice Championships in France in 2017.

With riding and travel pumping through his veins, Habib jumped at a chance to try his luck in Singapore after being approached by former jockey and Kranji favourite, Johnny Geroudis, late last year.

"I had always dreamt about riding in places like Singapore and Hong Kong – most jockeys in South Africa do – and was looking at my options when Johnny asked me at trackwork one morning if I would be keen to apply to the Singapore Turf Club," said Habib, who secured a one-year riding contract in Singapore till December 31 this year.

He was accepted into the SA Jockey Academy in 2015 on his third try, with South African multiple champion trainer Sean Tarry one of those who recommended and supported his application. Habib has since gone on to take out four Grade 1 wins, four Grade 2 wins and two Grade 3 wins in more than 330 winners to-date. All his four grade 1 wins were for Tarry, including the Allan Robertson Championship with Under Your Spell (2021) and Sweet Pepper (2022), the Gold Horse Medallion with Thunderstruck (2022) and the Summer Cup with Flying Carpet (2021).

Crowned the Zimbabwe champion jockey in the 2018/2019 season and Zimbabwe champion apprentice jockey in the 2016/2017 season, Habib has also ridden with success in Bahrain as an apprentice jockey during a three-month stint in 2017 where he bagged seven winners. He also represented South Africa in the Her Highness Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Apprentice World Championship in France during the same year.

Licensed by the National Horseracing Authority of South Africa, Habib is currently ranked 6th on the South African jockeys' premiership at 71 wins.

Habib goes to scale at 53kgs.

.....yet again another graduate of the work rider programme triumphs above the academy initial selection criteria who are ultra selective in their transformation drive.....:whistle:

Will certainly watch and all the best to Calvin.

Muhtiman wrote:

.....yet again another graduate of the work rider programme triumphs above the academy initial selection criteria who are ultra selective in their transformation drive.....:whistle:

....allow me to qualify as I have said plenty on this matter and again another of our better jocks shows that there is a better way to qualify as a jock when the academy turn you down.....they said he would battle with his weight yet at 25 he is 53kg...:oops:

.....SAJA was once a pristine establishment revered globally and produced or "unlocked" potential and produced the very best jockeys we have ever seen.....however we have seen the challenges brought about in the period of the "transformation" drive that was very detrimental to continue producing much more of that quality....for this reason some of our better riders went the "work rider" route....as many that went to the academy may have had the right physical attributes but were there for the wrong reasons... now if someone has the right passion, work ethic for the hard slog yet is able to ride without having to be taught is by far a much better option imvho...

Wish him well...over 1,7m and just 53 kgs...some feat to have the discipline to succeed...

Muhtiman wrote:

Muhtiman wrote:

.....yet again another graduate of the work rider programme triumphs above the academy initial selection criteria who are ultra selective in their transformation drive.....:whistle:

....allow me to qualify as I have said plenty on this matter and again another of our better jocks shows that there is a better way to qualify as a jock when the academy turn you down.....they said he would battle with his weight yet at 25 he is 53kg...:oops:

.....SAJA was once a pristine establishment revered globally and produced or "unlocked" potential and produced the very best jockeys we have ever seen.....however we have seen the challenges brought about in the period of the "transformation" drive that was very detrimental to continue producing much more of that quality....for this reason some of our better riders went the "work rider" route....as many that went to the academy may have had the right physical attributes but were there for the wrong reasons... now if someone has the right passion, work ethic for the hard slog yet is able to ride without having to be taught is by far a much better option imvho...

During this transformation period, it has also produced the likes of, Khumalo, Yeni, Mxothwa, Matsunyane and many others.

Some of the time you need to be given an opportunity or introduced to a sport to know about it. For example Cole Dicken was at Delpech's house helping his father when he was discovered.

Certain sports are harder to get in if you are from poorer background like Golf. You need the right guidance and tools to succeed. Hashim Amla has always noted how hard it was for him to succeed because of his colour as everything was scrutinized.

Interestingly this week, a certain jockey, Jimmy Winkfield, kept on popping up on my media feeds. Worth a read about him.

......Naresh you are close in the ballpark as you have said that sports did not cater for poorer people which was the reason why the Jockey academy gave full scholarships to people of color..... yet if you were pale and poor you had very little chance of going there at all...

@naresh...just something regarding Hashim Amla...phenomenal talent that used to come to Outspan Grounds cricket nets in Tongaat and practice as a youngster...schooled in Tongaat when he was young and was under the guidance of a Deven Naidu and Noor Mohamed (from Railways Cricket Club) as a youngster and, from what I know, they spoke to Amla's dad, Dr Amla (who my parents know very well), to move him to another school in Durban (DHS) to get better coaching and exposure...

Both the Amla brothers had a bowling machine in their yard to get more practice so more privileged than many other privileged...talent, yes but also some things were done for them that weren't done for others...

There are two phenomenal players I know from my teens, one from Tongaat and another from Verulam that didn't have things go their way but I rank as more talented than Amla from what I saw of all three...just never got the breaks...one's father passed away when he was at school and so priority, as eldest child, ended up being finishing school and studying and getting an income and the other had a car accident...

Not always about talent...need the breaks to go your way or someone to provide the opportunities and / or resources for that talent to flourish...and in some /most communities that just does not happen...sadly...

Muhtiman wrote:

......Naresh you are close in the ballpark as you have said that sports did not cater for poorer people which was the reason why the Jockey academy gave full scholarships to people of color..... yet if you were pale and poor you had very little chance of going there at all...

I said certain sports are harder to get in. I never said sports never cater for poor people.

Any selection in any sport should be based on merit.

How SAJA chooses its apprenticeships, only they know what criteria they are using.

@TNaicker. Amla, went to Glenwood if I am not mistaken. Yes he had access to better facilities but as I mentioned every move of his was scrutinized.

Rabada is from a very wealthy and educated family and went to the best schools. Ngidi although from an average background went to Hilton.

As I stated before, some of the time you need to be given an opportunity or introduced to a sport to know about it like Ngidi for example.

We will keep losing raw talent if we do not invest in grassroot levels in our main sports. Pakistan keeps finding fast bowlers because they go to the valleys and tribal areas and have trials.

May have gone to Glenwood for junior secondary but finished at DHS...same school as Barry Richards...primary schooling was in Tongaat...think it was Victoria or Tongaat Primary...

First ride now on Leatherhead.
I think he should do very well as apart from Nunes and Duric the jocks there are not the best.