It sucks being a jockey in South Africa

  • Sylvester
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It sucks being a jockey in South Africa

8 years 8 months ago
#635233
2 months in to the new season/

80 jocks
24 Appies
50 Work riders

have tried their hand at winning races and making a career out of riding races in SA.

29/80 jocks have yet to ride a winner. For their sake i hope they still live with their parents.
9/24 Appies have not ridden a winner yet. Give up now or move to Oz.
43/50 work riders have yet to ride a winner. Work riders only exist in Gauteng so not sure how to measure success.

what worries me is that with so little opportunity and income i am concerned that jocks with need to make money thru underhanded schemes.

why does the NHRA no try assist in getting jocks more rides???

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  • Saint Tropez
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Re: It sucks being a jockey in South Africa

8 years 8 months ago
#635237
Very interesting stats Sly, thank you mate

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  • Garrick
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Re: It sucks being a jockey in South Africa

8 years 8 months ago
#635264
I think these statistics have more to do with the reality that RSA racing is dominated by a handful of powerful trainers; most of whom have retained jockeys in one form or another.

If you take the usual suspects out of the 'races won' statistics you will discover that there are only limited opportunities for young/apprentice/moderate/journeyman riders.

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  • royal president
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Re: It sucks being a jockey in South Africa

8 years 8 months ago
#635268
All jocks got thr fingers in the cookie jar to make a buck for themselves

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  • BATMAN
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Re: It sucks being a jockey in South Africa

8 years 8 months ago
#635625
I disagree, they actually earn a good living and have good benefits.Top medical aswell as insurance so if they are off for a few months on injurys they get i think around about 80pc of their average income,thats why if you look back over the years and jockeys who have won the met or july normally book off with a injury while they have a break and still earn big money.
Secondly they get around R850 for a ride even if they come last.,lets face it in jhb a jockey who gets one 100/1 no chance ride a meeting and maybe fluke a place here or there would earn the same as a school teacher.A jockey who gets more rides and wins a few races a month can earn more then a doctor.I dont want to knock them but quite a few wouldnt go furter then sitting behind the counter at a video shop.
And as we can see the last year or two we have lost many jockeys to big insurance payouts because if they have a injury that could be proved that it prevents them from riding then they get paid out a few million.

thats just saying it like it is.
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  • mikesack
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Re: It sucks being a jockey in South Africa

8 years 8 months ago
#635647
Among the jocks of about 2 or 3 decades ago and life was not so rosy for them even while riding.
Take top jockey Bertie Hayden who was in a nursing home? Even jockey Dennis Bosch as per his admissions on Winning Ways was out of pocket so there was no nest egg to live life well off.
Ex jock Graham Vorster who is a clanner mentioned a horse called Prince Madoc which he rode and won a few races on for trainer Neville Pearce back in the day. He said that this horse put food on the table and paid for a lot of other necessities I think.

A few could have went the suicide route also even as ex jocks and trainers.
Robbie Sivewright, rider of the great Sea Cottage. Clive Hyde who was on In Full Flight, two names come to mind.

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  • Bob Brogan
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Re: It sucks being a jockey in South Africa

8 years 8 months ago
#635649
Batman how many Jocks you recon earn more than a Dr?

Sure i read a vet earns 60k a month, thats 70 rides without a winner( not counting travel agents etc)

Top jock Aldo Domeyer has had 20 rides

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  • AllIsSecret
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Re: It sucks being a jockey in South Africa

8 years 8 months ago
#635650
Even more so in Cape Town.

In recent times we've lost quite a few of our middle to lower range jocks because there isn't enough rides to live off.

Obviously BFH also left but Gareth Wright, Donovan Mansour, Morne Winnaar, Anthony Andrews, Oswald Noach have left and the last two have returned already. Now Rob Khati is off to the middle east.

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  • BATMAN
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Re: It sucks being a jockey in South Africa

8 years 8 months ago
#635652
Bob Brogan wrote: Batman how many Jocks you recon earn more than a Dr?

Sure i read a vet earns 60k a month, thats 70 rides without a winner( not counting travel agents etc)

Top jock Aldo Domeyer has had 20 rides

Ok you can use him as a example, keep in mind only 20 rides as he was off aswell for a meeting or two.Can you bring up last years rides and prize money and work it out.Very decent earnings. Like everyone says they can only ride untill a certain age,but it they look after their money properly they can be alright at a later age.

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  • Mini Tycoon
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Re: It sucks being a jockey in South Africa

8 years 8 months ago
#635654
Bob Brogan wrote: Batman how many Jocks you recon earn more than a Dr?

Sure i read a vet earns 60k a month, thats 70 rides without a winner( not counting travel agents etc)

Top jock Aldo Domeyer has had 20 rides

Domeyer would have made 2k per day last year
race riding 6.5 rides twice a week,
600 rides and R6 M stakes
easily 300k + 400k

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  • Bob Brogan
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Re: It sucks being a jockey in South Africa

8 years 8 months ago
#635655
South African Jocks earn more as Workriders overseas

Probably only between 10-20 earn a decent living riding in SA


It's the same in the UK even the top jocks struggle because of travel costs

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  • Zietsman Oosthuizen
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Re: It sucks being a jockey in South Africa

8 years 8 months ago
#635662
Aldo had infact 34 rides this season up to 29 september but he wasnt riding from 2 august until 28 august .. lets say they get 850 per ride ,thats 28900 he got for the rides , 234375 win stakes give him anothe 23437k and his 2nds to 5th places was 85100 and that gives him another 5957k
In total its 58294 he earned for the month ...and last season he earned 1572814 if you work on same figures, thats average 130k a month.
Yes , then their is tax and travelling but not included in income is sponsorship moneys and also no "presents" that a lot of jocks get for wins.....

Jockeys and vets are making more money than anybody else in this game.

And struggling jocks can only look in the mirror and blame themselfes. Its either lazy, no commitment , no workethic and no desire to succeed or just useless in the saddle and/or too lazy to do work.They dont even ask for a ride 99% of the time, just simply useless and too lazy to even answer their phones when you phone them.
I can give plenty plenty examples i dealt with ......

Another is poor agents , also can give plenty examples but the best i worked with is rob(simons), kevin(marco), titch and now ashley(fortune).
And plenty times its a good agent but a useless uncommited jock or the agent is not getting paid (also had first hand experience of that a few years ago)

If the champion jock khumalo can ask felix coetzee to please help him to get even better then a few other poor jocks can follow the example.

Most jocks must just pull their fingers out their arse and start putting in some effort
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