Wilmien “Mina” Fourie cruises home in her first ever race ride on the Alyson Wright-trained Tribute To You (Picture: Candiese Lenferna Photography).
Mina Determined To Follow Rachel’s Example
Wilmien “Mina” Fourie took a giant leap towards her dream of becoming a jockey when winning on the Alyson Wright-trained Tribute To You in her first ever race ride last Sunday at Hollywoodbets Scottsville.
Mina displayed what looked to be a natural riding style and her apparently excellent tactical awareness was the result of doing her homework properly.
She said, “When I went down to the start I was with all the other guys who were in a bundle and I felt the ground was really sticky, it wasn’t great. So I turned around at the 600m because everybody had kept telling me to have a look at the course. So I went over to the middle of the course in line with the 8 gate that I was jumping from and I felt the ground was much harder there, so in the race I thought I would just stay out there. The horse was not pulling me and I just relaxed. I had watched the replays of his race when Keagan de Melo won on him at HWB Scottsville and Keagan only asked him to run at the 250m mark. So I was just waiting and waiting.”
The four-year-old Wylie Hall colt appeared to be far out of his ground at the halfway mark, but by the 100m mark the picture had changed completely. He powered past the horses on his inside to win going away by five lengths.
Mina had thus made an immediate impression.
She had won the first battle in the build up to the race by getting down to the necessary weight.
She said, “My weight has always been a bit of a stumbling block, but it is 58kg now and it not going up.”
She has spoken to riding masters about joining the South African Jockeys Academy (SAJA) and will be having a meeting with the powers that be at the Academy at the end of the month.
Kevin Wright, Alyson’s husband and a former Zimbabwean champion jockey, was instrumental in getting Rachel Venniker into the Academy and has also thrown his support behind Mina.
Kevin has advised that she join the Academy first and then work with the specialist dieticians available there on her weight, which will need to be at a reliable 53kg if she is going to start her riding career, bearing in mind she will be getting a 4kg claim in the beginning.
Alyson is confident she will be accepted and said, “They will be mad not to take her … everything is there.”
Mina only started riding horses in 2019.
She said, “I did showjumping for a while.”
She continued, “Then my Dad started helping a lady supply grass to all of the trainers. I always used to go with him to visit all of the racehorses. I then really fell in love with one particular horse from the Paul Lafferty yard, Drogarati. I said I really would like to ride him. So Mr Lafferty said to me ‘Ok come one afternoon and we will see what you are capable of.’”
Mina started off with quieter horses and was soon ready to ride Drogarati.
She recalled, “The first time I sat on that horse it was just really amazing.”
Mina then started workriding for the Lafferty yard.
She could not get enough of racehorses and on top of workriding she continued to accompany her father on his grass deliveries to Summerveld.
Her passion for horses paid dividends because eight months into her stint with Lafferty they were delivering grass one day to the Wright yard when Kevin asked her what her plans and goals were.
She recalled, “I replied I really want to become a jockey. He then said come and ride for me and I will help you. So the next morning I started riding for the Wrights. My riding has improved so much receiving advice form Kevin. So now I am workriding for the Wrights, for Wendy Whitehead, for Michael Roberts, for Glen Kotzen and for just about everybody.”
Mina not only has a natural riding style, but also has the natural strength to hold horses.
She said, “In the beginning I was scared I wasn’t going to be strong enough, so I did a bit of gymning. But I am really glad that I am just naturally strong enough to hold the horses.”
Rachel Venniker has of course been a huge inspiration to Mina and they have become good friends. Rachel also offers a lot of advice on everything from race-riding to strength exercises.”
Mina is not sure where her next ride will come from as there are a lack of workrider races in KZN and she added, “I can’t go to the Vaal or Turffontein just yet.”
She is very grateful to all of the trainers and jockeys at Summerveld. She said she had been given nothing but support and had not encountered any negativity from any quarter.
So there might soon be a second female jockey taking South African racing by storm.
Keagan de Melo
De Melo Travels To Turffontein With The Finish In Sight
The Champion elect Jockey managed just one winner in 70 rides but has an unassailable lead.
9th Race: (4) The Inkosana (3) Green Sceptre (2) Romeo’s Magic (1) Celtic Rush
Takingthepeace’s first foal, a colt by Canford Cliffs cleverly named Precipeace, pictured after his workout this morning (Mike de Kock Racing).
Takingthepeace’s First Foal Doing Well In The De Kock Yard
The first foal of the celebrated filly Takingthepeace is pictured above after his workout this morning for the Mike de Kock yard.
The Ridgemont-bred Canford Cliffs colt did not reach his reserve of R300,000 at the BSA National Yearling Sale last year, so Ridgemont have retained him for racing although shares are also held by De Kock himself, Mrs AM Doyle and A Muddyman.
Takingthepeace by Visionaire was selected by Mathew de Kock at the Jo’Burg CTS Ready To Run Sale and he recalled in a Turf Talk article a few years ago, “She had that classic look. I pulled her out and had a good look at her conformation. Then I put her back very quick and closed the stable door. I didn’t want anybody else to see I’d spent longer than usual looking at Lot 121.”
Two days earlier, Mat had been impressed with the breeze-up of a then two-year-old filly initially named Sagano and had also visited her in her stable at the Summerhill Stud Sales Barn.
Meanwhile, Murray Makepeace had cut short a business trip to Scotland and Mat’s childhood friend Mike Shea, son of Mike de Kock’s former stable jockey Kevin Shea, was in attendance at the Jo’Burg Sale too. The pair had decided to take a share in whatever Mat was offering. They wanted to get involved. They were there to invest. For Makepeace it would be a first venture into horseracing.
Sagano was secured for R280,000, almost R100,000 above the sales average and was registered with the name ‘Takingthepeace’.
Shea revealed, “We wanted the word ‘peace’ in the name since it was Murray’s first horse, so we submitted seven or eight names to the NHA for approval. They were all rejected and I said, “What? Are they taking the piss?” And right there, the name Takingthepeace was conceived!”
Takingthepeace’s win in the Gr 2 Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas went viral due to a video showing the celebrations of the young connections.
Her win in the Gr 1 Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic saw an even wilder celebration.
She was now on the cusp of doing the Wilgerbosdrift Triple Tiara.
It was a fairytale story that captured the spirit of the racing fraternity and everybody was behind the filly before the final leg, the Gr 2 Wilgerbosdrift SA Oaks.
Unfortunately, she could only manage fourth place.
However, she did go on to win the Gr 3 Victory Moon Stakes in November 2018 as a four-year-old.
She had only two subsequent runs before being retired after chipping a knee.
Another chapter in the story will soon be written.
Look out for the debut of the cleverly named Precipeace!
Turffontein Inside Saturday July 15 Formguides And Selections
www.attheraces.com
1 12:00 PM – 4Racing Welcomes You Juvenile Plate
Watch out for: ROMEO’S MAGIC (2)
Jockey Dylan Kitts has had his licence suspended by the BHA (Skysports.com)
Dylan Kitts: BHA officially suspend jockey’s licence
Investigation continues into controversial Hillsin ride
“This order will be kept under review and will last until a further order is made, whilst the BHA investigation and potential disciplinary proceedings remain ongoing and which will be dealt with as swiftly as possible.”
61-Year-Old Female Jockey Beats All Odds For Milestone Victory
by Chelsea Hackbarth (Paulick Report)
“I’m still a very competitive person, though, and I like the adrenaline rush. I’ve actually been putting a lot of miles on the bicycle, and I joked with the kids that I’m training myself for a bicycle race! I’m gonna find one and win it, just you wait.”
Baby Love (Rabada) was one of four wins for Gavin Smith today and one of three for S’Manga Khumalo (Pauline Herman Photography).
Smith’s Four-Timer Takes Him Two Clear – Fourie/Greeff, Khumalo Trebles
Gavin Smith edged one win further clear of arch rival Alan Greeff after scoring a four-timer on the Fairview poly today and with just two meetings left he is now two wins clear of the latter in his bid to retain the East Cape trainers championship.
Smith goes to 122 wins achieved at a strike rate of 10.13% and Greeff is on 120 wins at 13.06%.
Fourie rode all three of Greeff’s winners and goes to 243 wins for the season, achieved at a strike rate of 22.11%.
He is now just 25 wins behind Keagan de Melo.
Three of Smith’s wins were brought home by S’Manga Khumalo and he goes to 170 wins for the season at 16.04%.
Fourie is well clear in the East Cape Jockeys championship with 97 wins.
Luyolo Mxothwa is next best on 73 with Khumalo third on 59.
An aerial view of Epsom Downs (wikipedia).
Today’s Question
Who was the oldest jockey to win the Epsom Derby?
Question answer at the bottom of the newsletter
1829 Epsom Derby winner Frederick trained and ridden by 60 year-old John Forth (wikipedia).
