Shalton Elrico Sesingi is all smiles after scoring his career first win at Hollywoodbets Scottsville last Sunday in his 17th race ride (Candiese Lenferna)
Shalton Elrico Sesingi rode his first winner at Holllywoodbets Scottsville on Sunday on the Louis Goosen-trained eight-year-old Twice Over gelding Smorgasbord, getting up by 0,25 lengths in a Middle Stakes event over 1000m.
There was probably nobody more pleased about the win than Stephen and Jessica Jell of Mauritzfontein Stud.
Elrico grew up in Kimberley and spent as much time as he could around the horses of Mauritzfontein Stud.
To this day the stud farm is not only his sponsor, but Jessicca still regularly messages him and sends him photographs of all the stud’s progeny.
Sesingi, who prefers to be called Elrico rather than Shalton, spoke yesterday at Summerveld about the win as well as his fairytale path to being accepted into the South African Jockey Academy.
Smorgasbord was on top of his merit rating band off his 74 rating and was set to carry 51kg.
Officially he was 3,5kg under sufferance with the best weighted runner Vihaan’s Web, but Elrico’s 4kg claim alleviated that and in reality he was receiving no less than 17kg from the latter.
Nevertheless, Vihaan’s Web started 2/1 favourite and Smorgasbord was out at 16/1.
Elrico said about the win, “I was quite confident going into the race. My training partner Qiniso Ngcobo had ridden Smorgasbord in his previous start and he told he had a chance. I rode him in work on Tuesday and he gave me a good feel. I had some good speed around me with Cavalry Commader on my outside and Vihaan’s Web and Donquerari on my inside. Mr Goosen’s intructions were very simple. He said to me ‘Boytjie, this horse is very well, he’s in a good space, just get him out and try’n get cover and then from the 300m ride your own race.’ The plan worked out well all the way to the line. I was grateful for that.””
Ironically Smorgasbord’s late charge saw him pipping Qiniso’s mount Donquerari, a stablemate of the winner.
Most jockey’s say their first win is their most memorable and Elrico said he was “over the moon” when seeing the screen on the trot back to the parade ring as it confirmed that he had got up.
However, he said even after the first-winner tradition of the senior apprentices throwing him into the Academy swimming pool the victory had not really sunk in.
He reckoned it would take about a week to sink in and he added he was looking forward to his next winner.
Elrico was introduced to thoroughbreds by his father Bradley and fell in love with them from a young age.
His father had been a stallion manager at Mauritzfontein Stud.
After his father had moved to a different farm Elrico still had family living at Mauritzfontein.
He schooled at Greenpoint High in Kimberley and could not wait for the weekends and holidays, so he could go and spend time with the horses at Mauritzfontein.
He loved the foaling season and recalls visiting the mares the night before they foaled and stroking them.
He took a great interest in all of the farm’s stallions and mares and their progeny and spent as many days as he could being close to them.
Jessica also provided him with horses to ride and he reached a high level in all of the equestrian disciplines of showjumping, dressage and eventing.
His showjumping, which he did for nine years, took him to many different venues.
One day his father told him there was something on the TV that might interest him and he witnessed the Durban July for the first time. He was thrilled by the spectacle of racehorses charging for the line with the crowd roaring them home and could sense the adrenalin.
Mauritzfontein stud manager Mike Sharkey believed Elrico would make a good jockey and applied to the South African Jockey Academy on his behalf.
They were full at first, but Elrico said he would never forget the day his father had phoned him and told him he had been accepted.
“A shock went through my body. I wasn’t expecting it and from that day I just started loving riding. I used to watch videos and practice how the jockeys ride with short stirrups.”
He was shy when he first got to the Academy as a seventeen-year-old in January 2025 as he had to meet many people from all walks of racing.
However, he started feeling at home when always getting good feedback from the senior jockeys like Serino Moodley, Athandiwe Mgudlwa and Nicholas Patel when asking them questions about jockeyship.
He calls Serino his “main man” as he has taught him and immense amount about riding horses and riding in races.
He revealed, “I look up to Serino. What he does, I ask him and he teaches me how to do it. The way he rides and he just makes a horse calm down and settle … it’s amazing.”
He continued, “And Andrew Fortune. The way he rides a horse … wow! He came to the Academy one afternoon and talked to the apprentices. He rode the Academy horses and taught us how to balance a horse and how to settle a horse and so on. I learnt a lot from him that day.”
Elrico was restricted to riding Academy horses for six months.
He got his own horse to take care of as stable management is part of the learning curve.
Then came his unforgettable first day at track.
He recalled, “I came for second string. Mr Pandaram was still here and asked me to get on this black horse and take him to the beach track, first opening. At that stage I was still dof and didn’t know where the first opening was, but I found it and I then managed to hold the horse for only two strides. After that instead of me taking him for a ride he took me for a ride. He bolted and I only managed to stop him at the zero mark.”
Elrico’s reply to the question of whether he was scared will amuse most readers.
He said, “No, I was just stressing about what Mr Pandaram would say when I got back!”
He continued, “But luckily he was in a happy mood that day and after I had trotted back he just started laughing! He said we are all learning.”
He continued, “Riding racehorses is fun, it is amazing. I wouldn’t say it is better than showjumping, but the quality of horse is way better.”
Elrico concentrates on minimising the pressure on the mouth of the horse, especially for the juveniles who are learning and need to have a good experience everytime they are ridden
He tries to ride on a long rein as often as possible and listens and absorbs everything the like of legends like Michael Roberts and Garth Puller teach him about riding.
He said, “When I came to track for the first time, I used to ride for Mr Roberts he was a big supporter and helped me every morning, giving me advice and showing me what to do and telling me about his own riding techniques and about how he used to make a horse run for him.”
He did actually have a fall off one of Michael Roberts’ horses in training, fracturing an eye socket bone, and was off for three months, but Roberts welcomed him back when he returned.
He added, “I can’t say enough about Mr Puller. He helped me a lot and he is always there to help the apprentices whenever they want advice on both riding and aspects such as managing their weight. He also advises on race-riding aspects such as what to do in tight finishes etc.”
Elrico is immensely grateful to his sponsor Mauritzfontein Stud, to the riding masters and all of the trainers and owners who have supported him.
Trainer Nathan Kotzen and owner Sid Moodley gave him his first ride on My Boy Lollipop and he said Nathan had taught him a huge amount about riding.
He said, “Mr Kotzen helped me a lot since the day I came to track and taught me how to settle a horse and taught me a lot about riding. For my first ride he did not put me under pressure or make me nervous. He gave me a confident feeling, which helped me, and he gave me simple instructions. He said, ‘Just get him out of the pens and don’t hit him, just ride him with your hands and balance him up and so on.”
It was one of his necessary five qualifying rides down the straight.
He described his first ride around the turn, on the Paul Lafferty-trained Cool Wind, as “scarey” as it was over 2000m at Hollywoodbets Scottsville. He did not know the round course and it was new territory altogether. Luckily there was a good pace on and having wanted to lead he found himself in second place on the rail and stayed on to finish third.
His favourite horse to date is the Adam Azzie-trained Champagne Mac, who provided him with his first place, a third place finish over 1200m at Hollywoodbets Scottsville and nearly provided him with his first win when an unlucky 0,25 length second. On the latter occasion he had had to skillfully shift inward and then outward when weaving his way through from last place. Champagne Mack will give him another chance of a win in his next start in 12 days time.
Elrico has completed his five qualifying rides down the straight and now needs six qualifying rides around the turn in total.
The well mannered youngster is going about things the right way and is learning quickly.
