Picture: Gavin Lerena and Grant van Niekerk
Champion Jockey Gavin Lerena is currently serving two suspensions, both of which he appealed against but the appeal was dismissed in both cases. The first was for 30 days and the second for seven days, meaning his suspension stretches from September 12 to October 18. However, he is taking the matter to the high court in an urgent application to have the penalties suspended, pending review proceedings being brought in the High Court. The penalty in the first case was a 90 day suspension, of which 60 days are suspended, and a R200,000 fine, of which R100,000 was suspended.
Grant van Niekerk is also bringing an urgent application to the high court about his penalties, which included a 90 day suspension, of which 60 days were suspended, and a R100,000 fine of which R75,000 was suspended. He also had to make a public apology to the NHA via the media within ten days of the appeal dismissed ruling (so had to do it by 15 September 2025). Failure to do so was due to trigger the full 90-day suspension being enforced ten days after the apology deadline. It is not clear whether Van Niekerk has made the apology.
He is currently serving the suspension and it runs from September 10 to October 9.
The Sporting Post wrote about the urgent application being brought to the High Court (read below):
SA champion jockey Gavin Lerena and his Cape-based colleague Grant van Niekerk are launching independent urgent applications against the National Horseracing Authority and others, in the Gauteng division of the High Court on Tuesday in order to have their recent respective penalties suspended, pending review proceedings being brought in the High Court.
Both applications will be heard by Mr Justice Noko.
Van Niekerk’s penalty arose after a post-race interview following the running of the second race at Hollywoodbets Durbanville on 26 March 2025.
He received a 90-day suspension from race riding, of which 60 days were suspended for three years, subject amongst others to a public apology. He also received a fine of R100 000, of which R75 000 was suspended for three years, on condition that he was not convicted of another Rule 72.1.26 violation during that period.
Van Niekerk’s subsequent appeal was dismissed and he was ordered to pay an amount limited to R50 000 towards the NHA’s legal costs of the day, as well as the costs of the Appeal Board. His appeal fee was also forfeited.
Lerena’s application is believed to relate to the incident involving a fellow rider being struck across the back by a crop in a race at Turffontein on 26 January 2025.
His appeal, after being suspended from riding in races for a period of ninety days, of which sixty days were wholly suspended, and being fined the amount of R200 000 of which R100 000 was suspended, was recently dismissed. Lerena was also subsequently ordered to pay the costs of the Appeal Board.
Both jockeys are believed to be represented by separate legal counsel.
