Muzi Yeni’s target for the season is 200+ wins. (Candiese Lenferna Photography)
Muzi Yeni, when asked to confirm he was “obviously” going for the national championship, replied, “No it is not obvious at all.”
He said he would be out to work as hard as he could and give himself every chance to do as well as he could, but at the same time he recognised Richard Fourie would be very difficult to compete with due to the support structures he had.
Muzi said, “Richard has signed up with Greeff and Tarry and that changes the game and he does not lack support in KZN either and is riding for Peter Muscutt. I don’t have the support of any big stables. To say you are going for the championship and you don’t have the right backing would be a bit over ambitious at this stage.”
He continued, “But I don’t see anything wrong with me riding 200 winners or over.”
Muzi has ridden over 200 wins in a season once, in the 2018/2019 season, when his 216 wins were just three behind the championship-winning total of Lyle Hewitson.
He added, “If after six months, let’s say I have 150 wins, then you can say you are in a position where you can do a bit more or a bit extra.”
However, he said his current goal for the season would be to reach the 200 win mark.
He said, “I am going to be travelling so there is a big chance I can have 200 wins. I will be very happy with that and obviously to win some big races on the way.”
Muzi does not have set support from any strong stables in any centre and is also not currently associated with any top horses.
However, he will be, as usual, one of the most appreciated jockeys by the punting public.
He is known for the effort he puts into every ride and for his effort in the closing stages to gain the best possible finishing position, even when his winning chances are gone.
He about his views on his riding at present, “I’m happy. I’ve got the experience and a lot of our jockeys have left the country, so our jockey pool is not as strong as it used to be. Maybe that’s why it looks like it’s easy and why there is opportunity – the quality rides are there.”
Muzi leads the jockeys log after one week with eights wins but he pointed out it was not actually a good start because he had already picked up a one week suspension, which would prevent him from getting a break on Richard.
He concluded, “But let’s see how it goes and I think if any jockey rides over 200 wins in a season that is really brilliant.”
