Whanganui Jockey Club operations manager Bret Field said the club was proud of Parkes’ achievement as he’d been through a lot of challenges in his career.
“We are very proud of him for stepping up and having a local come to that 1000 victories is a major milestone,” he said.
In particular, being taller than usual for a jockey proved a challenge for him when it came to making weight limits for races.
Parkes said his height meant he had had to be mindful of his weight throughout his career.
“I had to watch my weight a lot so that’s always a bit of a challenge to ride the weight divisions,” he said.
Because of this, Field said his achievements were even more impressive.
“He’s done extraordinarily well in his profession to achieve what he has.”
With the big number knocked off, Parkes said he’d keep on keeping on, with races to run this weekend.
He thanked his family, friends and supporters for standing by him during his career.
In particular, he dedicated the win to Jill Rohloff, a long-time supporter of his who died last year.
Finn Williams is a multimedia journalist for the Whanganui Chronicle. He joined the Chronicle in early 2022 and regularly covers stories about business, events and emergencies. He also enjoys writing opinion columns on whatever interests him.
