Jockey Craig Grylls surpasses $5m in historic New Zealand season

Tevere winning at Te Rapa in March 2023. Photo / Trish Dunell

If Craig Grylls doesn’t ride another winner this season, it will still be the best of his career.

But he is still hoping for some bonus victories from a strong book of rides at Te Rapa tomorrow.

Grylls has become only the second jockey in New Zealand history to ride the winners of more than $5 million in a domestic season, heading into tomorrow’s meeting on $5,000,028 in just nine and a half months.

Only Warren Kennedy, who continues to extend the new record and is approaching $5.35m, has earned more in a New Zealand season.

Grylls’s tally is more than $1.2m more than his previous best and also comes with 10 black-type wins, including the NZ Derby on Orchestral.

“It sounds like such a big number and $5m is something I never would have thought I could ride even two years ago,” Grylls tells the Herald.

“The Entain money has obviously made a huge difference and when I get my percentages paid every couple of weeks you definitely notice the difference.

“Even away from the money side of things it has been a great season with plenty of highlights but getting to ride Orchestral would be number 1.”

Grylls admits the travelling required to ride that many winners - he also rode at trials at Foxton and Te Aroha this week - takes its toll, which is why so many senior jockeys take a winter break.

“I am taking most of June off and I think I need it, otherwise it is just travelling and riding all the time and you risk burnout.

“But I feel very grateful and I’m lucky I ride for such a wide range of stables from the biggest ones to small owner-trainers and you appreciate them all.”
Grylls starts his day tomorrow with the promising Ima Brazen One in race 1.

“She was really good winning last start and while this is a step up in grade, she has to be hard to beat.

She is a good filly,” he says.

“I am also riding two for Cody Cole that can win. Part Time Lover (R3, No.5) bolted in the last start and while she goes up to R65 from maidens she can win again.

“The Prophet, who I ride in the last race, bolted in for Nabba last time on debut but comes into a nice race.”

Grylls suggests punters save a few each-way dollars for Tevere (R5, No.5) in tomorrow’s sprint feature on a track where she showed her career-best form two years ago.

“She is going well and gets to a good place in the weights and I think she will be suited by the track conditions.

“I think she gets her chance this week.”

Tomorrow’s other domestic meeting is at Trentham, where star sprinting mare Babylon Berlin returns while trainer Allan Sharrock has three leading chances in the Listed $80,000 Rangitikei Cup.

Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald’s Racing Editor in 1995 and covers the world’s biggest horse racing carnivals.