NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Sport / Racing

Racing: Northern jockey ranks going through huge turmoil

Michael Guerin
By Michael Guerin
Racing Editor·NZ Herald·
30 Nov, 2020 05:56 AM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Jason Waddell riding Julius to victory at Ellerslie. Photo / Trish Dunell.

Jason Waddell riding Julius to victory at Ellerslie. Photo / Trish Dunell.

Some much-needed help is on the way as the northern jockeys' ranks find themselves going through huge turmoil.

Leading Canterbury apprentice Kozzi Asano is intending to move to Matamata to join the Andrew Scott-Lance O'Sullivan stable, hoping to learn some of the subtleties of the saddle from former champion jockey O'Sullivan.

And his move couldn't have come at a better time, with so many big names injured, suspended or even retiring.

The unheralded Asano almost pulled off the biggest upset of last season's Covid-shortened season when he jumped to a huge lead in the national jockeys' premiership only to be overhauled by the relentless Lisa Allpress.

He still finished the season second with 78 wins and sits in the top 10 on the premiership this term, a race being completely and quite stunningly dominated by Danielle Johnson.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"I think the move north will be good for me," says Asano, who is apprentice to Riccarton trainer Andrew Carston.

His application for the transferral of his apprenticeship has yet to be lodged but is expected with NZTR today.

"The main factor is being able to learn about riding from Lance O'Sullivan. He is a legend of a jockey and that has to be good for me."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Asano says he will see how the proposed stint goes in the north before deciding on his future, but he will be sought after, as the northern ranks have been savaged.

The highest-profile loss is the mercurial Jason Waddell, who was second only to Opie Bosson in black type wins last season but who says his career may be over.

Waddell expects to find out this week the outcome of charges of failing to supply a urine sample for a drug test when asked at a Te Rapa trials meeting and could face a long suspension or even disqualification.

But the enormously-talented rider says he is retired from the saddle regardless of the outcome.

Discover more

Lifestyle

Anne O'Brien: 'Teetering book piles occupy every available surface'

04 Dec 05:00 PM
New Zealand

Four new Covid cases in MIQ today - including three from USA

30 Nov 01:01 AM

"No matter what happens, I am done," Waddell told the Herald.

"I have achieved almost everything I wanted in the saddle, so that part of my life is over."

Already fellow senior rider Cameron Lammas has been handed a 10-month disqualification for a positive drug test.

And another leading rider, Sam Spratt, is facing at least a few more weeks on the sidelines after being injured at the trials last month.

Promising apprentice Chelsea Burdan fears she could be out of the saddle for six to nine months after she broke her collarbone in a race fall at Waverley two weeks ago, with an operation scheduled for December 11.

Central districts rider Robert Hannam is out with a broken leg, but there is some good news around Rosie Myers, who suffered head injuries in a trials fall on October 6.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Husband William Fell says Myers is progressing through her physical rehab and there are hopes she can return home soon.

"But most importantly, her cognitive skills seem fine, so we are very lucky," says Fell.

And of course one of the modern-day greats of the saddle in Michael Coleman has retired after a freak trials day accident, a huge loss of experience and talent from the jockeys' room.

Adding to the squeeze on the jockeys' ranks has been a slew of suspensions which leave trainers scrambling for senior riders.

As of today, Opie Bosson, Chad Ormsby, Troy Harris, Taiki Yanagida, Sam Weatherley and Jonathan Parkes are suspended, although Parkes, Yanagida and Bosson all return this week.

Even the Magic Man, Chris Johnson, has been suspended until after racing on December 10, meaning his charge to become New Zealand's most successful domestic jockey has slowed to a crawl.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

He sits one behind record holder David Walsh's 2451 and his next day's riding is likely to be at Ascot Park in Invercargill on December 12, where two wins would give him sole ownership of the record.

On the positive side, the northern ranks have had other boosts with the return of Vinnie Colgan and Michael McNab, with both in good form.

McNab looks bright and focused and has ridden 25 winners from just 144 rides, a strike rate of 5.76, with three black type wins.

He is bound to be sought after come carnival time, especially as the Covid-19 quarantine restrictions will mean no working holiday this year for the likes of James McDonald, who dominated the Ellerslie Christmas carnival last season.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Racing

Racing

'Absolutely flying': Asfoora impresses in pre-Ascot gallop

10 Jun 07:53 AM
Racing

Maison Louis shines, adding to legacy of foundation mare Richebourg

09 Jun 05:00 PM
Racing

Michael Wallace, key bloodstock agent, dies in US

09 Jun 05:00 PM

Why Cambridge is the new home of future-focused design

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Racing

'Absolutely flying': Asfoora impresses in pre-Ascot gallop

'Absolutely flying': Asfoora impresses in pre-Ascot gallop

10 Jun 07:53 AM

Oisin Murphy says Asfoora is 'absolutely flying' ahead of her defence.

Maison Louis shines, adding to legacy of foundation mare Richebourg

Maison Louis shines, adding to legacy of foundation mare Richebourg

09 Jun 05:00 PM
Michael Wallace, key bloodstock agent, dies in US

Michael Wallace, key bloodstock agent, dies in US

09 Jun 05:00 PM
Bold Maison Louis resolute in Queensland Derby

Bold Maison Louis resolute in Queensland Derby

07 Jun 08:54 PM
Clean water fuelling Pacific futures
sponsored

Clean water fuelling Pacific futures

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP