Horse racing: Top jockeys are in short supply for racing in NZ

Kiwi jockey Opie Bosson will ride at Caulfield on Saturday where he partners Skew Wiff . Photo / Race Images

If you like horses, adrenalin, the sensation of speed and fancy yourself as fearless, New Zealand racing may have the job for you.

The only problem is you will need to weigh no more than 57kg and be ready to ride in races by about the middle of next week.

Although it isn’t that simple to become a leading jockey, plenty of New Zealand thoroughbred trainers are wishing it was as our riding ranks face a chronic shortage of experienced riders in coming weeks.

Suspensions and overseas commitments have some trainers struggling to find suitable jockeys even for black type races while leading Kiwi jockey Opie Bosson is set to miss the next four Saturdays here.

Bosson will ride at Caulfield on Saturday where he partners Skew Wiff and Zourion while he will ride at The Valley in Melbourne next Friday and Saturday, when he partners Imperatriz in the Manikato.

“All going well, I will then be in Sydney or Melbourne the Saturday after for Skew Wiff and then Flemington on November 11 for Imperatriz in the Champions Sprint,” says Bosson.

That means the next Saturday meeting Bosson rides at in New Zealand could be 1000 Guineas Day at Riccarton on November 18 when he hopes to partner Star Of Justice, part-owned in a syndicate by his wife, television presenter Emily Bosson.

While Bosson is just one jockey, the list of other senior riders out of action in coming weeks is enormously frustrating for trainers, especially as huge Group 1 targets loom.

Premiership leader Warren Kennedy is suspended from after this Saturday’s Te Rapa meeting until Sunday, November 5 (two weeks) while two-time premiership winner Michael McNab is already suspended and not back until November 1.

Leading jockey Sam Weatherley will miss this Saturday as will the in-form Jasmine Fawcett.

Group 1 guru Ryan Elliot misses a week after Saturday’s Te Rapa meeting while Kozzi Asano misses most of next week but is back for Soliloquy Stakes Day at Pukekohe on October 28.

Darren Danis, Tegan Newman and promising apprentice Gareth Lahoud are others who will miss at least this Saturday while two other young riders who were in demand, Ngakau Hailey and Donovan Cooper are sidelined for a long period as they recover from riding injuries.

So Saturday week’s Pukekohe meeting will go ahead without four of the top five riders on the premiership available.

The shortage of experienced and black type-winning jockeys in the north for a meeting such as Pukekohe also impacts the Riccarton meeting the same day, which boasts the Group 3 $100,000 War Decree Stakes and a listed race.

Riccarton Saturday meetings are often able to attract northern riders who don’t have strong books at a meeting such as Pukekohe as they can head south for more rides and better winning chances.

But with Pukekohe certain to have big fields and few riders to go around it will be harder to convince northerners to travel to Christchurch, although with no Central Districts meeting that day some Canterbury trainers are hoping to attract senior CD riders.

The scary factor for punters, trainers and administrators as racing eyes the huge month ahead is the list of suspended jockeys is set to grow as firmer tracks and better horses mean tighter, faster racing more prone to split-second errors and often more suspensions.

The Herald knows of trainers already tentatively booking jockeys for races a month from now. They have to hope they are still available by the time those meetings come around.