Waverley and Whanganui jumpers top the national stakes earning list in a shortened racing season

Waverley galloper Bay Boy Brown (yellow and blue) was the highest stakes earner in last season's jumping ranks. Photo / Trish Dunell

Waverley and Whanganui horses claimed the lion's share of stakes on offer during the quietest jumping season in New Zealand thoroughbred racing history.

Just 52 jumping races were carded during the 2019/2020 racing season and all South Island jumping races cancelled because of the Covid-19 lockdown that shut down all New Zealand racing nationwide.

Nationally there were just 30 hurdle races carded with $672,799 total stakes up for grabs (average $22,427 per race) and 22 steeplechases for total stakes of $558,797 (average $25,400 per race).

So the 52 jumps races combined amounted for stakes totaling $1,231,596 (average $23,685) of which Waverley galloper Bad Boy Brown won $95,700 and Whanganui jumper Wise Men Say $78,100 for his owner/trainer Raymond Connors.

Bad Boy Brown's trainer Harvey Wilson also produced the third highest earner with It's A Wonder picking up $66,937.

Whanganui trainer Kevin Myers won his 10th consecutive Leading Jumps Trainer title with 14 wins, 10 clear of his nearest rivals, Peter and Jessica Brosnan and Shaun and Emma Clotworthy tied on four wins.

While no riders from this patch finished in the top three of races won, Waverley veteran Isaac Lupton finished third on the stakes won list with $120,075 to his credit.

Waverley jockey Isaac Lupton finished third on the highest stakes earner list for last season's jumps riders. Photo / Trish Dunell

Myers' main jumps rider, Palmerston North-based Shaun Fannin won the most races with 13 victories to top the stakes earners with $251,386 in the kitty.

Fannin has now recorded 79 wins over jumps, just one behind Mathew Gillies and three behind Aaron Kuru, according to national jumps statistician Chris McQuaid who provided all of these interesting facts and figures.

McQuaid went on to say while it is highly unlikely that anyone will reach 100 career wins this year, Fannin may well get to 50 steeplechase wins (he's on 43 now). There are also a couple of significant milestones coming up in numbers of rides, with Isaac Lupton now just 22 away from 1000 rides over jumps.