ASIAN YOUNG GUNS CHALLENGE AT CLAIRWOOD RACECOURSE

Last meeting at Clairwood. FFC having his next run then but with Anton on probably.

THAM KIN CHONG (KC THAM)

Is the 23-year-old representative of Malaysia and is currently leading the Apprentice table in Malaysia. He won the Dato Yeoh Lee Memorial Trophy in 2013 and competed in the H.H. Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak EARS Apprentice Jockey Race in Abu Dhabi in 2013. KC Tham has 26 career wins to date.

FRANKLIN MALEKING

Is 23 years old and began his apprenticeship in 2010. In June 2013 he won the Prix Longines Future Racing Stars race when representing South Africa at the Future Riding Stars meeting in France and is currently third on the National Apprentice Log with 27 winners and an overall career total of 41 winners from 720 rides.

CRAIG ZACKEY

19 years old and is currently second on the South African Apprentice Jockey Log with 38 winners. He began his apprenticeship in 2011 and had his first race ride in March 2012. He has since booted home 63 winners.

KAZUO YOKOYAMA

Graduated from the Japan Jockey Association Horseracing School in 2011 and became stable jockey at the Miho Training Centre in Eastern Japan and in his best season in 2013 he rode 40 winners to be ranked 34th in the JRA Jockey Premiership. Now 21 years of age, he has ridden nine winners this season from 299 rides and is 58th on the JRA log. Kazuo has 65 career wins to date.



JYE McNEIL is a rising star at 19 years of age in the Victoria racing ranks in Australia and shot to prominence in the 2013/14 season with successes in regional and metropolitan races taking his career tally to more than 150 winners. Originally from Kerang in regional Victoria, he is completing his fourth year of apprenticeship under renowned trainer Gerald Egan who nurtured Group 1-winning jockeys Luke Nolan and Nick Hall.


GURU DEV AUCHARUZ (AKASH)

Is 24 years old and is the leading apprentice in Mauritius where he finished second on the apprentice log last year. Having started his apprenticeship in January 2012, he has ridden 99 winners including two Grade 2 and four Listed races.


RORY HUTCHINGS

19 years old and represents New Zealand where he is currently the leading apprentice and fourth overall on the New Zealand Jockey’s Premiership with 103 winners. This season he rode his first group race winners in the Group 2 Wellington Guineas and Group 3 Manawatu Classic. Beginning his career in the 2010/11 season, he has ridden 259 winners and with his 100th winner coming after only 18 months, he was champion apprentice in the 2012/13 season


CHAN HO LEE

Is 22 years old and is the leading apprentice jockey in South Korea. Dedicated and hard working, he has won 60 races including the Sunchang Invitational. Having gained work experience at the British Racing School, he will be riding in Australia in September. Chan has 63 career wins to date.


NOH SENARI

At the age of 22 is currently the leading apprentice in Singapore and with 18 winners from 143 rides is 10th on the Jockey Premiership. His riding career was interrupted for two years as he fulfilled his compulsory national service duties and returned to riding in June 2013. The product of the Singapore Turf Club’s “star programme”, he has become a very popular rider in the country. Noh has 32 career wins to date.


RYU ABE

At the age of 19 will represent Japan and rode his first winner on April 26, 2012, the day after he made his racing debut. He has been in great demand as an apprentice and has ridden 120 winners from his 1 193 rides to date.


YIN CHEUK LUI (DICKY)

23 years old and was the Champion Apprentice in Hong Kong in the 2012/13 season with 23 winners. After he was indentured on November 1, 2010 he travelled to New Zealand to join the John Sargent stable at Matamata to gain overseas experience and had 22 winners. Back in Hong Kong he was apprenticed to trainer Ricky Yiu to win the apprentice championship and this season so far has added 13 winners to his total tally.


CHONG FONG WONG (CASH)

24 years old and made his riding debut in July 2008. He was leading apprentice in Macau for the2008/09 and 2010/11 seasons and represented Macau in the Young Guns Challenge Series at Flemington in Australia in 2011. He is currently ranked 9th on the Macau Jockey’s Premiership with a career record of 73 winners and 234 placings from 1054 rides.

I hope RORY HUTCHINGS can bring MOUNTAIN MASTER home for me.

Champions of the future will take centre stage in a final tribute to one of South Africa’s most iconic thoroughbred racing venues when Clairwood Racecourse in Durban hosts its final meeting on Saturday.



A large crowd is expected at the southern Durban course for the Asian Young Guns Challenge, an international competition involving leading apprentice jockeys from the 10 countries that form the Asian Racing Association of which South Africa is a member.



Gold Circle, in conjunction with the SA Jockey Academy that is the official host of the meeting, have planned an exciting and entertaining day for the thousands of people expected and, according to Gold Circle’s Racing and Marketing Executive Graham Hawkins, there will be many “give-aways” for the public on the day.



A special trophy, inscribed “The Last Race”, to mark the final race ever run at Clairwood, will be presented to the owner of the horse that wins the final race of the day.



But on Saturday, in spite of the sadness and nostalgia that will be felt by those that have been closely connected with the course and the many that have memories of exciting experiences there, the show will go on with enthusiasm and dedication until the final curtain closes at the end of the day.



As can be expected, sentiment will be furthest from the minds of the young riders when their mounts are lead into the starting stalls in the four races that form the Challenge. For them it will be all about the task at hand and the burning desire to win and make their countries proud of them.



The Challenge was first staged in 2009 at the famous Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia and since then at courses in Singapore, Macau and New Zealand. It comes to South Africa for the first time where two top local apprentices will compete against leading young riders from Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Macau, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and Mauritius.



These are the potential champion jockeys of the future that have already shown the talent that could carry them through to the highest level and international racing fame in years to come.



For them it is another step forward in their quest for greatness and it is fitting that their dreams of the future pay tribute to the glory of the past that has been the Clairwood Racecourse where the “greats” of South African racing have gone to battle since the opening of the venue in May, 1921.



An exciting and entertaining day it will be, but one tinged with sadness. The great horses, great trainers and great jockeys, and the great battles they fought on the Clairwood turf, will become memories of the great past of a truly great racing venue.



It is a very special day, so join the crowd at Clairwood on Saturday to be part of the historic occasion as the hopefuls of the future, the Asian Young Guns, write the final chapter of Clairwood’s 93-year history.

Craig Eudey wrote: Last meeting at Clairwood. FFC having his next run then but with Anton on probably.

FFC is the one to beat from the outside gate. Last two runs have been against stronger company. Almost certain you will be doing the post race interview

Hi Bayern, I do think he is the horse to beat there. If he wins I will be leading the Trainers championship in KZN for at lest a little while!

Craig Eudey wrote: Hi Bayern, I do think he is the horse to beat there. If he wins I will be leading the Trainers championship in KZN for at lest a little while!

Good Luck Craig - hope to see you lead FFC into the number 1 box

Thanks Bob,

I was doing some digging into finding stats on these riders so this has been very helpfull

Loopy

On paper the Japanese guy(ABE) has ridden enough races (1193 - over 10% wins) to suggest he knows the ears from the tail - I think he'll do well

mr hawaii wrote: On paper the Japanese guy(ABE) has ridden enough races (1193 - over 10% wins) to suggest he knows the ears from the tail - I think he'll do well

Rainier is drawn well

Bob Brogan wrote:

mr hawaii wrote: On paper the Japanese guy(ABE) has ridden enough races (1193 - over 10% wins) to suggest he knows the ears from the tail - I think he'll do well

Rainier is drawn well

And he'll get riding instructions from "The Ace" who knows that track better than most so a first 2 is on the cards