Muzi Yeni (born 6 December 1986 in Durban) is a South African thoroughbred horse racing jockey. To date he has won Numerous Grade 1 races, with 1788 career wins (as off 24 May 2021).
| Muzi Yeni | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Jockey |
| Born | 6 December 1986 Claremont, Durban |
| Career wins | 1788* (as of 24 May 2021) |
| Major racing wins | |
| President’s Champions Challenge (2011) Champions Cup (2012) Allan Robertson (2014) Thekwini Stakes (2015) SA Classic (2018) Premier's Champions Challenge (2018) SA Triple Tiara (2021) WILGERBOSDRIFT SA OAKS (2021) H F OPPENHEIMER HORSE CHESTNUT STAKES (Grade 1) (2021) | |
| Significant horses | |
| Happy Landing, Master Plan, Alboran Sea, Lauderdale, Lobo’s Legend, Coral Fever, War of Athena, Gotthegreenlight | |
He finished second in the 2018/19 SA Jockey Championship riding 215 winners, narrowly losing by 3 wins, to Lyle Hewitson.[1]
Yeni won his first race in the 12th start of his career. He rode Storm King to victory for Mike de Kock at Clairwood in November 2003.[2]
Yeni's first Grade 1 victory came in the President's Champions Challenge over 2000m at Turffontein in April 2011. He rode Happy Landing to victory, which was a big outsider at 55/1.[3]
Muzi Yeni won the Grade 2 Peermont Emperors Palace Charity Mile at Turffontein Racecourse in November 2018. Yeni rode Coral Fever to victory, winning R150,000 for his charity, Khangezile Primary School.[4]
Early career
editYeni was educated at Hunt Road Secondary, before earning his matric at the South African Jockey Academy.
As an apprentice he rode 75 winners. In the 2007/08 season, his first as a fully fledged jockey out of the academy, he rode 36 winners. The following season he rode 57, and 97 in the 2009/10 season. He then broke into the top 10 in the 2010/2011 season, finishing third on the national log with 133 winners.[5]
National Honours
editMuzi Yeni rode for Team SA for the first time in the International Jockeys’ Challenge in 2010, where he subsequently won the Turffontein leg.[6]
He represented Team SA in Premier Gateway Challenge in Singapore in September 2018.[7][8]
References
edit- ^ "Hewitson Is Champion!". Sporting Post. 31 July 2019.
- ^ "'Magic Man' Muzi's July Dream". Sporting Post. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
- ^ "Gr1 Champions Challenge - Happy Landing". Sporting Post. 2 May 2011. Retrieved 5 May 2011.
- ^ "Fever hits the Peermont Emperors Palace Charity Mile at Turffontein Racecourse". Alberton Record. 7 November 2018. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
- ^ "Press Room - Muzi Yeni". Racing, It's a Rush.
- ^ "MARWING, STRYDOM WILDCARD PICKS FOR SA JOCKEYS TEAM". www.sahracing.com. SAHorseracing.COM - South African Horseracing and Betting.
- ^ David Mollett. "Jockey Muzi Yeni has a chance to shine abroad". BusinessLIVE. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
- ^ "Singapore to host first International Jockeys Challenge in September". www.turfclub.com.sg. Singapore Turf Club. Retrieved 26 July 2018.