In a historic first for the Hollywoodbets Durban July, 22-year-old Rachel Venniker is set to become the first female jockey to compete in Africa’s greatest horse race.
In its 128th year, the Hollywoodbets Durban will take place on July 6 at the Hollywoodbets racecourse in Greyville, Durban, bringing together thrilling horse racing, unique fashions and the best entertainment Durban has to offer.
Venniker, a SA Jockey Academy alumni, is not at all fazed by the fact that she is the first female jockey to compete in the Durban July.
Riding the gelding Without Question, owned by Justin Snaith, Venniker said the fact that she was the first female jockey to compete in the Durban July was not something that she focused on.
“It’s not a big deal,” she said. Venniker was set to make her mark in last year’s Durban July, but unfortunately suffered an injury one week before the big race.
“We were in the stalls, nearly ready for the gate to open, when my filly just reared up and I hit my head on the top of the gate.
They said it was whiplash and I was booked off for two weeks. I was devastated,” she said.
Born in KwaZulu-Natal, Venniker has been riding on the back of a horse since she was four years old, with both her parents being show jumpers.
She rides for the Michael Roberts stable.
In the male-dominated jockey world, Venniker has had great success. One of these was at the J&B Met in Cape Town, where she came third.
Earlier this year, she flashed past the post and won Saudi Arabia’s Invest Saudi International Jockeys Challenge Stakes, making history overseas. She became the first South African female rider to win in the desert Kingdom and the first South African female to defeat male rivals such as Ryan Moore (whose mount ran third) and former Australian legend Damien Oliver (fifth).
It was her first trip out of South Africa and her first big-race win as a fully-fledged jockey, having just completed her apprenticeship a month ago.
The Mercury