(Left to Right) Jockey apprentice Fezile Ngobese, SA Jockey Academy chief operating officer Tarryn Mason, Hollywood Group brand and communications manager Devin Heffer and jockey apprentice Damyan Pillay. (Photo credit: Hollywood Foundation)
The day starts early for apprentices at the South African Jockey Academy (SAJA). Up at 4am, the 40 young men and women are in the saddle, riding horses before most of us have even hit the snooze button on our alarms. Then it’s to class to hit the books, before stable duties, equiciser training, riding and video analysis in the afternoon.
Most begin their apprenticeship around the age of 16 and continue for five years. For many, the academy is their first experience living away from home. So, a lot of effort goes into ensuring it’s a happy environment and that the youngsters are comfortable and well cared for, says Tarryn Mason, the academy’s chief operating officer.
Mason says this frees the apprentices to focus their energies on what is a demanding study and training schedule. It’s also why the Hollywood Foundation has made a multi-million-rand commitment to full-scale upgrades and extensions to the academy’s facilities and living quarters, in Shongweni, near Durban.
“The first phase – the total revamp of the female and international apprentice dormitories – will accommodate SAJA’s biggest ever intake of female and international apprentice jockeys,” she says, adding that the Foundation’s involvement extends beyond bricks and mortar, representing, “an investment in young people and the future of horse racing.”
The curriculum’s academic component is geared at equipping the youngsters for careers in horse racing. Subjects include Business Studies, Equine Studies, English, isiZulu, Afrikaans, Life Orientation, Mathematical Literacy and Consumer Studies.
The practical programme begins with intensive riding tuition, followed by advanced jockey training. Once an apprentice has demonstrated the necessary ability and made sufficient progress, he or she moves on to riding work at the training tracks, under the guidance of the academy’s riding masters.
More than half of the apprentices enrolled at the internationally respected academy are from abroad, including Mauritius, South Korea, Qatar, Hong Kong and Hungary, with the balance being South African.
Over nearly seven decades, the academy has produced many top jockeys, but during Covid it fell on hard times. Numbers dwindled to just 14 apprentices amid fears it would be forced to close its doors.
Thanks to the Foundation’s intervention, the academy can now look to the future, with the revamp meaning South African horse racing has a world-class facility it can be justly proud of.
Among the beneficiaries is Fezile Ngobese, from KwaMashu, the north Durban township. Ngobese, now 20, started his school career at Clarence Primary, a stone’s throw from the Hollywoodbets Greyville Racecourse.
A family friend suggested Ngobese, who is slight of build, consider becoming a jockey. It wasn’t something he had ever considered, but he took the advice and never looked back.
“Growing up, you don’t always think of riding horses. For most young people back at home, it’s always been soccer or becoming a lawyer or some conventional career path. Joining the academy has given me much-needed skills and opened doors for me to launch my racing career,” he says.
Jockey apprentice Fezile Ngobese. (Photo Credit: Hollywood Foundation)
Ngobese matriculated in 2024 after two years at the academy. The charismatic young man admits the journey so far has been anything but easy.
“It has been an exciting roller coaster ride, and the riding masters have been so encouraging that it would be a disappointment to not try one’s hardest,” says Ngobese.
“You need to improve and make progress. The one thing I picked up from my primary school days was that progress demands effort. Now I’m looking to get my first winner,” he says.
It’s early days still and he must first build a career, but Ngobese has big dreams, including one day riding internationally.
“I do think that with enough time and enough experience, I can become a freelance jockey that even Hong Kong trainers can think of calling on when they have a big race day. With enough focus and determination and by staying humble and keeping on grinding, the sky is the limit,” he says.
In hindsight, would he consider a different path?
“Absolutely not. I love this. I live for this,” he says.
Damyan Pillay, the academy’s head boy, says his love for horse racing began while he was at Merchiston Preparatory School. At high school, St Charles College, Pillay’s passion for show jumping grew in leaps and bounds, prompting him to apply to the academy in Grade 10.
He has since completed four out of five years at the academy, including Grade 12.
Picked for his leadership skills, the Pietermaritzburg-born lad says he enjoys helping newcomers find their feet.
During a recent ceremony to mark the conclusion of the first phase of the academy’s revamp, Pillay thanked the Foundation for its support.
“I encourage the apprentices to remember that investments such as this come with responsibilities. Make the most of the opportunities we have been given and continue working towards becoming the best jockeys and professionals we can be. We are incredibly grateful and look forward to making the SA Jockey Academy, the Hollywood Foundation and South Africa proud,’’ he said.
Jockey apprentice Damyan Pillay. (Photo Credit: Hollywood Foundation)
As for his own future, Pillay looked forward to getting more riding opportunities, particularly in Cape Town, Gqeberha and Johannesburg, as he builds his career. And he too has ambitions to ride internationally one day but has no illusions about what this will require.
“You don’t get handed things. You have got to work for what you get. That is what my mom always told me. If you put in the work, you get the rewards,” he says.
