With just over two weeks left in the current 2014/15 racing season, Gavin Lerena (30) looks to be a sure bet for this year’s Champion Jockey of the Year title, a feat that he has yet to achieve in his career.
Lerena, who set a new South African record for riding the most winners within one calendar month – having ridden 42 winners in the month of June – is 16 points ahead of S’manga Khumalo, who is currently on 189 wins in this season. In third place is Gregory Cheyne.
Horse racing is in his blood, having come from a family deeply entrenched in horse racing. His cousin Brandon is a successful jockey and his father, Tex Lerena, was once the chairman of the South African Jockey’s Association and a jockey himself.
In an effort to give back, Lerena is donating R500 for every winner he rides until the end of the season to the Horse Care Unit in each particular racing jurisdiction where he wins, a gesture that is also being matched by others within in the sport.
Donations are desperately needed to assist with the welfare of horses and donkeys, providing care, re-homing and assistance.
The Champion Jockey of the Year will be announced at the annual Equus Awards being held on 11 August.
To learn more about the work done by the Coastal Horse Care Unit, visit www.coastalhorsecareunit.org.za.
