black jockey shakes up african racing
Saturday 5 April 2025
Last Updated : GMT 05:17:37
Emiratesvoice, emirates voice

He is the man of the moment

Black jockey shakes up African racing

Emiratesvoice, emirates voice

Emiratesvoice, emirates voice Black jockey shakes up African racing

The first black jockey, S'manga Khumalo
Durban - Arab Today

The first black jockey, S\'manga Khumalo S\'manga Khumalo recently became the first black jockey to win the prestigious Vodacom Durban July - Africa\'s biggest horse race. He has come a way from a poor childhood in Durban. \"He is the man of the moment ,\" said Louis, a middle-aged South African. At the track, he has just placed a bet on horse number six - S\'manga Khumalo\'s in the next race at the Turffontein racecourse.
S\'manga Khumalo has become well-known amongst South African jockeys. Piet, another better, described the 28-year-old rider as someone who has \"that urge to win.\" As the race kicked off, Piet said, laughing, \"Give him a donkey and he will want to win on that donkey.\"
S\'manga Khumalo\'s horse speeds off at around 70 kilometers per hour (44 miles per hour). Each of these long-legged animals is worth several million South African Rand. Khumalo as well has been highly valued since he won the Durban. On this sunny but windy afternoon, he is scheduled for eight races. If he wins, he gets 6.5 percent of the prize money - averaging 300 euros ($395) per race.
Size counts
It\'s all about weight and height for these dainty men on horses. Khumalo measures 52.5 kilograms (116 pounds) and 1.54 meters (5\"1\'). One wonders what this wiry man with short bleached hair and two sparkling crystal earrings eats. Once back in the jockey\'s quarters sipping a coke, he admitted: \"We eat nothing. You starve yourself so you can make the weight.\" He is attempting to keep his current weight, with which he belongs in the lightest category of jockeys.
Nowadays Khumalo is confident about his size, but that was not always the case. He recalled how, growing up, he was always the smallest. He counts himself lucky to have ended up in this sport, where small men can make it big. \"I was happy to fit in somewhere. All the time I had wished that I could be taller, so that I didn\'t get picked on.\"
Rags to riches
Khumalo\'s father was unemployed and his mother was a domestic worker, so they didn\'t have much to support him and his four siblings. He grew up in a crime- and poverty-ridden township north of Durban at the height of South Africa\'s fight against the racist apartheid regime. They had to move around multiple times to escape the violence of the early 90s.
He struck it lucky at 13. A talent scout of the Durban jockey academy found Khumalo at his school, measuring him and asking him if he might be interested in horseracing. Khumalo decided to give it a try - he was too small for soccer or basketball.
Long journey
Khumalo said he was terrified of horses when he met his first at age 14. Today, he said they are his best friends, and that he trains, plays and talks with them every day.
During his five-year apprenticeship at the Durban jockey academy, he had to clean horses, muck out stables and stick to strict timetables and workouts. There were a couple other black jockey trainees, but so far he\'s been the only one to make it.
Winning South Africa\'s richest race in Durban was like a dream come true, he said. Crossing the finish line \"was a feeling I\'d never change it for anything in my life … I was electrified.\" The crowd of 50,000 cheering fans send shivers down his spine: \"If I had had wings that day, I would have flown.\" Despite having won pretty much every race in South Africa, he remains humble: \"I was just glad to be a part of it.\"
Khumalo became the first-ever black jockey to win in the Vodacom Durban July\'s 116 year history - horse racing was historically dominated by whites. In the past, Black people were not even allowed on the turf. He saw his winning the major race as historic: \"I just proved to a lot of trainers and a lot of owners that as Black people, we can do it as well.\"
Khumalo is now one of the top 10 jockeys in the country, and enjoys his success - although he has to work hard. He rides 80 to 90 different horses a month, usually seven days a week. So far, he has bought a big black German car, a house, and a flat, and he has moved his mother into a more affluent area.
However, he added that horse racing is a harsh business. A 500-kilogram horse can easily crush a jockey if he falls, and trainers \"just want you if you are good at that time … if things go bad, they can\'t use you.\"
Risky job
Rivalry and jealousy amongst the jockeys is rife as well, so Khumalo also has to fear sabotage. Khumalo frowned recalling three serious accidents. As a father of two small children, he remains and well aware that \"you have to look out for yourself.\"
But Khumalo tends to look on the bright side. He\'s busy living his dream, and already has his eyes on the next title: \"My next big goal would be to become the first black champion jockey of South Africa,\" meaning winning more races than anyone else in a season. If that happens, Khumalo could make history - again.
Source: Deutsche Welle

Black jockey shakes up African racing

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

black jockey shakes up african racing black jockey shakes up african racing

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

black jockey shakes up african racing black jockey shakes up african racing

 



GMT 16:17 2018 Thursday ,30 August

Five Saudi women pilots granted GACA licences

GMT 05:14 2024 Wednesday ,07 February

Sophisticated Classic Dining Room Design Ideas

GMT 05:37 2011 Monday ,19 December

Cooler weather expected on Monday

GMT 20:46 2017 Friday ,13 October

Eminem in rap attack on Donald Trump

GMT 07:19 2017 Monday ,30 October

HSBC profits up five-fold in third quarter

GMT 11:09 2017 Tuesday ,14 March

'Kong' swings to top of North American box office

GMT 11:12 2012 Saturday ,07 January

Shipra Khanna won Masterchef India

GMT 03:49 2014 Saturday ,16 August

Ultra-rare crocs survive in Philippine 'Noah's Ark'

GMT 00:05 2015 Friday ,27 March

Saudi Arabia, Gulf's best-equipped army

GMT 17:47 2016 Thursday ,01 September

Manila eyes reviving mothballed nuke plant

GMT 10:34 2011 Wednesday ,15 June

Scientists predict rare \'hibernation\' of sunspots

GMT 23:08 2017 Wednesday ,12 July

3,500 tobacco products seized from groceries in UAE

GMT 17:58 2011 Wednesday ,15 June

CIA air base in works for Gulf

GMT 14:14 2012 Saturday ,07 April

I hope to bring the revolution to TV
 
 Emirates Voice Facebook,emirates voice facebook  Emirates Voice Twitter,emirates voice twitter Emirates Voice Rss,emirates voice rss  Emirates Voice Youtube,emirates voice youtube  Emirates Voice Youtube,emirates voice youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2025 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2025 ©

emiratesvoieen emiratesvoiceen emiratesvoiceen emiratesvoiceen
emiratesvoice emiratesvoice emiratesvoice
emiratesvoice
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
emiratesvoice, Emiratesvoice, Emiratesvoice