The training of apprentices was a somewhat haphazard affair in the early days of racing in Natal. At first Hottentot boys were used because they were light, skinny and small. Then boys began serve apprenticeship to “masters”.
In June 1926 the South African Jockey Club introduced a new set of rules for apprenticeship of jockeys with which all racing clubs in South Africa had to comply.
While boys could be apprenticed at an earlier age than before, they were not permitted to compete on race courses until they were 12 years of age, nor were they allowed to finish their apprenticeship before the age of 15. .After serving 12 months apprenticeship they were eligible for an even terms license.
The custom of allowing apprentices to attend race meetings on their own and accept freelance rides was forbidden. The rules stated: “No master shall allow his apprentice to ride at or attend any race meeting unless he himself is present or the apprentice is under the care and control of some person approved by the local executive of the Jockey Club”.
To make this proposal feasible it was necessary for each racing club to include at least four apprentice races in the course of each year - as was done in other countries. The Durban Turf Club found this difficult to comply with and they appealed for the apprentice races in the Durban area to be introduced to four - two to take place at Clairwood and two at Greyville –and that apprentices be required to complete in thee of these races before being allowed to ride in open company. Further they arranged for a special Apprentices Handicap with a stake of £210 to be included in their May 5 race meeting the following year over a distance of 1 ¼ miles. Whips and spurs were forbidden.
That apprentice jockey were sometimes very young in the early days , may be seen by the fact that at the turn of the century one of the leading jockeys in Pietermaritzburg (the City Sporting Club) was only eight years old . He was little George Badger who The Times of Natal acknowledged as “one of the principal and best known jockeys in Natal”.
He was so good, in fact , that in recognition of his outstanding contribution to racing, members of the racing fraternity in Pietermaritzburg presented little George with a silver cup and a cheque for a £100 at a banquet in his honour. In making the presentation racehorse owner Charles Barter recalled the time when Badger had won on his (Barter’s) horse and after the race dinner they had put the little jockey on a dish on the table and weighed him – he weighed only 43 lbs!
In 1932 a training school apprentices was mooted but it was only in October 1948, following a spate of mishaps and bad riding by apprentices, that such a school was again considered and G. Lariviere’s suggestion that he be allowed to coach in race riding was taken up by the Apprentices Welfare Committee with the owners and Trainers Association.
After lengthy meetings between stewards of the Durban Turf Club, the City Sporting Club and Clairwood, it was decided, with the approval of the Jockey Club of South
Africa, to establish a School of Instruction in Horsemanship in Natal. A seven-strong Examining Board was established test apprentices ability. It included the chair men of the Durban and Clairwood Turf Clubs as well as the Club veterinarian S.T. Amos who had originally suggested the establishment of the training School.
In the early days life had been tough for apprentices when they lived, slept, ate in the homes and the eyes of the trainers to whom they were indentured for five years. Alec Salvage, of the owners and Trainers Association maintained that 99% of training depended not on the trainer but on the interest taken in the apprentice by the older and more and more experienced jockeys. He felt the older jockeys did nothing to help or teach the apprentices. In fact they did not hesitate to stop any kid from becoming a competitor. The only answer was to establish a supervised riding school.
A few years later, in 1954, the Transvaal veterinarian Dr George Pfaff started a small apprentice school in Johannesburg where he taught the boys about horses, their care and management.
In Natal two years went by before a deputation of owners and trainers met with stewards of the Durban Turf Club to again consider the establishment of a properly run school for apprentices in the province. They felt that the position of jockeys had deteriorated to such an extent that unless steps were taken to encourage boys to enter the profession the future of racing would be in jeopardy.
The owners grievances prompted the Jockey Club of South Africa in 1957 to establish an apprentice central investigation committee to formulate a future policy for the training and welfare of apprentice jockeys. They suggested that hostels be established in the main centres beginning with Durban.
Local Jockey Club Executive Member Basil Jenman, together with Armand Bestel and W.H. Willy) Hamilton were appointed to investigate the matter. Hamilton was able to find a large house not far from Greyville racecourse in which to accommodate the apprentices and which was named Hamilton Lodge. Seven boys moved in at the beginning of August 1957 and the plan was to gradually increase the intake to a maximum of 20. The Jockey Club agreed to make a grant of £3 000 a year for three years.
The racing clubs were expected to give £50 every month and the Owners and Trainers Association and the Racehorse Owners Association agreed to a 1% deduction from all stakes as their contribution. Trainers would also contribute to the success of the school by paying £12 a month for each apprentice. In addition the Province granted £30 000 towards the establishment of the new Apprentice Riding School.
The boys were allowed to use the parade ring and hard track at Greyville while premises on the course were used as lecture rooms until other arrangements could be made.
Not long afterwards ten acres of land were acquired in Pinetown and in 1960 the Natal Jockey Academy came into being – under control of the Jockey Club of South Africa. It
was on Mariannhill Road and was bought from the Mariannhill Monastery. A bookmaker in the Gold Ring, A.W. Gorton, was appointed controller.
The Province built a handsome white double-storied school and laid out grounds to provide riding practices areas, while the three Natal racing clubs and the province continued to give financial support.
One of the school’s early successes was apprentice jockey J. Gorton. By the time he had completed his indentures at the end of June 1966 had ridden 50 winners and was Judged leading apprentice of the year. Runner up was D. Cave with 21 winners.
Eleven years after the Mariannhill school was built the Academy became a national institution, changed its name to the South African Jockey Academy and moved to Shongweni. Twenty-two acres of land were bought by the Jockey Academy from Summerveld training centre and it became an integral part of Summerveld. The academy was built by Silvermine Construction and designed by Tommy Bedford, architect and former Springbok rugby player. It was officially opened by the Administrator of Natal the Hon. W. W. B. Havemann on June 29, 1972.
Basil Jenman, who was chairman of the Jockey Club in Natal for 25 years, became the first chairman of the Jockey Academy. a position he was to hold for the next 30 years. He was succeeded by Ben Jonsson.
Jonsson, who inherited his love of the Turf from his grandfather, F. L. Jonsson, a founder steward of the Durban Turf Club, was involved in all spheres of horse racing. Not only was he chairman of the of the Jockey Academy, but he was also vice-chairman of the local executive of the Jockey Club a steward of the head executive of the Jockey Club of South Africa, vice-president of the Natal Owners and Trainers Association, chairman of the Natal Owners and Trainers Benevolent Fund and chairman of the Natal Horse Care Unit.
The academy was run on the lines of a boarding school. Boys had to pass standard VI and be 14 years of age to be admitted. It opened with 42 boys under the supervision of headmaster Patrick O’Connor, riding master Cyril Buckham and other dedicated staff. When Buckham was boarded due to ill health Brian Strydom was appointed to assist as riding master.
Apart from the ordinary academic school curriculum, the boys were trained in every aspect of horsemanship including stable management and veterinary science.
Mike Keenly became headmaster in 1990 and in 1995 had charge of 21 boys as well as six girls, one of whom, (Genevieve Michel) rode her first winner at Clairwood Park when she was 16.
He said an important criteria for a child’s acceptance at the Academy was his height and weight. Each applicant was measured from the base of the heel to the knee. “The distance should be 42cm. If they take size 3 or 4 shoes we don’t touch them because it means they’ll grow. Ideally, too, they should be able to ride at 50kg when they are adults.
The basic training at the academy, under riding master Vincent Curtis, took about six months before riding work was started. The students were up at first light and rode until 9a.m. when school work in classrooms began.
Outside the classroom, lessons in life skills, like discipline, determination and a will to win, were learnt.
By this time the Jockey Academy had built up a record second to none in the world with applications for admission to the academy coming in from all parts of South Africa and beyond. Between 300 to 400 inquiries were received at the beginning of every year – from as far afield as Mauritius and Hong Kong. These were whittled down to about 30. Within a year half of these might fall out through lack of riding ability and only four or five qualified jockeys graduated from the academy every year . Among these were such outstanding jockeys as David Payne, John Gorton, Basil Marcus, Michael ‘Muis’ Roberts and Mark Sutherland.
Muis Roberts, eleven times South African champion jockey had less luck over the years in the Rothmans July at Greyville. He made his debut in the July in 1971 as a 17 year old apprentice when he rode the 40-1 outsider Trampoline. He rode again unplaced in July’s from 1972-1976 before spending a season in England. He finished third on Denim Dandy in 1980 behind Beau Art and at the Rothmans July in 1981 he finished second on the 14-1 outsider French Mustard.
Michael took part in the July again in 1985 when he finished fourth behind Gondolier riding the Oppenheimer’s Bordrum. Ten years and a British Championship later, Roberts flew back especially to ride at the Savoy in the 1995 Rothmans July and again to no avail.
Mark Sutherland joined the SA Jockey’ Academy in 1974 shortly after his brother Allan was tragically killed there. Two years later he started his apprenticeship with Syd Laird and ended his apprenticeship with Aubrey Roberts before joining trainer Terrance Millard. After that in a matter of weeks he rode the winners of no fewer than four big feature races. He rode Tecla Bluff to victory in the Republic Day Handicap and then, a month later, again won on the filly in the 1983 Rothmans July. He rode Tecla Bluff again into first place in the Clairwood Winter Handicap and finally won the Jockey Brand Gold Cup on Hawkins. He rode another copybook race on Libran to win the Port Natal Handicap.
Another outstanding graduate of the Jockey Academy was Summerveld based David Payne who used to walk past Greyville racecourse on his way to school and look longingly through the railings at the magnificent thoroughbreds.
He joined the Jockey Academy in 1963 and in 1968 won the Rothmans July Handicap on Chimbora. But he soon began to experience weight problems so turned to training instead. In Full Flight was one of the first horses in his care. It won the Rothmans July in 1972. After that he won virtually every grade 1 race in the country. In the 1994 season he won a total of seven feature races and was awarded the NOTA trophy as trainer of the year. Payne trained Take a Walk in the 1995 Rothmans July.
Star apprentice in 1995 was 18-years old Paul Devlin who notched up his 44th win at Greyville in June 27 of that year. Earlier as South Africa’s representative, he won an international apprentice race in Macao.
Although the Academy was subsidized by the Province, the South African Jockey Club and the racing fraternity, in 1995 it cost R4 000 a month to train an apprentice jockey, “So it is actually the most elite, expensive private school in the country, claimed headmaster Mike Keenly.
In October 1995 Harry and Bridget Oppenheimer donated a racehorse simulator to the Academy. This was to prove a valuable aid in improving apprentices ‘riding skills and increasing their strength and fitness.
