By Nico Kritsiotis. Published September 2026.
Horse racing in South Africa has undergone a vast change over the generations. I am often asked what is the most important variable when choosing a potential winner of any race. Invariably, I answer that it would be the jockey riding the horse. So, therefore, it is all important to look at jockey and trainer combinations in any race that you are studying to pick a winner in.
Why the Jockey Is Your Most Important Variable
When you strip a race down to its fundamentals, so many variables are moving all at once. The horse’s form, the draw, the going, the class, the trip, the weight. All of them matter. But the one that sits behind the wheel, quite literally, is the jockey. A skilled rider can win on a horse that shouldn’t have won. A less experienced rider can lose on a horse that should have won comfortably. That is why, when I sit down to analyse a race card, my eyes go straight to the rider first.
And once you are looking at the jockey, the next thing to check is who they are riding for. That is where the trainer combination comes in.
The Traditional “Stable Jockey” System
In years gone by, it was customary for jockeys to be attached or indentured to trainers during their apprenticeship or once they had qualified. Then he or she would have been referred to as a “stable jockey.” The benefits for any stable having a stable jockey were numerous.
The stable rider would be able to ride work every morning and work together with the trainer and their team to learn about the quirks and mannerisms of all the horses in their yard. When the trainer stepped out horses on a race day, the punters would take note of which horse the stable rider was put on. That would be the stable’s preferred runner if they had accepted with more than one horse in the same race.
What a Stable Jockey Brings to the Yard
- Daily work with the horses. The rider learns every horse’s quirks and mannerisms from morning gallops, not just from race day.
- A punter’s signal. When the stable declared more than one runner in the same race, the horse the stable rider chose was almost always the yard’s fancy.
- Invaluable post-race feedback. The jockey could give the trainer honest input on whether the horse was running over the right trip, whether it needed a different track, or whether new equipment (blinkers, tongue-tie, cheekpieces) might unlock more improvement.
- Continuity for the horse. A horse that always feels the same hands is a horse that settles quickly at the barriers and produces its best.
The Rise of the Retained Jockey
The last couple of years, the stable jockey idea has been turfed, mostly. What is in fashion is for owners of racehorses to pay a certain jockey or jockeys a retainer to ride their horses regardless of which trainer the horse is trained by.
This, and I have seen it, has created some heated debate between owners and trainers where horses have actually been moved away from certain trainers because owners are adamant that they want their retained jockey to ride ALL of the horses owned by them. The unfortunate occurrence with this custom is that, in most cases, the riders don’t get the chance to go to the trainer’s stable to ride and get to know these horses. The rider in question may not even be based in the same city that the horses are stabled in.
It is now taken for granted that trainers must use the retained jockeys and must declare them on their horses whether they want to or not.
Why This Shift Matters for South African Punters
From a punter’s perspective, this new arrangement muddies the waters. That jockey might well have wanted to ride another horse in the same race that he or she believed would have a better chance of winning. But because of their retainer paid to them by the owner, they are obliged to ride for that owner. And that is not necessarily their best option in the race.
In a game where there are many variables you need to look at before you decide who is the right horse to back or punt in a race, this latest trend has become important to ponder over. It can be very misleading. For that reason, punters would need to mull over which horse a jockey would probably have been aboard had they not entered into an agreement with a particular owner.
How to Read Jockey Bookings on Race Day
Before you settle on your bet for any race, ask yourself these questions:
- Is this jockey on a retainer? If they are, check who they are contracted to. That tells you whether their booking on a horse is a rating of the horse’s chance, or simply an obligation.
- Would the jockey have picked a different horse? If there’s another runner in the same race that better suits the jockey’s style or has better recent form, the retained horse might not be the yard’s or the rider’s genuine fancy.
- How well does the jockey know this horse? A retained rider who has never sat on the horse in a work morning is riding blind, especially at a strange track.
- Where is the horse stabled versus where the jockey is based? If the geography does not match, the rider is likely getting their first sit on the horse in the parade ring.
Always look at this when analysing any race and you’ll be better off than blindly going with what your favourite rider is riding on the day.
Where to Watch and Bet on SA Racing
For more form and race preparation reading, take a look at our horse racing odds and forms guide and the RaceLab Insights explainer. If you’re new to SA racing, the beginner’s guide to race types is worth a read.
You can catch every race live via 10bet’s horse racing live-streaming service (Vaal, Turffontein, Fairview and Greyville all covered) and place your bets on the 10bet sports betting platform.
Have a great racing week folks.
Nico Kritsiotis writes The Inside Scoop column for the 10bet blog.
18+. Please gamble responsibly. Winners know when to stop. National Responsible Gambling Programme helpline: 0800 006 008. Bet only what you can afford to lose. 10bet is a licensed South African bookmaker (Edcobrite Pty Ltd), regulated by the Mpumalanga Economic Regulator.
