South African jockey log leader Muzi Yeni has been granted a one-day visiting jockey’s licence to ride at the Gr1 Grand Singapore Gold Cup meeting on Saturday, 5 October.
Yeni will take the reins on the David Kok-trained Smart Star in the iconic handicap feature race run over 2000m.
Muzi Yeni – winging his way to Singapore (Pic – JC Photos)
The 37-year-old Durban-born jockey rode in Singapore six years ago at two meetings, including the inaugural Premier Gateway International Jockeys Challenge at Kranji. His best results were one second and one third from 12 rides.
Yeni graduated from the South African Jockey Academy in 2003 and opened his account in the same year. He became a fully-fledged jockey in the 2007/2008 season and has since been recognised as one of the best jockeys in South Africa. The pocket dynamo has won the Northern Cape championship 11 times, the Eastern Cape title twice and the Highveld championship once.
In 21 years of riding, Yeni has chalked up more than 2000 wins, including 16 Group 1 wins and 35 Group 2 and Group 3 wins.
His first Group 1 victory came in the 2011 President’s Champions Challenge on board outsider Happy Landing at Turffontein, before going on to win the same race three more times in 2018, 2021 and 2024, when he scored aboard Royal Victory.
His latest and second Gr1 win this year was atop subsequent SA Horse Of The Year Dave The King in the Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge in June.
Yeni has also ridden in Brazil, Greece, Macau, Mauritius and South Korea. He is currently ranked first on the South African jockeys’ premiership at 49 wins. He goes to scale at 50kgs.
The Sporting Post was informed that two other SA-born jockeys may also be making the journey to Singapore to mark the final racemeeting in the Lion City’s 180 year -long history. This will be confirmed in due course.
