Breaking Records. Piere Strydom pilots Lady Calumet to victory to register his 4700th winner at Turffontein on Saturday
Former multiple South African champion jockey Piere Strydom achieved a notable milestone when riding the 4700th winner of his distinguished career on Lady Calumet at Turffontein on Saturday.
The 46 year old Strydom is riding like a demon this season and currently leads the South African national jockey log by twenty winners, ahead of last season’s champion, Anton Marcus.
The Port Elizabeth born Strydom has ridden some of the great horses of the past, including the likes of Jet Master, JJ The Jet Plane and Goldmark.
He has also won practically every major race in the country.
He won the Durban July on London News in 1996 and again on Trademark five years later. His most recent win in this race was last year, when he rode a terrific finish on Jet Master’s son, Pomodoro for Chris Van Niekerk and trainer Sean Tarry.
Strydom won the J & B Met on Angus in 2003 for this year’s winning owner Sabine Plattner and gained his biggest win outside South Africa on J J The Jet Plane in the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Sprint.
Champion. Piere Strydom says he will hit his prime when turning 50!
Striker Strydom was the South African Champion Jockey five times between 1990 to 1998.
He is one of only two South African jockeys to have surpassed the 4 000 winners mark.
He also has the distinction of having ridden all legs of the Pick Six – the first time this was achieved in the South African horse racing industry.
Saturday’s win on Lady Calumet for trainer Clinton Binda in the ninth race, an MR 72 Fillies and Mares Handicap run over the 1450m of the inside track, was vintage Strydom.
Lady Calumet jumped smartly and led most of the way in a well judged display from the saddle.
Strydom has been aboard in all 3 of the daughter of Lundy’s Liability’s victories.
In the post race presentation, where little fuss was made about the achievement, Strydom said that one needed the better rides and that he could not have done what he had without the support of the trainers and their owners over the years.
In a reference to his age, the blonde rider suggested that 30 used to be ‘prime’, but that these days going into age fifty was entering one’s prime. He is just over three years away from that marker!
Strydom said that he had been woken early on Sunday morning by trainer Clinton Binda who had advised that the filly would run without blinkers.
He said that she was a long striding filly and had done well at her first time on the inside track. He suggested that she could be tried again over a mile.
Strydom smiled when suggesting that anybody willing to spend R5 on a copy of The Citizen would have been able to read that Lady Calumet was his best ride of the day.
Paying tribute to Strydom’s capabilities, Lady Calumet’s trainer Clinton Binda smiled and said that the top jockey had ‘beneeked me twice’ when getting off the ride.
“But he made good today and it was a great ride. I am also thrilled for Kiki and Karel (Miedema),” he said.
