Robbie Fradd
Robbie Fradd is back in South Africa after a lengthy stay in Hong Kong and Singapore.
As yet he has no fixed plans as to his future but in the meantime local trainers, owners and racegoers will have the benefit of his experience. Many will always remember him for his association with the brilliant Dynasty who as a three year old, won the July from the worst possible draw. Since then Robbie has gained an immense amount of experience, and all in the racing game eagerly await the time he will be riding regularly. Hopefully he will decide to come back to South Africa on a permanent basis.
What is your name and age? Robert Fradd, 46yrs.
Where do you live? Summerveld, Durban
Tell us about your family? Divorced and have 2 daughters.
Was most of your early career spent in KZN? Yes. I did my apprenticeship here and did most of my riding here as well.
When did you get your jockey’s license? I qualified in 1986 so that’s when I became a fully-fledged jockey.
Who were the trainers you were most successful with? There have been many but in my early years Vaughan Marshall, Reg Passmore and Mr Jacky Gorton. Later there were many trainers I rode for including Mrs Clodagh Shaw.
Which do you consider to be the best you won on before leaving for Hong Kong and Singapore? That would be La Fabulous, Taban, Wonderful World, League Title and a few others.
What made you decide to try your luck overseas? I was approached by a Hong Kong trainer who wanted a South African jockey so I grabbed the opportunity and went abroad.
Who did you ride for in Hong Kong? A trainer called Ricky Yui and after him various other trainers.
How successful were you in Hong Kong? I think I was very successful. I won the Hong Kong jockeys’ title and was twice runner up.
What was the biggest race you won in Hong Kong? I won the Stewards Cup on 3 occasions. The Champion and Charters Cup, Hong Kong Derby, International Mile Trail, Champions Mile, and I won the Yusheda Kinen which is Japan’s biggest mile race.
Which was the best horse you rode in Hong Kong? Fairy King Prawn and Electronic Unicorn.
How many winners did you ride in Hong Kong? 400+
Were you mainly friendly with the South African jockeys in Hong Kong or did you manage to make friends with some of the other jockeys as well? I made a lot of friends with the international jockeys and I’m very good friends with Waichong Marwing.
How easily did you settle into the lifestyle in Hong Kong? Pretty easily – it’s a city that goes nonstop but you eventually get to fit in.
What would you say are the main differences between being a jockey in Hong Kong and Singapore and with that of being a jockey in South Africa? Well Hong Kong would be about 15yrs ahead of Singapore in most departments so being a rider in Hong Kong is an honour and a privilege plus it improves your riding in a big way, Singapore is not as professional as Hong Kong but has a more relaxed type of racing. South Africa is where most of us start and make a name for ourselves plus here we travel a lot in order to try and get as many winners as possible so that if we want to venture somewhere else our record has the right credentials, but it’s a great place to ride.
What did your day consist of in Hong Kong? Once a week a few of us would get out on the golf course and play a round of golf or meet up with owners and some trainers.
What important lessons did you learn from riding in Hong Kong and Singapore? To be as professional as one can be and be humble no matter how much success you have.
What is your riding mass now? 52kg.
Was it always a plan for you to ride in Hong Kong and then to move to Singapore? Not really. I wanted a change from Hong Kong so I did a bit of riding in Singapore as I thought at the time it would be the right change for me. I then decided to give Singapore a go.
Once in Singapore did you mainly ride for Patrick Shaw? Yes – mainly for Pat.
How many horses does Patrick have in his yard? About 58.
How long were you in Singapore? 4yrs 4mths.
How many winners did you ride in Singapore and what do you consider the best horse you won with over there? About 200+ winners and Rocket Man was the best I rode over there.
Is there much of a difference between riding in Hong Kong and Singapore? Yes. Hong Kong is about 15yrs ahead of Singapore so there is a huge difference.
How did you spend your free time in Singapore? Well it’s a great city to live in and you have warm weather all year round so going to the golf course is something we would do or go to the beach.
Have you come back to South Africa to settle or are you intending to return overseas to continue your career there? I’m staying here for a while and then who knows what comes up. Maybe I will see what happens here then decide later as to where I will go.
You are currently on suspension. Will you be able to ride in the July and, if so, is there any horse which you think you would ride in the July? At the moment I cannot ride on July day and I have not looked at the noms plus I’m a bit out on the form here so if I would stick my neck out I did see a very good filly run here called Igugu plus the fact that she is trained by one of the world’s best trainers, she would be my choice to win.
How would you compare the standard of SA horses with those in Hong Kong and Singapore? South Africa breeds great horses and they hold their own anywhere in the world.
Are you going to make your base in KZN or would you think about riding in Gauteng or in the Cape? I will be based in KZN and maybe travel to the other cities.
What are your ambitions with regard to your career? I want to win as many races as I can.
Do you ever tell friends or family to have a punt on a horse you really think will win? No.
Do you have a favourite racecourse to race on? Not in SA at the moment.
Is there any particular personality who influenced you to make racing such a big part of your life? There have been some great people that have given me the best advice. At the end of the day it is up to me to do what’s right in my career.
For you personally what has been the most exciting moment of the past year or two? There has not been that much excitement, but now that I am back I hope there will be something.
How do you celebrate a big win? Well, it depends but I prefer to just go out and enjoy myself.
If you have to name the most important lessons you have learnt about racing thus far what would you say that is? Keep quiet and go about your business and ignore the gossip that unfortunately comes with the racing game.
What is your philosophy on the racing game? It can be a great industry where dreams are made and broken.
From what you have observed of racing do you think the game is straight or do you think there is room for stricter controls? Where there is large amounts of money involved you will always get some sort of ill going on. You can only try to control it the best one can.
If you had one piece of advice for your fellow associates in the racing world what would it be? Work very hard and never give up and make sure you have respect for people who have been in the game for a long time.
