Richard Fourie – what a season it was! (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
Winning Form rider Richard Fourie ended his glorious champion season of records and more records, on a new national season -high of 377 winners, including yet another Grade 1 strike on World Pool Gold Cup Day.
He will not ride again this term.
Fourie surpassed Anthony Delpech’s 25 year long record of 334 winners last month, and his new benchmark of 377 (22,9% win strike rate) looks to stand for a long time.
He rode in 1639 races and amassed stakes of over R44 million. He has now ridden 51 Gr1 winners.
NHRA Inquiry Review Boards confirmed last week that Fourie has been suspended from 29 July to 11 August. He is taking a deserved break in August.
This follows a guilty finding of a contravention of Rule 58.10.2 (Appendix E, read with Guideline M on the use of the crop) as the rider of Celtic Beauty, when she won the WSB Listed Scarlet Lady on 14 April, he misused his crop by striking the filly more than twelve times (13) which was not warranted when considering the circumstances of the race.
Fourie was suspended for a period of fourteen (14) days from 29.07.2024 to 11.08.2024, both days inclusive and fined R8250.
His colleague Craig Zackey ended the season in fourth position on the national log with 169 winners with at an 11,9% win strike-rate.
Zackey unfortunately had a blank day on Sunday, and was suspended under the same regulation for his ride on At My Command in the Gr1 Golden Horse Sprint on 1 June.
He misused his crop there by striking the gelding more than twelve times (13) which was not warranted when considering the circumstances of the race. He was suspended for a period of fourteen (14) days from 29.07.2024 to 11.08.2024, and fined R13 000.
