SA Horseracing recently took time out to find out more about the dynamic Ashton Arries who is an apprentice from the South African Jockey Academy.

Do you have any family connections to racing? If yes please elaborate.
No family connections at all.

How did you get involved in becoming an apprentice?
I first heard about the Academy when Mr. Welch visited my school, Saxonsea Secondary, in Atlantis to tell us about the Jockey Academy and recruit potential apprentices.

How long have you had aspirations to become a jockey?
Ever since Mr. Welch came to my school, I took the Application Form home, I watched some races on Tellytrack and decided to apply and the rest is history.

Are there any special traits or requirements one needs for the profession?
People skills are very important, as you must build good relationships with the senior jockeys, owners and trainers. These are the people who can assist you in the profession, especially when it comes getting the opportunities to prove yourself!
A sense of feeling is very important, it’s hard to describe but it comes with practice and you have to put your mind to it and concentrate. You need to develop a feel for a horse, feel for where you are in a race and also feel for the pace of the race and where your horse needs to be with this pace.

How do you keep fit physically and mentally?
The Academy has a very good fitness programme that keeps me fit and focused. Riding work 6 days a week also keeps you fit.

Who, if anyone, has inspired you in racing?
All the Riding Masters at the Academy and the Headmaster, Mr. Bailey, have been the people who have inspired me in racing.

Who is your favourite jockey and why?
I don’t have a favourite jockey, as I feel there is no good or bad jockeys! All jockeys have different skills and abilities and it’s the opportunities you get as a jockey and how use these opportunities that define your career.
What are the qualities or attributes that an apprentice needs to have in order to be successful in this game?
Hard work, dedication and mental focus.

What race do you aspire to win, both locally and nationally?
The Vodacom Durban July and the Sun Met are the two races that I would love to win!

Where is your favourite racetrack?
The Greyville polytrack in Durban because I know the track well and have had a lot of success there!

What would you like to see changed in racing?
More Owners to be attracted to the game and see Apprentices get more opportunities if they put in the hard work in the mornings at track.

What advice would give someone keen in getting involved in becoming an apprentice?
It’s going to be very tough, so you need to be focused and it must be something that you want to do.

How many winners have you had to date?
I have had 97 winners so far and as soon as I’m back from injury I want to get to the century of winners as an apprentice!

Give us an example of what you have learnt about racing riding (or work riding) specific to your technique or weakness that you have worked on successfully?
Learning Pace was critical to me improving my race riding, it is a technique that I developed myself through watching and learning from top jockeys such as Anthony Delpech and Anton Marcus.

Where do you see yourself in the future in this racing industry?
I see myself as a future top jockey and aspire to be a National Champion Jockey.

What do you think of the SAJA and the work they do for you?
The 5 year journey at Academy is tough but it makes you successful. You have to learn from your mistakes and improve. The staff do their best to make you succeed.