Richard Fourie

Who is Richard Fourie?
I grew up in Meyerton in Johannesburg, close to the Vaal. I was a boarder in primary school and then attended Dr Malan in Meyerton for high school. I don’t come from a horsey family, but a school friend had an uncle that owned horses and he encouraged me to apply to the Academy. It was nerve-wracking because the Academy prefers to take apprentices when they are 14 turning 15 and I was already 16, plus I applied after the Academy already had their intake for the year, but they took my measurements and the next day I got a phone call asking me to go to Durban. I started a few weeks behind the other boys and the Academy was the first time I’d ever sat on a horse, but Mr Curtis said I was a natural. In my second year, Muis Roberts sponsored me and I got a bursary for the last 4 years of my apprenticeship. My dad passed away when I was five and my mom had to raise 3 kids on her own which was not easy, so it was a great help.

Who were your contemporaries?
Raymond Danielson, Gavin Lerena, Muzi Yeni and Keanen Steyn – it was a pretty competitive year!

Tell us a little about your early career?
My first win was on 8 July 2002 and it was on Groovy Baby for Mr Dennis Bosch at Scottsville over 1700m. I’ll never forget it. I rode for lots of people including Doug Campbell, Dennis Bosch, Mike Miller and Dennis Drier. I had a lot of support and I got good rides. I lost my claim 6 months later. In my fourth year, the Academy sent me to Cape Town. I was doing well in Durban and felt it was unnecessary, but it was the best thing for me. Firstly I met my girlfriend (Tatum Lea) who is now my wife and secondly it meant that I was back under Mr Curtis and a lot of the people I’d started with.

Early help / influences?
I have never been shy to ask. If you don’t ask, you’ll never know. People who helped me a lot early on were Basil Marcus, Vince Curtis and Jeff Lloyd. In Hong Kong, Weichong Marwing gave me knowledge on how the tracks run, etc. It all helps make you a better rider. In Cape Town Basil Marcus took me under his wing and I got to ride a lot of good horses, including Jay Peg. When we parted company, Justin (Snaith) didn’t have a no 1 rider. At that stage he had some really good horses coming through including the likes of Captain’s Lover, Russian Sage and Dancer’s Daughter. I rode four Gr1’s in my first season, so it was a pretty good start.

Any favourite horses?
I’ve been very fortunate to have ridden a lot of very good horses. My favourite has probably been Russian Sage. I won the Cape Derby and Daily News in 2008. H ewas a smart little horse and a smart little character. Legislate is obviously special. I’ve been riding him since he was a young horse and I’ve grown with him. He has no quirks, he’s just a loveable horse. When you get to know them and stick with them all the way through, it becomes personal. They’re more than just a horse, they become like family. You know immediately when they’re having an off day. That sort of knowledge is crucial with a big horse and a big yard. The better you know your horses, the better, so information is key. They’re all different and have their different personalities. In The Fast Lane doesn’t like me for some reason. Anyone else can go to her box and talk to her, but I do, she puts her ears back! But once I’m on her back, she’s fine. It’s important that a horse has a bit of attitude.

How was the July?
It was an amazing feeling. It was surreal really. You’re riding in front of 55,000 people and it’s loud. There’s a lot of atmosphere and you can cut the anticipation with a knife. Your nerves really get tested, because everyone is nervous. But as they jockey you can’t get nervous, because then your trainer and your owners will get nervous, so you’ve just got to keep calm. You’ve got to treat it like it’s just another race. You don’t want to get too ahead of yourself, you want to enjoy every moment, but you also need to make sure that you are focussed so that you are ready to do your best and get the best out of your horse when the time comes.

What did President Zuma say to you afterwards?
He said congratulations. He mentioned the other jockey and said he’d noticed that there had been a commotion. He was glad that they’d got the result sorted out. I can’t really explain it – he’s just an amazing guy. It was quite an honour.

What about that objection?
It’s not the first time a July result has been changed. There are rules in racing. The rules state that you are not allowed to make contact. MJ’s horse was hanging. He did everything he could to keep him straight, but he interfered with the running of my horse. I had to object as I felt it was unfair on my horse. I went to object and the stewards looked at it. The decision was the stewards call. It’s always tough from a public point of view, but you’re not allowed to touch another horse. You can be disqualified. If he hadn’t touched me, then there would not have been a problem, but at the end of the day, the stewards are the experts and they have the last say. I think it was the right decision.

Were there any awkward moments in the jockey room afterwards?
MJ and I are good friends outside of racing. After the post, you could see on his face that he wasn’t happy and knew what was coming. We spoke about it and he said ‘whatever happens, happens.’ He’s a gentleman and a true horseman and sportsman. We shook hands and everything is fine.

How is Legislate?
In a race everything goes so fast and things go wrong if you get pushed off your line. The second time he got bumped, he stumbled and changed legs quite hard. We think that’s when he banged himself. He was sore trotting back and there was some swelling behind the knee. I think everyone was fearing the worst, so we took all the necessary precautions and strapped it up. The following day, they took x-rays just to be safe, but I got a call from Justin at 11 o’clock on Sunday to say that Legislate had eaten up, was a lot more comfortable and that Justin was happy with him. He’ll have a bit of a break now and then we’ll be aiming him at the Queen’s Plate and the Met next season.

What does it mean to win the July?
For me, winning the July is huge, I think it is for any jockey. But I think it possibly meant even more to Justin because it secures the title for him and for Snaith Racing. They say what you put in is what you get out. I have never seen a trainer work so hard. Justin is there every single day. You expect most bosses to take the odd day off here and there, but I don’t remember when last he had a day off. He really deserves it.

What is Justin like to work for?
He’s the easiest boss to work for.  He just wants you to be punctual and consistent. It’s the same any boss wants, I guess.

Tell us about your injury?  What happened and how are you doing now?
About a month ago, I clipped heels with another horse in the Gold Challenge on Jet Explorer. I came down and fell on my shoulder and damaged my AC joint. Luckily I just pulled it and didn’t tear it, but it has dropped a little bit. I just knew Legislate was doing to win the July – It’s been a long time since I sat on a horse of this calibre, so I was determined to ride, but getting there was a big task. I found Dr Joe de Beer in Cape Town – he treats a lot of the rugby players – and to be honest, without him, none of this would have been possible. I’m really still supposed to be off, but they injected me with as much cortisone as they were allowed. They got me back to about 90% on race day. I got pulled around a bit, so I’m probably back down to about 65% now and I’ll be taking a bit of time off to recover properly.

You’re 28 years old and you’ve won our biggest race.  Where to from here?
Racing and riding is the best job in the world. I love horses and enjoy riding and just being with them – it’s my passion and I can’t imagine doing anything else. I just want to keep riding, learning and improving and I am lucky to have a wonderful family who understand and support me. I would like to win the Met and we are very excited about Legislate for the summer season. Other than that, I have ridden abroad and would very much like to ride in Japan – that would be a big achievement for me. To do that you have to win a jockey championship, so that will be next on my list.