No Maybe’s For Mayhew!

Crowned Highveld Feature Season Champion Apprentice at Turffontein last Saturday evening, the Hopes And Dreams-sponsored Trent Mayhew is a rising star on the SA racing firmament and is looking forward to getting back to race-riding after being side-lined for close on four months.

“The acknowledgement on Saturday was a dream come true for me and I am extremely grateful for the quality of horse I have had the opportunity to ride and the amazing support I have received from trainers, owners, the SA Jockey Academy and my sponsors Hopes And Dreams Stud over the season,” the Vereeniging-born Trent told the Sporting Post in a catch-up over the weekend.

It’s actually been a great few days for the 20-year-old as he got the green light just a few days prior to Saturday’s awards function to start riding work again.

“It feels like it’s been a lifetime! At Turffontein on 26 January I came off Mary’s Greenlight in the canter down. She has a propensity to duck into the chute and I was pretty careful, but she has a mind of her own. I dislocated my shoulder and I sort of knew at that moment that it was going to be months!”

Trent says that he had hurt his shoulder at Fairview a few months earlier and so turned the negative incident into a positive and properly sorted the problematic shoulder out.

“My left shoulder and my bicep were operated on. I have done the rehabilitation and after a check-up last week I was, very happily believe me, cleared to start work-riding again,” adds Trent.

Ironically, his body weight has come down to 53,5kgs as he needs to rebuild muscle and get fit again, but he hopes to be back race-riding within four weeks.

Despite his lengthy absence, Trent has maintained his lead atop the SA National Champion Apprentice log and is currently 5 wins ahead of nearest challengers Nirvan Nastili, and Brevan Plaatjies, who has really grown in confidence since his relocation to the Cape.

Trent is quoted an even-money favourite on the Hollywoodbets SA Apprentice Jockeys Challenge betting. Nastili and Plaatjies are at a joint 3-1, with the progressive Jacey Botes the potential ‘dark horse’ at 8-1. Reigning SA Champion, the Sporting Post-sponsored Kobeli James Lihaba, is at 16-1.

Trent was quite surprised to hear he was favourite to lift the national title, and said he was well aware that he faced some serious opposition from his talented colleagues.

“I will probably have 6 weeks of the season left when I’m back and if I can boot home a minimum of a winner a week, it could be interesting as, believe me, all of the guys really want it badly! My personal goal though is to do my best to win the championship –  I will be going all out!”4

Trent observes that the SA Champion Apprentice title includes some major names over the decades.

“Mr Michael Roberts is a legend way before my time, but this country has continued to produce international stars and looking at the recent honour board, names like Rachel Venniker, Luke Ferraris, Lyle Hewitson, Kyle Strydom and Craig Zackey, make me very aware of the massive honour it is,” he says modestly.

Trent graduated through the Work rider ranks, similarly to the likes of Lyle Hewitson and Calvin Habib, and presents a living example of the merits of the alternative school of thinking that suggests allowing prospective jockeys to make career choices when they are mature and old enough to do so.

Arriving at the SA Jockey Academy in January 2023, Trent was well prepared. Dad Craig had been training racehorses for many years, sister Kelsey Mayhew-Munger had beaten the males in the Work rider ranks, and his brother-in-law Ryan was setting Woodbine racecourse alight since moving to Canada earlier that year.

The Sasolburg High graduate rode his first professional winner in August 2023. Piloting the 10-1 Dandolo for Tony Rivalland, Trent kept his head to switch in late before riding a well-balanced finish to dead-heat with Sporting Post-sponsored Athandiwe Mgudlwa on Quandary.

“That was an amazing day and I will cherish it forever. But for now, I need to get back to race-riding as life must go on!” he laughs.