Joe Kamaruddin continued on his winning way at Te Rapa on Saturday, when he steered Top Brass to victory in the Dunstan Feeds 1200 for his employer, Jamie Richards.
The son of Epaulette and Highlight settled just behind the pace, and after being held up momentarily in the straight, he stormed home to score convincingly on the line.
“I had luck!” 28-year-old Kamaruddin told RaceForm earlier this week. “I didn’t have the gap, but I was just thinking where I wanted to go, so I pulled back and got wide. He got home so well.”
The talented apprentice has now had 19 wins this season from 169 rides, giving him a strike-rate of 8.89 – not bad for someone who only had his first raceday ride two years ago.
Born in Malaysia, Kamaruddin had designs on becoming a jockey from an early age.
“In my country, I was always watching Harry Kasim and Shafiq ‘Suppy’ Rusof riding at the races, and I thought to myself, ‘I want to be a jockey one day.’ I had a pony back home, but rode it with no saddle – so very different!
“First, I worked for K.L. Chong in Malaysia for three or four years, but it wasn’t easy to get a jockey’s licence. So one day, I gave up, and said I didn’t want to be a jockey anymore.
“I left the horses and I left races. I got another job, delivering food for a restaurant.”
Six months later, a friend from Penang got in touch, saying that he knew a trainer who was looking for a trackwork rider.
“I went to see the trainer, Bonny Ng and he said that he wouldn’t help me apply for my jockey’s licence – but I said I didn’t want to be a jockey anyway, I’d waited too long and had given up, so just wanted to be a trackwork rider.
“But I wanted them to pay me good money!” he laughs.
He spent two years working for Bonny Ng in Penang, when an opportunity in Singapore came knocking.
“A friend from Singapore rang, and told me that his boss was looking for a track rider.
“I didn’t have the money to go to Singapore, so me and my best friend rode to Singapore on motorbikes. It took 12 hours from Penang. We had no money, we couldn’t afford to eat, and we were so tired. It was very hard.
“It took two months to get my visa in Singapore, but I was lucky – my friend in Singapore, who had asked me to come, looked after me. He supported me with everything, with money, with food. My family and I had known him for a long time, and he took care of me.”
He worked for Singapore trainer Steven Burridge as a trackwork rider for nearly three years, and both Harry Kasim and Shafiq ‘Suppy’ Rusof helped him along the way.
“I liked Singapore – it was so cool, such a nice country. I lived with Suppy, and he helped me with everything.
“After a couple of years, Suppy asked me if I wanted to become a jockey, and I said, ‘yes, but it’s very hard for me.’ He said that he would recommend me to Te Akau Racing in New Zealand
“I was so happy!”
Kamarrudin arrived in New Zealand three years ago, and has been working for Te Akau Racing ever since. He is indentured to Jamie Richards, and is full of praise for New Zealand’s leading trainer.
“Jamie is a really good boss for me. He gives me good support, and I learn a lot from him. The Te Akau staff are all like my family. My partner, Nadia (Zainal) also works for Te Akau, as one of the grounds staff.
“Harry and Suppy always help me. Troy Harris, who I ride with in trackwork every morning, always helps me, too. He says that if you do something wrong in Race 1, you have to forget about it in Race 2, and focus on Race 2.
“He also says sometimes you can’t always do what the boss says with how races turn out, so always have a Plan B and a Plan C. Troy is really good.”
While Kamaruddin, who is a natural lightweight, finds it difficult being so far away from his family who are still based in Malaysia, he is in regular contact with them, and he loves the New Zealand lifestyle.
“It’s lovely in New Zealand – it’s a beautiful place, I love it here. I knew no English when I came here, and didn’t understand anything!
“I want to finish my 3kg claim this winter so next season I can claim 2kgs. Hopefully!”
