Kiwi jockeys the toast of Australian racing

Long gone are the days of New Zealand jockeys having to justify themselves in Australia.
During the 1980s Jim Cassidy and Shane Dye were pioneers for the modern era when they made their early career moves to Sydney and never looked back. Opie Bosson, the standout in present day New Zealand-based ranks, won his first Group One across the Tasman as a teenager in the late 1990s and has added another eight since.
From Randwick to Flemington, Sha Tin to Ascot, James McDonald has eclipsed any previous achievements by a Kiwi jockey, recognised as a champion not only in Australia but also occupying a spot amongst the best in the world.
The Australian jockeys’ room isn’t J-Mac’s exclusive domain, as we were reminded at Eagle Farm last Saturday when he had to play third fiddle to compatriots Jason Collett and Mick Dee in the Kiwi jockeys’ Gr. 1 J J Atkins trifecta.
Like McDonald, Collett and Dee learnt their trade at home before heading west. The difference was that McDonald did so at the end of his apprenticeship, whereas Collett and Dee were at a stage in their careers that they were able to take advantage of the more generous apprentice allowances in Australian metropolitan racing.
Collett, who rode his first Australian winner in 2009 during an initial stint with Chris Waller that led to a permanent Sydney career, took longer than he would have liked to make the Group One breakthrough. That finally happened in 2019 and Saturday’s J J Atkins win on the Ciaron Maher/ David Eustace-trained King Colorado was his sixth Group One win since.
Dee served the final stages of his apprenticeship in Melbourne from 2015 with Mick Price and won his first Group One two years later. The 2022-23 season has added no less than six more to Dee’s tally – Caufield Cup, Victoria Derby and Coolmore Classic wins for Chris Waller, the Blue Diamond Stakes for Ben and J D Hayes, a second Australian Guineas on New Zealand filly Legarto and last month’s Goodwood in Adelaide on the Maher/Eustace-trained Royal Merchant.
In the middle of that haul, 27-year-old Dee was offered a three-month Hong Kong contract and he made the most of it with a winner on his first day riding there.
There’s now another talented young New Zealand jockey making the best of his opportunities across the Tasman. Two weeks and five racedays after transferring to Victorian trainer Mick Kent Senior, Wiremu Pinn has ridden five winners from 28 rides.
The 24-year-old headed to Melbourne with a tally of 171 wins across a career that began in 2018 but had been punctuated since by actions that he admits he “could have handled better”. His wins last year in the Gr. 1 El Cheapo WFA Classic and Gr. 2 Auckland Cup opened his eyes to not only his talent but the opportunities available to him and earning ability that no other profession could offer.
“I couldn’t believe it when they told me I could still claim three kilos in Melbourne, so it made a lot of sense to get over there and try my luck,” Pinn said before he headed to Melbourne.
Since arriving at his new Cranbourne base, he has ridden five winners from 28 raceday mounts. His first came on his second day’s riding at Mornington on May 31, he made headlines with a treble at Sandown last Saturday and added another at Mornington on Monday.
He was due to ride at Sandown on Wednesday and when RaceForm spoke with him the day before, was excited at the prospect of a full book arranged by his agent Phillip Roost at Flemington on Saturday.
“That’s the ultimate, riding at Flemington – what a track!” he enthused. “I had a few rides there last week without getting a winner and it would be a big buzz to win a race there.
“Race riding over here is a lot different to back home. With all these top jockeys you’re competing against it’s good the way races are run, but there’s no room for error. As soon as you make a mistake, someone will be there to grab your spot.
“Even in the short time I’ve been here I think I’ve improved, I reckon I’m already a better rider. My boss Mick Kent is a really good guy and he’s helping me a lot. He goes through my rides and tells me where I might have gone wrong or how I could have done it better, but he gives me a lot of confidence too.
“It’s full-on but I’m loving it. Everyone’s been very pleasant; in the jockeys’ room there’s the usual banter, they love a bit of a laugh, but once you’re out on the track it’s ultra-competitive.”
Pinn is currently licensed to ride in Victoria for three months, after which those around him, along with Racing Victoria officials, will make a decision on the next stage of his career.
“The way it works they assessed my number of metropolitan wins in New Zealand at 12, which meant I had another eight to go before my claim would reduce to two kilos. So I’ve got three wins to go, but the way trainers have supported me so far I think they’ll stick by me with the reduced claim.
“Further on, I’ll just have to wait and see. If I ended up going back home that wouldn’t be a bad thing, having a crack at the good spring races, but if they extended my stay, that would be the ultimate.”