Kibet, a jockey eyes win with ‘Strider’ the horse

Lifestyle

Kibet, a jockey eyes win with ‘Strider’ the horse

Friday May 06 2022

Jockey and horse trainer Richard Kibet at the Ngong Racecourse on April 28, 2022. PHOTO | DIANA NGILA | NMG

Richard Kibet has been racing horses for 20 years. His mastery on a horse is a combination of utter determination with controlled aggression to get the horse into a rhythm.

Now he rides ‘Strider’, his favourite horse, he says, which is Kenyan bred.

“It’s majestic,” he says, as he spends lots of time with the horses to build a special bond.

But they have many horses in their stable, including ‘Free Dawn’, a thoroughbred from South Africa.

“You and your horse have to become one. Now I am preparing for the major Kenya Derby on May 8. The competition is going to be stiff,” he says at the stables at Nairobi’s Ngong Racecourse.

With Sunday fast approaching, Kibet is racing against time to get ‘Strider’ fit for the competition.

“This is the best part,” he says, “Getting the horse ready for the derby…and hopefully, galloping to victory.”

Horse racing in Kenya is still seen as a rich man’s sport, but over time interest among the middle-class is flourishing. Many are paying to watch the games while others are investing in racing horses.

“Horse racing is a joy to watch. Plus, the entry fees are not much. A ticket ranges from Sh200 to Sh500,” says Kibet.

“There are about six to nine races a day with the 900 metres being the shortest distance followed by the 1,000 metres, 1,200 metres and finally the 3,000 metres.”

But the high cost of the horses has slowed the reins because few horses and owners join the racing circles.

“Depending on a horse’s breeding, there are generations that perform well. In our stable, we have horses ranging from Sh1.5 million to Sh5 million,” says Kibet. “Buying a locally-bred horse can start from Sh300,000 to Sh600,000.”

Owners spend about Sh40,000 a month on a horse housed at the Ngong racecourse stable, on feeding and maintenance.

“Feeding the horses and looking after them is very expensive. Especially the food. Factor in medical check-ups and the special shoes for horses and the costs could run up to Sh45,000 monthly,” he says.

To maximise the horse’s value, the jockeys start racing them young. “A good thoroughbred horse can race for up to eight years,” he adds.

“We start racing the horses from as young as two years old. Once they retire, they go into show sports like show jumping or polo.”

In most races, horse racing and gambling are delicately intertwined. Betting proceeds go toward supporting the racing industry which employs over 2,000 people.

Betting at Ngong Racecourse is done through a totalisator pool betting system. The minimum bet on the tote system is one dollar but the system can take bets of any higher amount that the punter may wish to make. However, things have since changed.

“We used to have betting but the pandemic disrupted the whole system. The bookies do not come in anymore, which was made worse by the fact that the horses were rather few,” says Kibet.

Weight policy

The load is not made any easier by a strict weight policy for jockeys. Riders strictly adhere to stringent weight control measures.

Overweight riders could go without food in what is called ‘wasting’, or camp in the gym to reduce their weight. The maximum weight allowed is 55 kgs . Most jockeys say they owe their expertise to trainers.

“A trainer can train as many as 10 to 20 horses, they are the boss,” says the 39-year-old, adding, “A rider does exercise work while a jockey rides the horse for races. It is the trainer who employs a jockey and a rider.”

To become professional, an apprentice has to win 50 races, while to be declared a Kenyan champion, one has to win the highest number of races in a single season. Over the past 20 years, Kibet has enjoyed phenomenal success, winning several races and prize money.

“You have to work very hard but if you are prepared to do that, it can be really rewarding. You can win as much as Sh350,000 in the big races and as low as Sh60,000 in the local races,” says Kibet.

“The jockey and trainer each get about 10 percent of the earnings. The races are every alternate weekend, meaning two races each month.”

In countries like the US, and the UK, horse racing is a big buck business. Jockeys become celebrities with huge appearances and racing fees. Their famous mounts are equally celebrated. Seabiscuit, Secretariat and Red Rum are some of the most famous thoroughbreds in the history of Western horse racing.

However, men still outnumber women jockeys.