From The Horse's Mouth - Mark Van Deventer

The closing of the 2025/26 season gives pause for reflection. Which trainers and jockeys made an impact over the past racing year in South Africa?

Strike rates don’t tell the whole story, obviously, but they shed light on which connections are consistently operating at the top of their game. Punters are always trying to shift the odds somewhat in their favour and it helps to support jocks/conditioners who win/place at a higher-than-average percentage.

The betting market is not oblivious to these stats, so the numbers are often baked into the price. And betting blindly on these elite combos is not the solution either. However, alert punters can gain an edge by imaginatively using exceptional strike rates in conjunction with fundamental handicapping principles and accurate ability ratings.

Here are the top Trainers and active Jockey combinations based on 2025/26 stats:

Greeff & Fourie 28% 68%

Bass & Domeyer 24% 66%

Smith & Zackey 20% 62%

Peter & Lerena 33% 72%

Houdalakis & Zackey 21% 57%

Tarry & de Melo 27% 65%

Van Vuuren & Lerena 22% 66%

McLachlan & van Niekerk 21% 53%

Marshall & Lerena 22% 64%

Snaith & Fourie 25% 65%

De Kock & Murray 20% 56%

Marshall & Fourie 24% 62%

St John Gray & Yeni 18% 59%

I’ve also created shorter, separate lists for trainers and jockeys who place more than half the time. It’s instructive knowing they have an even money chance of hitting the board, before even doing any specific handicapping.

Next to the name is their winning percentage to mounts/horses saddled, which, as you can see below, varies quite broadly. Yet all have a 50% + place strike rate, which puts them firmly in the “highly dependable” category.

Trainers:

Snaith 14%

Peter 18%

De Kock 17%

Greeff 16%

Crawford 13%

Nel 13%

Van Vuuren 13%

Houdalakis 13%

Magner 9%

Dawson 13%.

Ferrie 10%

Azzie 9%

Soma 18%

Marcus 14%

Sage 8%

Jockeys:

Zackey 17%

Fourie 22%

De Melo 20%

Moodley 12%

Lerena 18%

Fortune 17%

Domeyer 23%

Yeni 12%.

Van der Merwe 12%

K Strydom 9%

Even casual fans will be familiar with most of these names – some of the top guys have been around, and dominating, for years. That said, the game is never static. Just as horses come and go with their performances waxing and waning like moon cycles, so connections have hot streaks or endure spells where fortune deserts them.

Seasonal stats reveal excellence over an extended period. Be aware that “lesser” jocks or trainers can go on the tear in the short term. They should be upgraded when their recent output is way better than usual.