South African champion Warren Kennedy had won the Jockey of the Year title at the recent New Zealand Racing Awards.

He is the reigning NZ premiership champion and he states that winning this title is "a cherry on the cake" for him but he is unlikely to chase the championship again. "If I am in the running come April or thereabouts I'll put my head down and have a go at it," he stated at the awards.

He spoke of focusing on wife Barbara's new stable which is in its first year.

The New Zealand title isn't as grueling as the South African title in terms of travel or diversity of course so it leaves a talented jockey like Kennedy an opportunity to be in the running again as he gets the choice of rides in many instances, even if he picking and choosing meetings to ride at.

South African jockeys have excelled overseas but it's left a massive hole in the current set up at home with up to 9 first rank jockeys that could have been in riding in South Africa, gone. These include three past champions. Some of the leading lights overseas include Hewitson, Murray, Ferraris, De Melo, Kennedy, Cheyne and Zechner. The injured/retired Marcus, retired Delpech and a selective Strydom are amongst others out of the system. It means that in a race of 10 or 12 runners, atleast nine jockeys colony are getting opportunities in leading races that they would never have had. That also means that the talent pool is weaker and many jockeys riding currently could have been out of the system or either work riding/employed elsewhere.

It is however an opportunity for many of them to grow and develop, but that comes with a responsibility of good riding and discipline.