When Yardarm won the AHD Hawke’s Bay Steeplechase at Hastings on Saturday, there was no one more excited than his jockey, James Seivwright.
“I was lost for words afterwards,” Seivwright told RaceForm on Monday.
“I didn’t really expect it I suppose. It was just a pick-up ride, and I felt almost guilty that Sam O’Malley was supposed to be riding the horse, but what a feeling. I’ve won races before, but that was my first premier race win, and it was next level!
“Adrenalin is a wonderful thing. I’m never usually tired after races, which is mad really, because I usually don’t eat for two days before I ride. I’m six feet tall and have to waste quite a bit. I also rode out my claim on Yardarm, which should help in the future.”
Yardarm defied his $18 quote to win the $50,000 feature, and he decimated the rest of the well-credentialled field, winning by 22 lengths. It was the 11-year-old’s first win since he broke maidens six years ago.
Despite the long hiatus between wins, Seivwright, who rode Yardarm at Wanganui a couple of months ago, had faith in the horse.
“He’s always had the ability, but he’s been fraught with injuries and been really unlucky. He’s run a couple of huge races in some big jumps features in Australia.”
Seivwright was born in England and raised in Limerick, Ireland, and hails from a non-racing family.
“My dad was in the army for 20 years, and when he left the army, he got a job as a stud manager, which was more of a people management role than a horse role,” he remembers.
“I hated horses really!” he laughs. “When I was about 14, my dad had this filly with quite bowed legs. The owners didn’t want her, and they told my dad that he could have her. He gave it to my sister, who was a secretary at the time.
“She was a yearling then, and she ended up winning the Irish Lincoln and became quite a good horse. One night, we all went to dinner with the trainer, and the trainer said to me that I looked small enough to be a jockey, and I should come and ride trackwork sometime.
“I’d ridden a few ponies before, but that was it. I rocked up to his place thinking that I’d be mucking out boxes, but he put me straight on a horse – I don’t think he realised that I’d never ridden a racehorse, so I just winged it!”
Growing up in Ireland, Seivwright was legally obligated to stay in school until age 18, but he managed to find a way around this to continue his newfound love for the racing caper.
“After age 16, you can go and do work experience. So I went to England for work experience and never went home,” he explains.
“It’s completely illegal, and my parents actually got into trouble with the school!”
He became an amateur jockey in England, where he won a few point-to-points. He had plans to join the army as an officer, but missed the intake and had to wait another eight months to join. One day, he met young Australian trainer, Ben Hayes (Lindsay Park) in a pub in England and the pair became friends.
“He said, ‘come and work for my Dad’. I had no idea about Australian racing and thought his father was some little trainer! I ended up being able to get some time off work and went to visit Ben in time for Melbourne Cup week.
“I had no idea who his father, David was, until I rocked up to their place in Australia – it was amazing!”
He spent a year working for Lindsay Park, and then worked for Chris Waller for a year. It was during his time at Waller’s that he met jockey Lee Magorrian, who had previously ridden in New Zealand.
“Lee told me that there weren’t many jumps jockeys in New Zealand so encouraged me to come over and have a go. So I came over to ride, and didn’t know a single person in New Zealand when I arrived.
“I was only going to come for a winter, but now I’ve been here for four years.”
Seivwright resides in Cambridge, where he has his own breaking-in and pre-training business.
“I started the business just before Christmas, and it was meant to be a side business. But it’s really just taken off and now we’re full all of the time. I’m lucky that my girlfriend, Maddy Crowe, is an event rider, so she’s a great help, and my best friend managed to come out from England as well, and he’s helping me too.
“I’ve got some really good clients, and have 19 horses at the moment. I still ride trackwork as well. That’s probably how I stay skinny – I’m working all the time!”
The 26-year-old is currently positioned third on the Jumps Jockeys’ Premiership, and considers Saturday’s win his biggest victory to date.
“I’ve been going quite well lately, and last season was the first time I’d ridden a season without getting injured, which was a bonus – fingers crossed I can keep it up. It’s been great that there’s been so much rain lately because it’s much softer to fall on!” he laughs.
“I absolutely love racing. I’m struggling a bit to juggle work and racing at the moment, but when you have days like Saturday, it makes it all worth it.”
