S'manga Khumalo | |
---|---|
Occupation | Jockey |
Born | [1] KwaMashu, South Africa | November 29, 1985
Career wins | ongoing |
Major racing wins | |
Durban July Handicap (2013) | |
Significant horses | |
Heavy Metal |
S'manga Khumalo (born 29 November 1985) is a South African Thoroughbred horse racing jockey. He is a member of the Jockey Association of South Africa. [2]
In 2013 Khumalo became the first black jockey to win the Durban July Handicap, South Africa's top horse race, on his steed Heavy Metal at age 28. [3]
S'manga Khumalo's family is from KwaMashu township near Durban, South Africa. He saw a horse for the first time when he was fourteen years old. [3]
Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic premise – to identify which of two or more horses is the fastest over a set course or distance – has been mostly unchanged since at least classical antiquity.
Horse racing is the second largest spectator sport in Great Britain, and one of the longest established, with a history dating back many centuries. According to a report by the British Horseracing Authority it generates £3.39 billion total direct and indirect expenditure in the British economy, of which £1.05 Billion is from core racing industry expenditure and the major horse racing events such as Royal Ascot and Cheltenham Festival are important dates in the British and international sporting and society calendar.
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