Horse racing always evokes diametrically opposed feelings of joy and anguish. For every race there is a winner and plenty of losers – among the runners, the connections and the punters. On a broader canvas, the same goes for each racing season.
This was spotlighted last week as trophies were handed out amid many claps at the 2026 Highveld Feature Season Awards ceremony at Turffontein Racecourse. Well done the champions!
But a topic of murmur among the dickie-bowed great and good in the elegant setting of the Aquanaut Room was the klap delivered to jockey Luyolo Mxothwa – an effective two-year banning announced the day before.
The National Horseracing Authority cancelled Mxothwa’s riding licence for five years – with three years suspended – for a voice note in which the jockey seemingly passed on “inside information” about an upcoming race.
The shocking aspect of this matter was the severity of the sentence handed out – amounting to a devastating blow to Mxothwa’s livelihood and reputation.
Most people in racing want the game kept as clean as possible with strong disincentives to cheating, but many would have winced to learn of the evisceration of “Louis”, a talented and popular figure not generally associated in the public mind with dodginess.
The jockey pleaded guilty to charges of bringing the game into disrepute, but did the punishment fit the crime?
Fairview race in question
It’s difficult to find an informed answer to that as the NHA hasn’t provided much detail about the case.
Meanwhile, former champion jockey Richard Fourie caused a minor stir by refusing to comment on TV on prospects of his rides at a meeting in case he, too, could be found guilty of providing inside info.
In a press release, the NHA said: “During or about December 2025 or early January 2026, he [Mxothwa] transmitted a voice note recorded by him to an unknown person, alternatively Noor Iqbal, alternatively Zaheer Ali, in which it was stated by the respondent as follows:
“Mr L Mxothwa: ‘The thing is I don’t know the horse, if it was a horse I knew, then I would confirm easy. You know, and it’s a new horse, it’s a bad field but I spoke to the trainer of the other horse, they said Zackey will win the race. So let’s have a go, let’s see what happens. Ja, so let’s do it. Chat later’.”
The race in question, at Fairview in Gqeberha, was won by jockey Craig Zackey aboard Dean Smith-trained Champagne Problems at short odds of 67-100, with Mxothwa’s mount, MME Huntress, trained by Zietsman Oosthuizen, finishing unplaced at 10-1.
Veteran racing journalist Charl Pretorius commented in Sporting Post: “… the finding … strongly implies something far darker than anything he actually admitted to. This is a method of public parading for which the NHA is renowned.
“The authority has still not furnished the public with a clear and detailed explanation of exactly what it is that has effectively ended Louis’ career and will likely shame him for years to come.
“From what I have managed to establish, Louis pleaded guilty to disseminating a single message to an unknown third party. This was a message in response to a query from a “friend” among his social media contacts, one he barely recalls sending. It was uncovered in a data dump of mails and messages used in the gathering of evidence against [fellow jockey] S’Manga Khumalo.
“I have searched in vain for any evidence that Louis fixed a race, accepted a bribe, profited from corruption, or participated in the manipulation of an outcome. In the absence of clarity, the inevitable inference is that Louis was involved in outright race corruption. The damage to his reputation will be destructive.”
Many observers are thinking along those lines and fearing the worst for former champion jockey Khumalo, who faces an upcoming hearing on apparently related or similar charges.
All this would have had a slightly chilling effect on the Highveld Awards function.
Still, the show must go on. Operator 4Racing’s CEO Patrick Duff said on the night: “… it takes more than winners to make a season and (we) thank every one of our owners, trainers, jockeys, grooms and all the unseen hands behind the scenes who helped make it a season to remember.”
It’s important to keep troops onside when there might be fear and loathing in the ranks.
The Highveld Horse of the Season was three-year-old Tin Pan Alley, trained by Sean Tarry.
Other winners:
Champion two-year-old filly: GET UP
Champion 2YO colt/gelding: BETTER NEVER ENDS
Champion 3YO filly: HAZY DAZY
Champion 3YO colt/gelding: TIN PAN ALLEY
Champion older filly/mare: DOUBLE GRAND SLAM
Champion older horse: SEE IT AGAIN
Champion sprinter: BUFFALO STORM CODY
Champion miler (1400-1600m): TIN PAN ALLEY
Champion middle-distance horse (1800-2000m): SEE IT AGAIN
Champion stayer: CURIOUS GIRL
Champion work rider: Phenisile Mongqawa
Champion apprentice: Trent Mayhew
Champion breeder: Varsfontein Stud
Champion owner: Mrs S Viljoen
Champion jockey: Craig Zackey
Champion trainer: Sean Tarry
