By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Photo credit: Chase Liebenberg.
For the first time in history, two female jockeys will take part in the main race in one of the country’s biggest sporting events, the Hollywoodbets Durban July.
Durban’s Rachel Venniker and French jockey Mickaëlle Michel will be in the saddle in Race 7, the main event of the day, with a purse of R10 million.
Venniker will be riding Choisaanada, trained by Erico Verdonesse, a middle-distance performer who should be well suited to the 2 200m Hollywoodbets Durban July distance.
Experts says that this bay gelding is perfect for stamina-based races and will benefit from a balanced and patient ride which is in line with Venniker’s well-known tactical awareness and adaptability.
Venniker made history in 2024 when she became the first female jockey to participate in the Hollywoodbets Durban July – again on another reserve named Hluhluwe.
This was a case of “third time lucky” for the 24-year-old. In 2022, she was due to ride Red Saxon, but an accident and suspected concussion a week before the big day saw her ruled out. In 2023, the horse she was due to ride did not make the final line-up.
“On the Monday prior to the 2022 July, my filly in the last race fly jumped coming out of the stalls and I hit my head on top of the starting gate. They booked me off for concussion which is the standard 10-day procedure. I was mortified. But you’ve just got to carry on,” she said at the time.
Her journey to becoming the country’s top female jockey hasn’t been an easy one. However, she has demonstrated the sheer grit and determination that has seen her win 209 races in her career to date. She has also scored 644 top three finishes.
Born in KwaZulu-Natal and raised at Summerveld where she still lives surrounded by her much loved animals, Venniker grew up with horses and has been on horseback since the age of four. Her dream from her early teens was to a jockey. However, it took many tries to be accepted into the SA Jockey Academy as she was deemed too tall.
Meanwhile Michel will be riding the filly Curious Girl. Trained by father and son team Mike and Mathew de Kock and owned by Hollywood Racing, Curious Girl made history on April 4, 2026, by winning the Grade 2 TAB SA Derby, becoming the first filly to win the race in 108 years.
Bred by Riyo Stud, she was named Curious Girl because she constantly kept her head out of her stable box, inquisitively watching her surroundings.
The same could probably said for Michel who arrived in South Africa for the first time in December 2025, eager to investigate racing in Africa.
She initially hoped to stay a mere five weeks but seven months later, she is readying herself to participate in the big race, having already made history by becoming the second female rider to win a South African Grade 1 race when Star Major (trained by James Crawford) won the Daily News 2000. She also guided this colt to a Grade 2 victory in the World Sports Betting Gr2 Guineas at Greyville in Durban in May.
Michel calls herself an international jockey. Over her eight-year racing career, she has more than fulfilled the dream of riding across the world that took shape during her apprenticeship. Not only did she break the record for a female jockey in France with 72 winners in 2018 but has since recorded over 300 wins across 14 different countries including Japan, the United States, the UK, Italy, Dubai and Australia.
She rode winners for South African trainer Mathew de Kock whilst he was working in Australia and followed him here when he returned to South Africa.
“I love to travel around the world. I feel it’s the best way to learn and become a better jockey. I met Mathew in Australia a few years ago and we talked about South Africa. When I heard he was coming back here, I felt it was a chance for me. I arrived in December. The plan was to stay only five weeks, but everything just went so well. I really love the country and its people and they gave me good horses, so I decided to stay longer,” she explains.
Michel admits that her strengths include her light weight plus her adaptability to racecourses on different surfaces and in different regions.
It came as no surprise that she quickly began to consistently ride winners for multiple local trainers, including steering Jerusalema Rain (trained by Sean Tarry) to victory in the TAB Gr2 Senor Santa Stakes in April this year.
“I hope that all my international experience in every different country will be an advantage in the July,” she says.
But what has stood out for her whilst riding in South Africa? One thing is the long home straights which are sometimes between 800 and 1 000 metres.
“You have to adjust the way you are riding. You have to be more patient. Compared to Europe, Japan or Australia, where we race 16 to 18 horses per race, the fields in South Africa are small at around 14 horses.”
“You have to adjust the way you are riding. You have to be more patient. Compared to Europe, Japan or Australia, where we race 16 to 18 horses per race, the fields in South Africa are small at around 14 horses.”
This doesn’t apply to the Hollywoodbets Durban July which is one of the bigger events with 18 horses in the draw and a comparatively short straight to the finish.
“She says that to compete in the races this weekend it is important to have horses that enjoy a smaller track without a long straight. “I also think the draw is very important, more than on the other tracks. Because the home stretch is very short at only 400 meters, you need a horse who has a nice turn of foot.”
After the July, Michel intends staying in South Africa until the Gold Cup which will be her last race day. She will return to France, hoping to apply for a long stay visa that will enable her to return to South Africa in October for the next Champions Season.