Unfavourable barriers brought Keagan Latham’s winning run to an end at Newcastle on Tuesday with only one of his five mounts finishing in the money, but he was in no position to complain. He was coming off a week in which he’d booted home eight winners including two trebles.
His hot streak began at Kembla Grange on Saturday November 14th when he reeled off a treble for three different stables - Stoical for Team Snowden, Star Point for Gwenda Markwell and Against The Tide for Robert and Luke Price. A quick trip to Canberra the following day proved worthwhile when he won on Much Much Better for the John O’Shea stable.
He was winless at last week’s Wyong and Hawkesbury meetings but bounced back at the Rosehill Friday fixture on Come Along for trainer John Sargent. Keagan elected to miss The Gong programme at Kembla on Saturday when a good book of rides became available at Gosford. His judgement proved correct.
The in form jockey posted his second treble for the week in winning on Gunaluva (John Sargent), Ready To Soar (Ryan and Alexiou), and Persian Front (Robert and Luke Price). Apart from the trainers already mentioned, Keagan is also getting good support from Richard and Michael Freedman, Greg Hickman, Matthew Smith, and John Thompson.
One of Keagan's three winners at Gosford 21/11/2020. Persian Front fights back to win for Rob and Luke Price - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
We’re talking about a jockey who was on the brink of giving it all away four years ago when he was struggling to get a ride as a freelancer in the UK. “I had no stable connection and had to take whatever rides I could get,” said Keagan. “I was travelling many miles to ride ordinary horses for the smaller stables. It was really wearing me down.”
The Keagan Latham story began when he enrolled at the South African Jockeys Academy in Durban, close to his hometown of Kloof. This renowned institution has produced jockeys like Jeff Lloyd, Glyn Schofield, Basil Marcus, Douglas Whyte, and Robbie Fradd. “The academy has a wonderful system and offers valuable tutorship on all aspects of racing.”
On graduating from the academy, young Latham was apprenticed by trainer Duncan Howells who provided his first winner Rebel Patriot at Scottsville in 2005. Later Keagan transferred to the legendary trainer Mike De Kock who had 100 horses in work between two stables in Durban and Johannesburg. Thanks to tremendous support from his new master, Keagan soon came under the notice of other prominent trainers. “I rode almost 100 winners in South Africa including a Group 2 and a Group 3.”
It was Mike De Kock who encouraged young Latham to seize the opportunity when a position came up in the United Arab Emirates with trainer Herman Brown. He rode several winners in the UAE including the President’s Cup - a race for purebred Arab horses but classified as a legitimate Group 1.
During his stay in Dubai Keagan became friendly with champion Irish jockey John Murtagh who suggested the young South African should consider gaining experience in Ireland. It was Murtagh who put him in touch with trainer Ger Lyons at Trim in County Meath, and a new chapter began in the life of Keagan Latham.
“I rode 130 winners in four wonderful seasons there with 44 in my best season,” he said. “I even got the opportunity to make a quick trip to England to win the Gr 2 Temple Stakes at Haydock Park on a very smart horse called Sole Power trained by Edward Lynam. I rode the same horse in races in France and Hong Kong with no luck, but the experience was priceless.”
Keagan's Irish experience was the furthest thing from his mind as he unsaddled Come Along Rosehill 20/11/2020 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Following a brief stint in Mauritius, Keagan returned to South Africa for a short time, but England was the place he yearned to revisit. He tried very bravely to make a go of it in Britain, but without the support of a strong stable he found it tough going. This is where a charming young lady from South Yorkshire changed the course of his life.
Keagan had entered a relationship with Nancy Ashcroft who was working as a track rider and float driver for trainer Kevin Ryan. “Nancy took an interest in my riding career and could see I was getting very disillusioned with the lack of opportunities,” he said. “When I threatened to cancel my licence she came up with a suggestion that floored me. It was Nancy who said we should give Australia a try. She knew the racing industry was in great shape here and was prepared to travel with me.”
The couple arrived in Sydney not long before Christmas of 2016, but Keagan waited until the new year before offering his services for trackwork on the bustling Randwick infield. The only person he recognized was Gai Waterhouse as she scurried around supervising the work schedule of her large team. Quick introductions followed and before he knew it Keagan was asking directions to the A Grass on one of Gai’s team.
“I don’t think she even realised I was a race jockey for a while,” said Latham. “After a few weeks somebody told her I’d ridden winners in South Africa and the UK, but there was no mention of race rides. One morning in early March I was stunned when she told me I could ride a maiden filly called Savapinski on the Beaumont track at Newcastle. I didn’t know there was an Australian Newcastle, and I had no idea what they meant by the Beaumont track.”
Savapinski won that race narrowly to give Keagan a modest start to his Australian career, and bragging rights to the fact that he’d ridden winners in four countries around the world. He left Newcastle that day with a firm resolve to find his niche in the thriving Sydney arena.
Savapinski was the filly to launch Latham's Australian career - Newcastle March 2017 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
He rode 17 winners in the five remaining months of the 2016/2017 season and followed up with 32 winners the following season. In 2018/2019 his tally leapt to 52, while 85 winners in 2019/2020 put him in 16th place on the NSW ladder. Three and a half months into the current season he sits on a healthy 34 wins and is firmly focused on reaching the magical century. His Australian win tally now exceeds 220.
Keagan achieved his Australian career highlights earlier this year with wins in the listed Scone Cup on Dr Drill for the Maher/Eustace stable, and the Magic Millions Guineas with Eleven Eleven who actually finished second to Alligator Blood. The latter was awarded the race when Alligator Blood was disqualified after his post race swab revealed the presence of altrenogest.
Of all the trainers to recognize the talents of the South African, none are more supportive than Eleven Eleven’s trainer Greg Hickman.
His attention was drawn to Keagan’s emergence in the Sydney riding ranks by Darren Beadman, who had actually ridden against him in Hong Kong. “Darren told me one morning that Latham was a very strong and capable rider and suggested I give him a ride or two to test the water,” said Greg. “He’s done a big percentage of my riding ever since.”
“He’s a thinking jockey with a good, tactical brain. Circumstances permitting he’s usually in the right spot at the right time and he’s awfully hard to get past in a tight finish. He’s also very good at assessing the potential of a young horse. Despite a busy race schedule he comes to Warwick Farm every Wednesday morning to ride four or five horses for me.”
One of 4 wins on Eleven Eleven for his great supporter Greg Hickman at Kembla 08/08/2019 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Keagan’s manager Ryan Roberts makes the call when he feels the right offer is available for a metropolitan race. Keagan was more than happy to relinquish a potential full book at Newcastle on October 31st when Godolphin offered him the ride on promising four year old Criaderas in the $7.5 million dollar Golden Eagle.
“You wouldn’t believe it, he had to pick that day to jump awkwardly,” said Keagan. “He and Reloaded both came out slowly and I was in front of only three horses at the halfway mark. Mind you I saved a heap of ground on the fence coming around the turn, and I wasn’t too far off the leaders at the 200m. He did a terrific job to finish only three and a half lengths from his stablemate Colette. That might have been the one that got away.”
Modern day jockeys don’t get the leisure time enjoyed by their predecessors. It’s not uncommon for busy jockeys to ride at three or four meetings a week, sometimes travelling four or five hours to country venues. When they do get a spare day, golf seems to be the preferred pastime.
Keagan Latham’s rare free days are taken up by his fascination for the pursuit of “Go Karting”. He has a finely tuned machine in his home garage, and an appropriate trailer to transport it to any one of several popular tracks around Sydney. He can be found from time to time buzzing around circuits at Picton, Eastern Creek and Wilberforce. “It’s something completely different to riding racehorses, a great diversion,” said Keagan. “My good mate Blake Spriggs shares my passion. He has his own “Kart” and sometimes joins me on the practice track.”
And what of the lady responsible for getting her South African partner to this country in the first place. Nancy actually worked for the late Rick Worthington until the respected horseman’s recent death. The thoroughly experienced horse person is about to commence duties at Mark Newnham’s Warwick Farm stables and is looking forward to her new role.
Keagan isn’t the lightest jockey in Sydney, but can manage 55.5kg fairly comfortably. Appreciative of the support he’s had from Richard and Michael Freedman over a lengthy period, he continues to support the brothers at trackwork on Tuesday mornings. “Sometimes I go to Rosehill for Richard, other times to Randwick for Michael,” he said.
An important win for Keagan - the listed Scone Cup on Dr Drill for the Maher/Eustace stable May 2020 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Keagan sometimes has difficulty getting his head around the rapid turnaround in his life these past four years. In the middle of 2016 he was depressed and disillusioned as his dream of becoming a successful jockey evaporated. One chance remark from his then fiancee turned out to be life changing. The couple returned to Nancy’s native Yorkshire in September of 2019 to tie the knot, before rushing back to their busy work schedule in Sydney.
As this story is posted Keagan is about to begin a nine day suspension incurred at the Wyong meeting on November 18th. He was found guilty of allowing one of his mounts Aspect Ratio to shift in at the 1300m mark, causing inconvenience to a couple of other runners.
A suspension right in the middle of a winning streak is usually a source of great frustration to a jockey. In this case it comes as a welcome opportunity for he and Nancy to get away for a long overdue honeymoon.
(Banner image - Against The Tide gives Latham his third for the day at Kembla 14/11/2020 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.)