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Manzelmann teams up with former Mauritius and South African rider Goomany at Mackay

13 January 2020

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By Glenn Davis

Central and North Queensland’s riding ranks have been boosted with the arrival of Mauritius-born jockey Girish Goomany.

Goomany will link with leading country trainer John Manzelmann with three rides at Mackay on Wednesday.

At 27, Goomany landed on Australian shores in November, 2016, basing himself in Adelaide where he worked for leading trainer Tony McEvoy.

Goomany won a host of races in his home country including a Group 1 and two Group 3 races.

“I was born in Mauritius but as there’s no apprentice academy there I had to go to South Africa for five years to serve an apprenticeship,” Goomany said.

“While I was in South Africa, I won the apprentice premiership in Cape Town one year.

“I always wanted to ride overseas and answered an online advertisement for a track rider for Tony McEvoy in Adelaide.

“But unfortunately, you can’t get visas for jockeys so I had to start off in Australia as a track rider when I went to work for Tony (McEvoy) in Adelaide.

“I was sponsored by Tony and eventually I got my Australian residency which meant I could start riding as a jockey but I never got many opportunities in Adelaide.”

Former Queensland apprentice Sairyn Fawke, who is now riding with great success in Adelaide, recommended Goomany try his luck on the provincial circuit in Central and North Queensland.

“After speaking to Sairyn, I came up and had a few rides for John (Manzelmann) late last year and won a race for him on Melbourne Cup day at Mackay and won another race at Charters Towers last month,” he said.

Goomany finished his stint in Adelaide last month and has returned to Queensland to base himself full time in Mackay where he can ride the country circuit from Rockhampton to Townsville.

Goomany’s three rides for Manzelmann at Mackay are Latina Rocket in the Two-Year-Old Handicap, Scaramouche (Maiden Handicap) and Archie’s Son (Benchmark 69 Handicap).

Racing Queensland webnews    January 13