Benny Woodworth on the go again
Woodworth accepts 'open-ended' riding contract in Mauritius
Mauritius called. He answered. They talked. And last Friday, jockey Benny Woodworth and his family of five left for the Indian Ocean island.
Coming in the wake of expat riders like Michael Rodd, Daniel Moor and Ruan Maia packing their saddlebags and leaving Kranji for, what they deemed as greener pastures, Woodworth's move is different.
The Malaysia-born, Singapore permanent resident will not be relinquishing his Singapore Turf Club licence.
Yes, he will be riding full-time in Mauritius when the season kicks off on March 20 at the Champ de Mars racecourse.
But it will be on open-ended contract.
After serving the mandatory two-week quarantine Woodworth will ride, on retainer, for trainer Simon Jones. Jones is an old aquaintance going back to the days when the Australian was still a jockey.
"Simon and I go back a long way," said Woodworth. "I rode with him in Macau, Malaysia and even in Mauritius, just before he retired," said the well-travelled Woodworth, who has also plied his trade in England, Australia, South Korea, Japan, Cyprus and Qatar.
"When Simon offered me the retainer, I didn't mind another stint there, as I've enjoyed my previous seasons there.
"Simon said he had some nice horses in his yard, and expected a good season, preferably with a stable jockey."
He added: "It also worked out well for me from a family point of view. My wife Andrianna is Mauritian and so are my two sons, Nyaan and Nigel."
A household name on the Malayan Racing Association circuit, Woodworth has won more than 1,100 races, including the Group 1 Dester Singapore Gold Cup in 2018.
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