Englishman George Rooke is the newest addition to the ever-growing group of international riders in New Zealand.
Coming from a small town in Hampshire, Rooke progressed through the well-recognised British Racing School in Newmarket, and under the tutelage of three-time British Champion Jockey and now trainer Richard Hughes, he rode 167 winners and was a dual all-weather (synthetic) champion apprentice.
“I lived in a small town called Hook just off the M3, and I got into pony club and eventing side of things first,” Rooke said.
“We heard about the Newmarket Racing School and I applied for that, and after getting a position there, I did a four-week course before getting a placement with Richard Hughes.
“I kept my apprenticeship for four years and it took me that period of time to ride 95 winners, which is the full claim over there.”
Rooke also spent time working for an icon of New Zealand equestrian sport, Sir Mark Todd, which ultimately led to an opportunity to ply his trade on the other side of the world.
“I worked for Sir Mark Todd in England as well, he mentioned to me about coming to New Zealand and he’s good friends with Roger James,” Rooke said.
“It all worked out from there, Rodney Schick (Windsor Park Stud principal) rang me and explained all of the details, and now I’m here. I’m staying at one of his farms down the road from Windsor Park Stud.
“I do trackwork mostly on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, then trials and jump-outs on Tuesdays. On my days off, I’ve been getting in the gym and getting my racing gear ready for the next meeting.
“I’ve been riding for Roger James, Andrew Forsman and Stephen Marsh over the past week, I’m hoping to expand that as I stay here longer.”
The 23-year-old made his Kiwi race riding debut at Taupo last Friday, with a second placing aboard Camacho his best result of his five rides, giving him a good insight into the style of racing in New Zealand.
“The horses are very much similar, how they are trained is slightly different to the UK, but the races are still tactical, you’ve got to be in the right position and have your wits about you,” he said.
“I haven’t ridden on the polytrack here yet, but in England, everything is a lot sharper and happens pretty quickly. It’s very dependent on the weather, similar to the grass, if it’s warm it runs a bit deeper, whereas in the cold, it tightens up and runs quicker.”
Rooke has a pair of Listed winners to his name and has ridden twice at Group Two level, with a shot at a Group One his goal in the future.
“I would love to ride a Group One, that’s my biggest aim while I’m here,” he said.
“Everything else that comes with it is a bonus really, gaining more experience will be great so I’m looking forward to it.
“I don’t really have a time limit, I’ll just see how I go.”