Champion joins Team Asia for Jockeys Challenge

Benny Woodworth, a Kranji-based Malaysian jockey, will join Joao Moreira and Vlad Duric in Team Asia for the Premier Gateway International Jockeys Challenge on 25 September.

Woodworth replaces current leading apprentice jockey Troy See who was ruled out due to suspension. See incurred a suspension from 24 September to 7 October for returning more than half-a-kilogramme underweight in a race on Sunday.

Woodworth, 45, is a former four-time champion apprentice jockey and one-time senior champion jockey on the Malayan Racing Association (MRA) circuit. He was also Mauritius champion jockey in 2007.

Woodworth achieved the rare distinction of winning one of the most prestigious feature races on the MRA racing calendar when still an apprentice jockey, the 1992 Singapore Derby aboard Peak Of Perfection X. The next year he claimed the Queen Elizabeth II Cup on Navajo II. More major wins have since been added to his trophy cabinet, notably the 2008 Group 1 Patron’s Bowl on Phenom, the 2006 Group 2 Singapore Derby Trial with War Horn in Singapore as well as three Coronation Cups on Baby Tycoon (2001), Golden Ace (2006) and Kiko’s Return (2009).

He also enjoyed a prolific association with grey horse Captain Obvious with whom he won five feature races, the 2009 Malaysia Magic Millions Classic, the 2010 Penang Sprint Trophy, the 2010 Astro Wah Lai Toi Vase, the 2011 Tunku Gold Cup and the 2011 Group 3 Jumbo Jet Trophy.

One of his career highlights came last year when he snared three Group races at Kranji – the Group 1 Singapore Guineas and Group 2 Chairman’s Trophy with Forever Young, and the Group 3 El Dorado Classic with Secret Win. Other than Singapore and Malaysia, Woodworth has taken his saddle to eight other countries namely England, Australia, Macau, Mauritius, South Korea, Japan, Cyprus and Qatar.

Woodworth has racked up more than 1 000 winners to-date.