Expat Mauritian jockey Abhay Seesa made the perfect start to his riding career at Te Aroha on Sunday when winning the JT Carter Plumbers Amateur Riders (2200m) aboard Dancin In The Dark for his employer Ralph Manning.
Seesa has been working for the Cambridge horseman for the last couple of years, and he was excited to bring up his first win for Manning.
“I was very excited as it was my dream,” Seesa said. “To get my first win with my first ride was great, and it was great to get the win for my boss. A big thanks to my boss, who has supported me and continues to support me.”
Seesa was confident of a bold showing from his charge, and he was delighted that came to fruition at the Waikato track.
“I was quite confident because the horse was working really well at the stable and my boss was also very confident,” Seesa said. “He told me not to try and go too wide and I followed his instructions.”
While loving life in the saddle, a career as a jockey wasn’t always at the forefront of Seesa’s mind, admitting his passion for horsepower lay elsewhere when growing up.
“My involvement with horses came out of nowhere,” he said. “I didn’t plan on becoming a jockey because my biggest passion when growing up was cars.
“When I was 15-years-old, one of my cousins told me that I have got good weight and stature to be a jockey, so I said I would try.
“When I rode my first horse, I was thinking that if I became a jockey, it would be fun, and I would have a good future. I started to really like it, and it became another passion of mine.
“I dropped out of school when I was 16-years-old and I started working with horses (in a racing stable) as ground staff in 2019. I worked in that role for a couple of years and started riding track work in 2021.”
Seesa was hopeful of attaining his jockey licence in Mauritius, but became frustrated with the process and his father raised the idea of pursuing his chosen vocation elsewhere.
“We were talking about other countries and I wasn’t particularly into the idea because I wasn’t ready to leave my family,” he said. “But Dad spoke with my boss, Mr Ralph Manning, on Facebook and I arrived in New Zealand in January, 2023.”
While initially against the idea of moving abroad, Seesa is loving his time in New Zealand and was thankful he made the move.
“I love it, even being away from family,” he said. “It’s a beautiful country and racing is really good here.”
While intent on gaining his apprentice licence this year, Seesa elected to apply for his amateur jockey licence in order to gain raceday riding experience before commencing his apprenticeship.
It is a well-worn path, recently showcased by in-form apprentices Hayley Hassman and Amber Riddell, and Seesa is hoping he can benefit from the added experience.
“I was meant to get my apprentice licence this winter, but I have only had 17 trials, which isn’t enough, so I missed out on this intake, and they proposed for me to get my amateur licence,” he said. “I was feeling ready to ride in a race, so I applied for the amateur licence, and I got it three days before my first ride.
“It (amateur riding) is great to get more experience. When I become an apprentice and riding in races I won’t be panicked, I will be confident about my ride, and I won’t be nervous.”
Seesa continues to have his sights set on commencing his apprenticeship, but said he will focus on the amateur ranks, with the view of transitioning to the professional ranks next year.