HORSHAM jockey Dean Yendall continued his dominance of Victorian country racing by winning his fourth-straight Country Racing Victoria jockey of the year award on Sunday.
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Yendall was rewarded for another strong year which saw him capture his fifth Victorian country jockeys premiership.
Despite notching up fewer rides than in previous seasons, Yendall rode 123 winners at country races between August 1, 2013, and July 31 this year.
His strike rate of 17.5 per cent in the Victorian country jockeys premiership was one of the best.
Yendall didn’t match the 150 wins he recorded in 2012-13, but his 146 wins from 905 starts was good enough for third in the Australian Jockey Premiership.
He finished second in the Victorian jockeys premiership.
“There’s no doubt it’s a good achievement, but I wouldn’t have been able to do it without the support of the trainers and the owners I’ve been riding for in the past few seasons,” he said.
“I had a lot fewer rides than I’ve had before. I had less than 1000 rides whereas in previous seasons I’ve had more than 1000, but my strike rate was a lot better.”
Yendall said the birth of his daughter Mia in January and a desire to travel less had contributed to his fewer rides.
“You’ve got to have some sort of balance, otherwise you’ll just cook yourself and mentally you won’t be there,” he said.
Yendall’s frequent collaborator Darren Weir also had a night to remember when he won the George Hanlon Trophy as Country Racing Victoria’s trainer of the year.
