01 January 2024 , 11:48
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A jockey saw in the New Year in unforgettable style when he rode seven winners on the first day of the year.
Warren Kennedy, a South African champion known as the ‘Wizard of Waz’, won seven out of the ten races on one of the biggest race meetings of the year at Pukekohe in his adopted home of New Zealand.
His feat exceeded the previous best by a jockey in a single day in New Zealand of six victories which had been held by Lance O’Sullivan, who was the co-trainer of three of Kennedy’s winning rides.
Kennedy, who was booked on nine horses, partnered four of the first five winners of the day, which included two Group 2 successes.
Then he rattled off a hat-trick in the races six, seven and eight, including the first Group 1 race of 2024, the Railway Stakes.
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Seven winners on one card for a jockey is a rare feat, the best known of which was Frankie Dettori’s ‘Magnificent Seven’ when he won every race at Ascot in 1996.
Kennedy, 43, told Trackside TV: "It's been a fantastic day. I don't think anyone could have asked for any better. Everything has gone my way.
"We're all here to compete and everyone is congratulating (me), they know it's a great feat to win seven in a day."
Kennedy was a two-time champion in his native South Africa before he moved with his family to New Zealand in 2022 in search of a better work-life balance.