Resilient Fortune gets back in the saddle

CAPE TOWN – Former South Africa champion jockey Andrew Fortune will make his racing comeback with two rides at Kenilworth on April 15, after a two-month injury layoff.

The veteran 58-year-old jockey will take the reins on two gallopers from Justin Snaith’s yard: From The Island in the Lucky Fish Maiden Dash Juvenile Plate (1,400m) in Race 3 and Future Free in the Lucky Fish Turf Luck Class 4 event (1,600m) in Race 8.

Fortune has set the racing world alight since coming out of retirement in 2025 and joining forces with multiple South Africa champion trainer Snaith.

He showed he was as good as ever when he won two Grade 1 races, the Cape Town Met (2,000m) with See It Again, and the Grade 1 Majorca Stakes (1,600m) with Double Grand Slam, and two other races on the card at Kenilworth on Jan 31.

However shortly after that, he was involved in a fall that resulted in six cracked ribs, a punctured lung, a fractured scapula and a broken collarbone.

Most people thought that would be the end of his riding career but, as has been the case on many occasions, Fortune has proven them wrong.

Just seven weeks later, he is ready to start all over again.

“I broke everything,” he told 4Racing. “But I have done everything possible to get back quickly, especially spending time in a hyperbaric chamber.”

A hyperbaric chamber is a pressurised medical device that delivers 100 per cent oxygen at higher-than-normal air pressure to promote healing and treat various medical conditions.

On April 1, Fortune returned to riding work and sprinted up the horses who recently won at Turffontein three days before they were sent to Johannesburg.

Fortune believes everything happens for a reason and feels his being out of action will help jockey Craig Zackey in a couple of ways.

“I gave it a long thought,” he said. “Craig Zackey wants to go to Hong Kong and for that to happen, it is important that he wins the jockeys’ championship as well as those two Grade 1 races that were Hong Kong World Pool events.

“I believe in letting life just float. He needed those two Group 1 races more than I did. I love those horses and I helped him as much as I could.”

Zackey returned the compliment after winning the Grade 1 HKJC Premier’s Champion Stakes (2,000m) aboard See It Again on April 4.

“I think Andrew’s made the biggest difference. I think this horse was lucky to find a guy like Andrew Fortune,” he said.

“I don’t think there’s a jockey in this country that can argue Andrew is the best horseman, no one comes close to him.”

Fortune says he is 90 per cent ready now but feels it was time to get going again.

“I’m only taking two rides at this meeting and will build up,” he said. “I still have a little bit of pain, 10 per cent maybe, nothing I can’t handle.

“My first big meeting will be on May 2 at Hollywoodbets Greyville.”

He is not retiring any time soon and is looking forward to the KwaZulu-Natal season when he will be hoping to ride one of Snaith’s top three-year-olds.

“I’m looking at the filly, Wish List, and Note To Self in particular. Note To Self put up an outstanding gallop the other day, and the Grade 1 Daily News 2000 will be one of his missions,” said Fortune, whose wife Ashley has recently applied for a trainer’s licence in Cape Town.

“I got no idea. It will tell me when it comes. I have people who love me and care about me,” he said.

“I can’t think about retirement.” 4RACING