Kaiya Fraser is not letting a vicious attack from a horse sabotage his rise up the riding ranks. The 23-year-old was bitten by a rival runner at Ascot earlier this month, leaving a hole in his breeches, and knocked to the ground. But he dusted himself off, remounted Dr Rascal and calmly steered the unbeaten Oliver Cole-trained colt to his second victory.
“Of course it hurt, you saw me rolling on the ground,” said Fraser, recounting the Ascot incident. “It hurt a lot and left a bruise on my thigh. The bruising has gone now and there is a bit of a scar there.
“I was lucky to get up after and ride the winner a couple of minutes later.”
First Group Race Rides
Dr Rascal will be one of the horses Fraser is set to ride at Glorious Goodwood this week, in today’s Vintage Stakes, during what will be the biggest week of his career so far. The Rebecca Menzies-trained Adonius in the Molecomb Stakes, who has won three on the bounce, is his other standout mount.
“It’s my first time in Group races so I am obviously excited and I am on two unbeaten horses,” he said. “Obviously they are going to have to step up again in this company and then we can really see how good they are and where they stand in the top company.”
Unusual Path into Racing
The 23-year-old has followed an untypical path into horse racing, having been born and raised an Eastender, in Hackney, London. His late grandfather Winston, who loved a bet, piqued his interest in the sport and he gained his first experience of horses from a volunteering stint at the Ebony Horse Club in Brixton.
Aged 16, he enrolled on an apprentice course at the British Racing School in Newmarket, got his first job with the now retired Chris Wall, and now works for Harry Eustace.
Despite losing his claim last season, Fraser is well on course to improve on his best annual score of 45 wins, having shown his preparedness to travel from home in Newmarket to wherever winners can be found.
He added: “I ride a lot for Rebecca and had to travel all the way up to Musselburgh to ride him first time out and again second time out. Then I went to Chester and now I’ve got the chance to ride him in a big race. That shows that when you put in the work, you get the best out of it.”
