SHAMAREE Muir is the runaway leader in terms of winners among the latest batch of apprentices who began their careers in the pigskin in September of 2012.

From the official start date up to last Saturday, Muir has ridden 102 winners – 39 more than second-place O’Brien White with 63 winners. Muir’s achievement is made even better as he was out of the saddle for over two months at the start of this season due to injuries received on the exercise track. Since his recent return to regular race riding, Muir is still showing the confidence and desire to ride winners. The accomplishment of riding 100 winners is quite significant and is one which bodes well for his career.

After a poor start, White surged to prominence last year and has continued his good form in 2015. He rode 45 winners in 2014 to finish joint third in the jockeys’ championship with seasoned veteran Shane Ellis. White also took the crown of champion apprentice for the year.

Ruja Lahoe (50) and Prince Holder (49) occupy third and fourth positions on the apprentice winners’ list. Lahoe started well but an injury early in his career has slowed his progress. He is slowly picking up the pieces and is looking much more confident in the saddle now. Holder, on the other hand, is experiencing a tremendous loss of form as the winners have been few and far between while his confidence is suffering immensely.

Holder became a crowd favourite with his robust style of riding which earned him the nickname ‘Daggerman’. The winners were coming thick and fast and then suddenly a drought intervened midway last season and since then he has been finding it difficult to recapture his once prominent role among his peers.

Of the others, Orlando Foster and Romario Saunders both started well but have both dropped off quite significantly.

Kareem Richardson-Garvey is the only one among the group of 20 yet to ride a winner.