Now, like all racing fans out there we have very strong opinions about jockey silks.
Most are made famous by the horse that the jockey is riding, but it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re kind on the eye!
We’ve decided to take a look at the best Australian racing silks gracing the countries race tracks.
Yes, there will be some strong bias in this article. No, you shouldn’t take this too seriously.
Ottavio Galletta Silks
The name might not ring a bell for you, but these silks have been around for a long time and were made even more famous just a few years’ ago when a young colt named after a castle in Verona, Italy won the $2m Inglis Millennium for young trainer Richard Litt.
That horse would go on to win a couple of Group 1’s and run second in a Cox Plate.
Yep, that’s right. Castelvecchio.
He now stands at Arrowfield for a decent stud fee.
There’s another horse floating around who could be anything wearing the exact same silks, Profondo.
Pinecliff Racing Silks
There’s a young filly making a name for herself in these red & white striped silks who we think will make a splash in our sprinting ranks over the next few seasons, Passive Aggressive.
Prior to her hitting the scene, one of our favourite fillies of all time, Shoals was winning races for fun in the same silks.
Perhaps her most famous win was in the Empire Rose (then called the Myer Classic) with a 49.5kg Dean Yendall on board back in 2017 on Derby Day.
Other well-known horses that have rocked these stripes are Butter Chicken and Groundswell.
SHOALS absolutely dominates her opposition in the Sangster as she becomes a three-time Group 1 winner.
MORPHETTVILLE: https://t.co/S8bgxekcTQ pic.twitter.com/Z3IAsibr3s
— Racing.com (@Racing) May 5, 2018
Ozzie Kheir Silks
Any punter who has a keen interest in racing will be familiar with this bloke.
It seems like Ozzie Kheir has part ownership in nearly every top horse in the country!
Think Verry Elleegant, Incentivise, Hitotsu, etc.
However, only one of these superstars of Australian racing actually races under Ozzie’s silks – Hitotsu.
Yep, the navy, polka-dot silks are Ozzie’s and they will become more and more synonymous with Australian racing because we have a feeling he’s just getting started.
Other notable horses include Sierra Sue and Tagaloa.
Bob Peters Silks
Probably the most dominant silks in the West, Bob Peters has been an enormous part of horse racing in that part of the country for a long time.
One of the first things we learnt as punters was to follow those silks in Ascot or Belmont with confidence (especially if the Wizard William Pike was on board).
And you know when you see these silks grace the Eastern Seaboard that it’s a serious, serious horse underneath.
Think Arcadia Queen or Superstorm.
Lookout for the pink & white silks throughout the Spring Carnival because we think another horse, Western Empire will further enhance their legacy.
Rupert Leigh Silks
CHAUTAUQUA! HE’S FLYING!
How could you not love the grey flash Chautauqua?
Winning three TJ Smith’s in a row and often leaving it to the last second made him a huge favourite amongst Aussie punters.
It was fitting that the jockey’s on board rocked the famous Rupert Leigh lightning bolt on their chest, because gee whiz this fella could fly.
More recently, the enigmatic Masked Crusader has been wearing these silks and were expecting him to bounce back in the Spring in the lead-up to the Everest.