Grylls has been flying past them all season: Michael Guerin
Michael Guerin • May 30th, 2025 12:16 PM • 4 min read
Champion jockey Craig Grylls is going to celebrate winning the premiership the same way he actually achieved the title: by getting on a plane.
Only this time he won’t be flying it himself.
Grylls goes into this weekend with the national jockey’s premiership about as sewn up as it can be, his 130 wins this term exactly twice that of his nearest challenger Michael McNab’s 65.
It is a jaw dropping domination from the 35-year-old Grylls after a series of seconds and thirds and the TAB bookie paid out on the premiership win weeks ago.
“It has been a long time coming but I am really happy to get there and tick it off,” Grylls told the Herald.
“It has been a long season with a lot of travelling but I have had great support from owners and trainers.”
The travelling is helped by Grylls having his own pilot’s licence and plane so what could have been a 4.5 hour trip to Whanganui tomorrow may only takes him an hour, weather permitting.
“My plane is only 10 minutes from my house so I can get in, fly down and then get picked up at the local aerodrome wherever I am going.
“It is really helpful in summer when things are so busy and obviously the weather is good and this summer just gone the weather was was great so it was very helpful.”
When you double your closest rival’s seasonal total it suggests Grylls could have biked to race meetings and still won the premiership, his dominance slightly aided by retirements and key rivals suffering injuries while last season’s premiership winner Warren Kennedy was also not keen on chasing a repeat.
But you still need the talent and dedication to keep winning week in, week out and nobody doubts those qualities in Grylls.
He also now has maturity that has allowed him to be patient in sticky situations in key races as well as the ability to fire horses out of the gates and dominate, especially in the Central Districts.
His patience will only extend so far though and after racing next weekend at Ellerslie (June 7) it will be Grylls’s turn to sit in the passenger seat of a plane for once.
“Ellerslie will be my last meeting for a month or even six weeks,” he says.
“I need a break and now it looks like the premiership is won we will be going on a holiday.
“I don’t know where yet but it will be great to freshen up and then I might even come back and ride the last two weeks of July to get my eye in for the new season.”
Grylls says his favourite win of the 130 and counting this season was Leica Lucy’s NZ Oaks triumph. (Click here to watch this race replay)
“Because of the build up and her being such a hot favourite and of course being trained by Robbie [Patterson], who is my best mate.”
Grylls and Patterson are back in business chasing another black type win at Whanganui tomorrow, with Our Jumala the favourite in the AGC Training Stakes.
“She has to be a good chance. She handles the wet, is fit and racing well,” says Grylls.
Grylls will partner Atkins (R1, No.8) for the red hot Cody Cole stable while he suggest Ma Te Wa (R2, No.4) will be hard to beat.
