Leading South African jockey Richard Fourie will be the new face on an expatriate riding roster with an otherwise very familiar look about it for the 2012-13 season.
Newcomers from the past two seasons, Australians Tim Clark and Tye Angland, received full-season licences at yesterday's meeting of the licensing committee, as did Weichong Marwing, who has been riding on a short-term ticket.
Mark du Plessis returns to New Zealand after making it clear he had not applied for next season due to family issues, while Austrian Andreas Suborics received a permit for the first half of the season, along with Fourie.
Italian Umberto Rispoli has been licensed for a mid-season stint from November 1 to March 31.
Fourie, 26, has been on the Club's target list for several years but had one of South Africa's top jobs as leading trainer Justin Snaith's stable rider.
Earlier this year, that relationship cooled, allowing Fourie a chance to advance his career elsewhere and he has the resume to ensure he will follow successfully in the footsteps of many of his compatriots, especially given the dearth of lightweight riders.
