Darren Gauci is one of the greatest jockeys to this date. He is an Australian native and has been in the horse riding field since he was just a teenager. He has not only ridden the best horses in the racing field but has also won many races.
With an extraordinary career on his bag, the legendary Gauci left the track in 2017 as a jockey, but he couldn’t leave his passion for the sport. After his successful journey as a jockey, he started his second inning as a jockey coach for Racing Victorian.
Quick Biography & Wiki
| Popular Name | Darren Gauci |
| Real Name | Darren Gauci |
| Date of birth | December 26, 1965 |
| Age | 58 years old |
| Place of birth | Melbourne, Australia |
| Father | Bill Gauci |
| Mother | Not disclosed |
| Siblings | One elder brother |
| Brother | Mick Gauci |
| Status | Married |
| Partner | Karen Gauci (née Dunkerton) |
| Children | Four |
| Sons | Sean Gauci and Brooke Gauci |
| Daughter | Jade Gauci and Breanna Gauci |
| Occupation | Professional Jockey |
| Net worth | 1 Million – 6 Million USD |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Ethnicity | Maltese |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Zodiac | Capricorn |
| Height | Unknown |
| Weight | Unknown |
| Measurement | Unknown |
| Hair color | Brown |
| Eye color | Blue |
| Complexion | Fair |
Darren Gauci Net Worth and Earnings
The 58 years old jockey had a stunning career before retiring. He was one of the natural, skilled and most loved jockeys. Even after retiring, he continued working as a jockey coach.
All these engagements had not only helped him earn fame but a lot of fortune too, which has pulled his net worth to be 1 Million to 6 Million USD.
Darren’s Family, Parents, and Personal Life
Darren was born to a working-class family with a Maltese background, who are the people native to an island in the middle of the Mediterranean sea, Malta.
Darren’s father is Bill Gauci, who worked as a wharfie and later moved to Caulfield. Caulfield is the place where Darren grew up with his elder brother, Mick Gauci.
Mick was already working as a trainer for Don Shannon when Darren was in his early teenage years. Darren used to help his brother during the weekend. During these visits to help his brother, he started seeing himself as someone who would work as a jockey.
He was already an active kid who had won several Best Player awards in soccer games and even went to play for Victoria. However, when he got introduced to riding by Geoff Bamford, the stable jockey, he decided this was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life.
Even as a teenager, he used to work extra hard on the field. He used to be up at 2.30 in the morning, prepare the horses by 3.30 and ride them by 5.
He started to train under the guidance of Frank King, and by the time apprenticeship was over, he had already established himself as a professional jockey.
He was already the winner of one Riding Premiership and four Junior Riding titles. Later, he added three more Riding Premiership to his name.
He rode many brilliant horses and won many games, which made him famous all over the world. It was his fame from the sport, which eventually led him to meet his wife, Karen Gauci. He married his wife in 1989 and had four children with her. He had a brilliant career.
Currently, Dareen is working as a jockey coach and living his life happily with his family.
Darren Gauci Wife and Relationship
The former jockey has been married for over three decades with his wife, Karen Gauci. The two of them met at a TV show Young Talent Time in 1983.
Karen Gauci, previously known as née Dunkerton, was part of the team of that show, where Dareen had a guest appearance.
Darren started dating Karen after the show. It caused a big buzz in the local media. The couple finally took their vows in 1989.
The couple has been enjoying their blissful married life through all these years and has four beautiful children.
Education
Though everyone knows about the magnificent skills and sportsmanship that Dareen showed in the field, not much is out about his educational background.
Career
Darren started his career during his teenage years. He started working for Don Shannon, where his brother used to work after the stable jockey introduced him to horse riding.
Soon he began training under Frank King. By the time the apprenticeship was over, he already was a set jockey with many titles to his name.
He even got trained by Geoff Bamford, who praised him as a natural, determined, and fearless jockey.
After training under the guidance of Bamford, the expert trainer John Hawkes coached Darren until 2005. The pair was one of the most compatible and effective partners in the races.
Under Hawkes guidance, Darren The 1000 Guineas along with the Doncaster Handicap and Stradbroke Handicap On Crawl.
Even after 2005, Darren was able to win the Feature Race on El Segundo on his own. Though he wasn’t working with Hawkes, the two of them are still good friends. His former coach and friend Hawkes always appreciated him as a jockey who had the best natural balance and maturity needed for a jockey.
Darren had an exciting career until his retirement. He was the first-ever apprentice to work for more than 1 Million stakes in Victoria. In 1983, he even rode eighteen consecutive winners in a single golden patch.
If it wasn’t already enough to brag about, Darren also won the Senior Victorian Jockeys premiership for three years. He nearly won the three massive prizes in Australian racing during Super Impose, Melbourne Cup, and On A Jeune but came second.
By December 2013, Darren was part of 7084 races, out of which he was placed in 1904 races and had 669 wins. He also has thirty-five group 1 races and five races of Super Impose under his name.
He had an extraordinary career which got honored by hanging his picture in the Archibald Prize in 2000. The famous journalist Kristen Manning also wrote his biography titled The Gauch in 2018.
However, he ended his journey as a jockey in February 2017 and started working as a jockey coach. He rode a 17 dollar winner, Goodwill, in his final race.
Injuries
Darren is one of the wealthiest persons in Australia and holds the position at 282 among the famous jockeys. But all of this was not easy. During his days as a jockey, Darren has undergone various injuries.
In one of his Yarra Glen races, he fell from his horse and got into a critical condition. The accident was so bad that he was in a coma for eight days, occasionally coming in and out of it.
It was not the only time Darren was in danger. Even in Mornington, while he was riding, his horse collapsed due to a heart attack and died. It left Darren with several severe injuries, and he had to give up riding for ten months.
