The sport of horse racing has been Noel Harris' whole life. His father Jock was a Manawatū jockey and horse trainer, who won more than 350 races.
Following in his father's footsteps, Noel rode his first winner at Foxton on 16 May 1970 and by the time he retired from racing in 2015, had ridden over two-thousand winners in New Zealand.
He also won the jockeys' premiership in both New Zealand and Singapore.
In 2018, Harris was inducted into the New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame...and earlier this year was awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the thoroughbred racing industry.
These days, Harris lives in Mount Maunganui and is a mentor for apprentice jockeys.
