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Experienced South African jockey Keagan Latham will move to the UK to ride freelance.

A former headboy of the South African Jockeys Academy, Latham has already enjoyed plenty of overseas experience having ridden for Herman Brown in Dubai in 2007 and then riding for three seasons in Ireland with the Ger Lyons stable.

He also had a short stint in Mauritius last year.

Latham rode in the UK while with Lyons and won the G2 Temple Stakes at Haydock in 2011 aboard Edward Lynam’s crack sprinter Sole Power. He also finished third on Sole Power in the G1 Prix De L’Abbaye at Longchamp in 2011.

Latham rode 116 winners while based in Ireland in 2009 including three in the UK.

He has ridden numerous Group winners in South Africa for trainers such as Mike De Kock, Glen Kotzen, Herman Brown and Michael Roberts.

He plans to base himself at Newmarket next year.

Meanwhile champion jockey Anton Marcus, recovering from an operation to a ruptured tendon in his left thumb, will miss the ride on the Joey Ramsden-trained Act Of War in the G1 Grand Parade Cape Guineas at Kenilworth on December 20.

Marcus was substituted by Piere Strydom aboard Act Of War in the G2 Selangor Cup and the horse’s reputation as the best three-year-old male in the country was enhanced after his impressive win in that race

However Strydom has confirmed he will remain loyal to the Paul Lafferty-trained Harry’s Son in the Cape Guineas, leaving Act Of War without a rider.

Bernard Fayd’Herbe or Sean Cormack, both of whom have been called on regularly by the Ramsden yard during the current Cape Champions Season, are favoured to gain the mount.

Another top jockey Kevin Shea has undergone a back operation and is recovering in hospital.

Shea was struck down by a back injury in September but returned to riding in October before he was sidelined again by more back problems.

He was found to be suffering from a bulging vertebra, the result of 37 years in the saddle, and an eventually had to agree to an operation.

“I am lucky that we did decide to have the operation as the surgeon said my back was a mess. There was more damage than the MRI scan and the X-rays had shown,” Shea revealed.

“I will virtually have to learn to walk again. The pain is absolutely excruciating, but one would expect to have to deal with that for a spinal injury in which they have had to cut through the muscles.”

Shea said he would love to return to the saddle, but had not yet discussed his riding future with any medical experts.