Gold Circle Pty (Ltd)

Today's Racing :

Lloyd out to break July jinx

This year's Vodacom Durban July will see Jeff Lloyd having an excellent chance of winning the race for the first time as he is aboard the fancy of many pundits, the Mike Bass-trained River Jetez.

Lloyd has finished third an amazing eight times in the race.

Michael Roberts, whose first and only July win was on Super Quality in 1997, was also once in the position, like Lloyd, where he was unfairly said to have a “July jinx”.

He said, “There was a big gap when I was overseas. I used to come back but didn't ride for Millard who was dominating the race in those years. I should have been on the winner one year when Bert Abercrombie asked me to ride Bush Telegraph as Garth Puller wasn't going to do the weight. But the July coincided with Mtoto running in the Eclipse and I chose to stay for that.”

Garth Puller duly wasted down to 49kg and Bush Telegraph won.

Roberts had no regrets as he won the Eclipse on Mtoto, his first Group 1 win in Europe.

“Never having won the July did begin to weigh on my mind a bit as I didn't want to retire without one,” he said. “Some people didn't care about the championships, they'd say 'but you've never ridden a July winner'.”

In 1997 he was set to ride the David Ferraris-trained North By Northwest, but after he won the Daily News stable jockey Weichong Marwing switched to him from his original choice, Super Quality.

“David phoned and I decided to come out for Super Quality as it was always nice to come and see friends anyway.”

Roberts remembered how his heart sank when he came into the parade ring and saw this “little pony” he was to ride.

"I asked the groom if he'd backed him and he said 'No I've backed North By Northwest'". His hopes sank further.

However the horse gave Roberts a tremendous feel down to the start and he remembered saying to Garth Puller, “I hope the bomb hasn't gone off early!”

Roberts described the race, “It was very rough until the Drill Hall and being small he was bumped around a lot. But then he got comfortable and coming up the hill he was cantering. A wide gap opened at the top of the straight – I couldn't believe it. I was able to angle to the outside. In the last 50m he was in the front and I had this image in my mind of how a horse often comes flying late in the July. It was the longest 50m of my life!”

Few will forget the tears of Roberts as he entered the winner's enclosure having finally won the race that is every South African jockey's dream.

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