Winter Series winner African Night Sky, who deliberately missed last Saturday’s Matchem in order to start his campaign later, may now begin at Kenilworth on 11 November.

Jonathan Snaith said: “We are looking at the 1 400m Pinnacle that day. He will then go on to the Green Point on 2 December before running in the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate and the Sun Met.

African Night Sky (Michael Price)

“He is doing amazingly well and I think he will be a better horse this season. He has matured and has more substance than he did when he won the Winter Series.”

Jockeys in South Africa will be glad that they operate in a much more relaxed environment than their counterparts in Mauritius.

Robert Khathi, who has just returned from his first stint on the island, said: “The Gambling Police have taken over racing and they raid jockeys’ houses. They came knocking at my door at 10.00pm one night when I was asleep. There were 15 of them and they searched the house.”

They didn’t find anything because there was nothing to find but Khathi was struck by the general air of suspicion. “If people see two jockeys together somewhere they often seem to think they are plotting something and they will take pictures which can end up in the papers.”

Despite the unsettling circumstances Khathi did well in Mauritius and finished up equal third on the log with 14 winners from 98 rides.

He said: “My trainer, Shirish Narang, is in only his second season and, while he had no big horses, he was doing well. I am riding freelance once more and I am looking for rides.”

By Michael Clower