Relying on charity when riding in a horse race is tantamount to sporting suicide as Anthony Delpech found out to his cost aboard favourite First Crusade in the Business Woman’s Association Maiden Plate at Greyville yesterday.
Anthony Delpech (Liesl King)
Social media was fired up over the ride, basically accusing Delpech of negligence, but in fairness to the champion jockey it was a case of dammed if you do and damn if you don’t.
Arch rival Anton Marcus has a grin all over his chops as he steered Lucky Veil over the line for Ivan and Darrel Moore, more because he has persuaded the grandfather and grandson combination to run the gelding rather than having put one over arch rival Delpech.
“I didn’t want to run the horse from a wide draw,” said Moore the younger post-race, “but Anton persuaded me. He’s a master at what he does.”
However, it may have all turned out differently had Muzi Yeni had let Delpech through a tight gap. It was there for the taking a furlong-and-a-half out but Yeni’s mount rolled out, shutting the door on Delpech who was sitting with the proverbial handful on the favourite.
By the time Yeni had switched his stick and rolled back on a straight course, it was a case of race-over for First Crusade who cut the deficit to a neck at the line that came four jumps too soon.
The stipendiary stewards called for a race review but First Crusade was victim of circumstance rather than any wrong doing on the part of Yeni which was how the stipes viewed the incident .
Delpech was booked off after the race and Stuart Randolph took full toll as he steered Gadget Man to a comfortable victory in the Mitras Amenities Handicap for Dean Kannemeyer whose horses have come to hand with a vengeance of late.
Meet The Logans looked the best bet on the card and duly obliged with a bloodless victory in the card opener but Liberty Market brought all back to earth as she obliged for Pat Lunn at her 42nd time of asking in what quite frankly was a desperate maiden.
By Andrew Harrison
