Apprentice Ashton Arries is fast making a name for himself as a rider to follow. In spite of never having sat on a horse before arriving at the South African Jockey Academy, the young Arries has an all-important affinity with his mounts and a great pair of hands.

A natural light-weight rider and a man of few words in company, there is a quiet steel about him, probably the result of a tough childhood in the impoverished Western Cape community of Atlantis. Importantly, he rides his own races and is not intimidated by his seniors. That, coupled with a racing brain should see him go far ­- if he can keep it all together!

Tough Girl (Candiese Marnewick)

Arries was quickly to his 60 winners and lost his claim at Scottsville last Sunday when partnering the Michael Roberts-trained Statute. For many apprentices, the loss of their claim often heralds a time of drought as trainers look elsewhere for some relief. Not so Arries, who has already put a further three in the bag, winning at the Vaal on Tuesday and adding a double at Greyville yesterday.

Lyle Hewitson, a certainty to break Gavin Lerena’s record of winners ridden as an apprentice, arrived at the academy with a wealth of experience in work riders races, a superb feat given that he is only serving a three-year apprenticeship given his early experience and his battle with the scale.

Arries still has nearly three years of his apprenticeship to run and given that he is unlikely to have any weight problems unless he tucks into hamburgers and pizza on a regular basis, Hewitson’s impending record could already be in danger.

Arries’s two winners yesterday came in contrasting style, underlining his talent.

Mark Dixon’s runner Tough Girl lived up to her name as Arries took her to the front and kept her going strongly to hold off the attentions of the two fancied runners, Roy’s Novice and Go Thuli Go, Brandan Lerena and Anton Marcus aboard respectively.

The win was not entirely unexpected however, in spite of a dismal showing on debut, Tough Girl came in for some inspired market support and proved up to the challenge.

There is an old racing adage that says, ‘if a horse is fit and well, don’t leave it in the box,’ a saying that Sean Tarry obviously subscribes to as Kahula backed up her third in the umThombothi Stakes at Scottsville on Sunday with a comfortable win under Arries and 62.5kg in the third.

The race was run at a funerial gallop but Arries was content to sit in the dickie seat. In the straight he knew exactly what he had under him, waited for a gap and punched his filly through for a comfortable victory in another polished performance.

There is a widely held school of thought that local horses at the bottom end of the handicap, or anywhere really, are cannon fodder for out-of-town raiders but Louis Goosen, recently moved to Ashburton from the Vaal is not convinced. “It’s hard to win races here. The KZN form is a lot stronger than what many people think.”

Brian Wiid, successful on more than one occasion with his raiders, found that out as the well-backed Jackman came up short in the fifth as Toltec, under an inspired ride from Tristan Godden, made all the running on the Lezeanne Forbes-trained gelding. The petrol light was flashing red on the dashboard for Godden entering the final furlong but he kept his mount going long enough to hold Jackman who was slowly eating into this lead.

By Andrew Harrison