The Vaal’s original track stages an eight race meeting tomorrow in which the first three races from 1700 up to 2400m are around the turn and the other five are down the straight.

The draws will play an important part in the races down the straight and it is difficult to tell beforehand whether there will be any draw bias, although if there is it usually favours the high draws.

The meeting kicks off with a maiden over 2400m for fillies and mares and Laconia makes appeal being by the stamina influence Lateral and being trained by the outstanding conditioner of stayers, Weiho Marwing. Last time out she stayed on well over this trip at Turffontein Standside for a close second. Hennie Greyling stays aboard and she has the same good draw of two. Flying Fantasy has had three moderate runs to date but has an eyecatching pedigree for this trip being by stamina influence Irish Flame out of a Bezrin mare who won twice over this sort of trip. Nandi’s Vision should also be thereabouts jumping from pole and coming off a second over this trip.

In the first leg of the PA, a Middle Stakes event over 2400m, Mighty And Magic looked to be a strong tip to win last time but that was before he lost a lot of ground at the start. If he jumps on terms here he will be in the shake up from pole position. The best weighted horse according to official merit ratings is Parisienne Chic, but in December she was similarly well weighted in a Middle Stakes event over this trip against the boys and didn’t feature. Kurt’s Approval proved he enjoys this trip last time and although a touch out at the weights on official merit ratings he has a nice galloping weight and the yard can try a bolder strategy knowing he stays. Yamoto is interesting stepped up in trip from a good draw and can be included in the PA alongside Mighty And Magic and Kurt’s Approval. However, Condor Gulch and Horseplay are also proven over the trip and are hard to ignore.

In the first leg of the Pick 6 over 1700m Ossetra is a potential banker from a good draw. She has topweight but it is alleviated by a 4kg claimer. She always struck as one who would progress with age and her last run shows her to now be coming into her own. However, not many will want to have a banker in a lowly fillies and mares handicap so Poormanslady and Picadilly Square can be included in the PA and Elegancia and Satin Slipper can be included alongside those three in the Pick 6.

The next race is the highest rated event on the card, an Assessment Plate over 1400m and Epic Dream is made the one to beat. He is a nice progressive sort and this trip will be right down his alley. Anneka is the best weighted three-year-old in the field according to official merit ratings and has to be included as she has form behind the like of Mighty High, Clouds Unfold and Cirillo. Captain Of Tortuga is the best weighted male horse in the race and is distance suited, so must also be included in all of the PA, Jackpot and Pick 6. Rocky Night must be included in the Jackpot and Pick 6 as he won well in his first start for this yard so can progress further. Fired Up is also hard to ignore as he won well on debut and could still be anything. Rockin’ Russsian is easily the best weighted horse in the field, so is worth including despite returning from a layoff of nearly a year.

In the fifth race over 1400m the distance suited and in form Danza and the attractively merit rated Wonderwall must be included in the PA. The latter has his second run after gelding and could bounce back to form. Greek Fire, Shogun and Captain Courteous all have ability and can be included in the Pick 6.

The last three races look more cut and dried.

In the sixth over 1000m Rebel Renegade won in commanding fashion last time and off just a two point higher mark can go close again for the flying Magner yard. Vardo is the only other one who needs including as he has speed and class and is attractively handicapped, having been dropped three points for his first run back from Cape Town, which he likely needed.

In the seventh over 1400m Elusive Butterfly did well last Thursday against a stronger field than this and is the first choice. The back up is Florida Quays who caught the eye as one who has come into her own in her last win, although it remains to be seen whether the number one draw will be a disadvantage.

In the eighth over 1400m Boutique is made the best bet of the day, despite being up against some talented sorts. The form of her maiden win has worked out exceptionally well and she is held in good regard, so will be hard to beat over an ideal trip from a nice high draw and off a lowly merit rating of just 64.                               

By David Thiselton

Cape Fillies Guineas and Majorca winner Snowdance is to revert to sprint distances for the first time since she won over 1 100m on her debut as a two-year-old.

Jono Snaith said: “We have always believed that she is a sprinter but that it is her class that carries her through over further and she will run in the SA Fillies Sprint at Scottsville on May 25.”

Apparently there is still a chance that Do It Again could attempt to repeat last year’s win in the Vodacom Durban July even though the four-year-old would be likely to have top weight.

Snaith explained: “He will run in the Independent on Saturday Drill Hall (at Greyville on May 4) but no decision about the July will be made until after he has run in the Rising Sun Gold Challenge (June 8). The owners (Nic Jonsson, Bernard Kantor and Jack Mitchell) will then decide whether he goes for the July or runs in the Champions Cup (July 27). He won’t go for both.”

Plans for last year’s Sun Met winner Oh Susanna are up in the air. “Drakenstein (who owns and bred the filly) have not made a final decision as to whether or not she goes to Durban,” said Snaith.

By Michael Clower

Piet Steyn’s dire predictions about the future – or rather lack of it – for the Western Cape’s small trainers had already come home to roost for Riaan van Reenen when Steyn issued his heartfelt plea for support of others like him.

The Philippi trainer quietly handed in his licence eight days before Steyn’s Tellytrack interview sent shock waves through the South African racing industry, warning that there would only be a handful of trainers left in Cape Town in a couple of years.

The general public knew nothing about Van Reenen’s surprise decision until he appeared alongside Glen Puller for Fee Ramsden’s interview and explained his position after the Robert Khathi-ridden Celestial Storm had defied top weight in the Interbet.co.za Handicap at Durbanville on Saturday.

Shortly before the race he said to the writer: “I only had ten horses at the end and it just wasn’t financially viable to continue but the writing was on the wall a long time ago. The market has gone to the big trainers.

“I have joined Glen as his assistant so I am no longer in the Premier division but my clients moved over to him. Really, I don’t mind because my health was being affected by the strain. I felt it was either join Glen or get a heart attack and die.”

Van Reenen had been training for almost 15 years and he met with immediate success, winning the Winter Classic, Winter Derby and Final Fling with Sweet Virginia. A Daughters Legacy won the Final Fling twice, the Victress and Ladies Mile and he trained Diana’s Choice to win a string of races including the Olympic Duel before she was sold to race in Dubai. At one stage he had over 35 horses but more recently he went into a training partnership with Carl Burger in an abortive effort to rebuild the numbers.

He said: “I was doing well and I was competitive for a long time yet I couldn’t survive. I ask myself how are those who are not doing well going to manage?”

But back to Saturday’s racing. Surely one of the most informative performances came from Helen’s Ideal who followed up her fifth in the Cape Derby with a convincing win under Aldo Domeyer in the 1 250m Rugby Handicap. “This was prep run for the (fillies) Winter Series,” said Paul Reeves. “The first leg is over 1 400m so I wanted to sharpen her up a bit.”

Unusually the last four races were all won by favourites but for those who believe in following the money the day began disastrously with 13-20 shot Rio Querari run out of it close home by the completely unconsidered 50-1 stable companion Marco Polo who was well handled by Louis Mxothwa.

“This was a big surprise,” said Justin Snaith. “The race didn’t quite go Rio Querari’s way and Richard Fourie found himself in front too soon, while the winner really wants further.”

But the five owners of Marco Polo were understandably delighted. The Pathfork gelding races in the blue, shocking pink diamonds colours of Kimberley-based Suzette Viljoen who has recently gone into horses in a big way and has 22 of them split between yearlings and two-year-olds. This was her first success while the winner is the first horse that farrier Robbie Miller has part-owned.

Eric Sands and Greg Cheyne took the other two-year-old race with 6-1 shot Driving Miss Daisy but it was the performance of runner-up Sanskrift that went into the notebook. The R800 000 newcomer, a full sister to Santa Clara, unexpectedly made the running and was only caught on the line.

Candice Bass-Robinson said: “She is not the biggest but she is strong and the family has quite a lot of speed considering their stout pedigrees. I was pleased.”

By Michael Clower

The lightly raced Tristful made short work of odds-on favourite Captain And Master and a useful field of gallopers as Tony’s Rivalland’s gelding out-gunned the field in the Morris Vee Sports Betting Progress Plate at Greyville yesterday.

There were few willing to bet against Captain And Master who was backed deep into the red, but Lyle Hewitson was never able to get close to the rail and stayed three-wide throughout as Run To Denmark towed the field along from his inside draw.

Sean Veale made an early move at the top of the straight on Tristful, catching the field flat-footed, and hitting the line nearly two lengths clear of Captain And Master, letting Hewitson know that he had been well beaten.

This was only the fourth start for Tristful and given that this was a Plate race he could still be flying under the handicapper’s radar with the Champions Season classics beckoning.

It was also just reward for owner Mary Liley who has a number of horses in training with Rivalland and who has been a staunch supporter of the sport for decades.

Most publicity in horse racing – and any sport for that matter – is centred around the high and mighty but there is always place for those at the bottom, for without them the sport becomes just another boring procession.

Lowly Leicester’s win in the British Premier League two seasons back created more column inches than Manchester City’s follow-up because it was a great story of David vs Goliath.

Michael Clower writes elsewhere on this page of Riaan van Reenen being forced to join Glen Puller due to lack of support and in order to keep going in a sport that they love.

Ashburton-based Julie Dittmer’s roots in the sport go back to race-riding at Richmond in KwaZulu-Natal and other long-closed venues, but has stayed staunch ever since taking out her trainer’s licence. She will be first to admit that there are no superstars in her string and has not had the good fortune of a really smart horse.

But more importantly than that, she has a band of staunch owners and Vanessa Williams – especially Michael Salter will have been ecstatic the way See The Prize dusted off her rivals in the DPG Logistics Maiden.

This was only the third start for the filly, bred by former Supreme Court judge Alan Magid and raised at Summerhill, and the manner of victory belied her 36-1 odds.

She was tailed off on the home turn with apprentice Khanya Sakayi in a seemingly hopeless cause as he scrubbed away. But he kept hard at the filly and she responded with a great turn of foot, reeling in the opposition from way back to win going away.

Granted, the field was not the finest, but it was a tremendous performance no less.

Sakayi, 45 winners, edged another three closer to losing his apprentice claim as he was also successful on Love Button for Glen Kotzen and Ooh La La for Doug Campbell, another graduate of the Richmond races. Not to be out-done, Sean Veale also registered a treble, Tristful and the also Liley owned Clara for Rivalland and Dieci for his regular boss, Dennis Drier.

By Andrew Harrison

The Turffontein Standside meeting on Saturday features the Grade 2 Senor Santa Stakes over 1160m where Cirillo will be hard to beat as long as the low draws do not prove unfavourable on the day. 

Cirillo is the highest earning thoroughbred in the country this season having won two expensive sales races down in Cape Town, including the CTS 1200 last time. He showed good speed there and then drew away in the manner of a top class sprinter.

He is only 1kg out at the weights with the best weighted male Bull Valley, but the latter is returning from a layoff of more than a year.

However, the low draws can sometimes be disadvantageous down the Turffontein straight, so the earlier races must be monitored for any draw bias.

Mardi Gras has not had the opportunity to rise above his current 100 merit rating, which he potentially looks to be better than. So being officially 4kg under sufferance with Bull Valley can’t be taken on face value. Furthermore, this progressive sprinter has a nice high draw. Prince Of Kahal has speed and some class. He should be running on as usual but his low draw might be a concern.

Green Plains has trained on and is consistent. She is the best weighted horse in the race according to official merit ratings. It is never easy against the boys but she has a nice high draw.

Romi’s Boy is a talented sprinter who ran a fine race last time after a five month layoff. He should be able to run well fresh again.

Trip To Heaven will be left alone as he is better when coming from way off the pace. He is drawn on the right side and if producing his best will be right there.

Bull Valley has a lot of class and has run well fresh before so could be a threat from a high draw.

Billy Silver has class and has run two good races on the Highveld so is capable of surprising from a nice high draw.

Red Chesnut Road was highly regarded early in his career and has found consistency lately from sprints up to a mile.

Down To Zero won a good race last time but the extra 160m might stretch him. They are selected in the order mentioned.

The Listed Drum Star Handicap over 1800m provides another opportunity for the quirky Pietro Mascagni. He is full of class but appears to shirk the issue when challenging for the lead. He is well drawn over an ideal trip and a tongue tie has now been fitted.

Cash Time is in good form but has a tricky draw considering first time blinkers are on.

The Dazzler is on the up and Dawn Assault and Hero’s Honour have earned their big weights.

The second race is an interesting Conditions Plate and although Redberry Lane would prefer further than this 1400m trip, she will be a threat from pole position as she is an effective front runner and is well in at the weights with all except Fresnaye, who might need her first run on the Highveld and would prefer further.

Celtic Sea is perfectly distance suited and there won’t be much between her and her stable companion Redberry Lane here.

By David Thiselton

Justin Snaith has a strong hand at Durbanville tomorrow, particularly in the first four races when he has three favourites and a joint favourite, and the champion trainer may win both the two-year-old events.

Cyber Blossom, already backed from 2-1 to 14-10 for the Tabonline Maiden Juvenile (race three), was good enough to run creditably in the Listed race on Met day and probably has most to fear from Mike Robinson’s 22-10 shot Stylish Icon and the Eric Sands-trained 7-2 chance Driving Miss Daisy who both made promising debuts last month.

Six of the other seven are first-timers and, while nine of the first 12 two-year-old races in Cape Town this season were won by newcomers, experience is beginning to count and all the last five races went to horses who had had a run.

Vaughan Marshall’s Captain Of Stealth aside, it is Candice Bass-Robinson who appears to have the strongest hand so far and riding arrangements point to Sanskrift, an R800 000 Duke Of Marmalade full sister to Santa Clara and half-sister to Horizon. “I think she is going to be a little bit too green, especially to take on those raced fillies,” says her trainer. “She could maybe run a place but she probably needs a little bit more time.”

Rio Querari is 17-20 for the first and, while the form of his debut hardly warrants him being odds-on, he looks marginally the best. The entire field was running for the first time and he was just one of four that were slowly away while the winner let the form down by managing only fourth ten days later. But Rio Querari did run on well and Richard Fourie has stuck with him.

All Black, fourth of six on debut when totally unfancied and hampered at the start, has been backed from 7-1 to 9-2. Hexatonic (22-1) and Pick Eight Captain are both R400 000 Captain Als and, with Brett Crawford’s juveniles getting into gear, the latter is probably the danger to the selection. Perhaps significantly, he has already been backed from 5-1 to 33-10 second favourite.

The Bass-Robinson stable introduces 25-1 shot Doppio Oro and Tree Of Wisdom (11-2) who has been nibbled at but his trainer feels he will need the run – “I think he will probably need the experience and that he is not wound up enough.”

Destin (7-10 with World Sports Betting) is rated 4kg the best in the mile Betting World Maiden but, while he is taken to beat 3-1 shot Var Express, it is more than  a little disturbing that his last two runs have been over ten furlongs and an extended mile and a half.

Blush Scarlet appeals at 5-1 in the TAB Telebet Maiden. The Glen Kotzen filly was badly drawn when only a fifth of a length behind second-placed Lip Service at Kenilworth last month and has much the better of the draw here.

By Michael Clower

Captain And Master has had his fair share of bad luck at Greyville, most notably when running into traffic in the Gr2 Golden Horseshoe on July day last season. Since then he has been campaigned at the top level by Sean Tarry, his last outing being in the Gr2 Hawaii Stakes where he was friendless in the market with favourite Soqrat all but home and hosed according to punters.

It turned out not quite that simple as Soqrat, in spite of turning in a tremendous performance, was not able to hold off the relatively unfancied six-year-old Zouaves. Captain And Master was also making late headway and beaten less than two lengths into fourth.

Tarry appears to have picked the right race for Captain And Master to score his second success this term when he lines up in the Morris Vee Sports Bet Progress Plate over 1400m on the Greyville turf on Sunday.

He does face some useful younger opposition, notably Marchingontogether and Mr Greenlight, so this will be no walk in the park for the Highveld raider.

Marchingontogether ran no sort of race in the Gauteng Guineas when tried in blinkers and Gavin van Zyl made no secret that he was expecting better when back on home turf.

His confidence was not misplaced as Marchingontogether held off the attentions of older stable companion Blackball, this over 1950m.

Marchingontogether does appear to be equally effective over Sunday’s shorter trip but given that this is Captain And Master’s optimum distance, the latter gets the nod.

One who could put them all to bed is Mr Greenlight. Nothing went right in his trip to Cape Town where all three of Duncan Howells’s runners on the day ran way below par. Prior to that Mr Greenlight had booked his place on the float to Cape Town with a thoroughly convincing victory in a Graduation Plate.

Mr Greenlight has had over a month to recover from his ill-fated trip south and needs to be included in all calculations.

Of the balance Affranchi has yet to find the promise that he showed earlier in his career and the filly Twice As Smart looks held by Mr Greenlight given her last outing where she started favourite but that was on the poly track and she could well prefer the turf.

KZN trainers have been relatively quiet as far as getting their two-year-olds up and running in comparison to their out-of-province counterparts, possibly a combination of barrier trials and many not wanting to push their young charges on the synthetic track on debut.

It’s turf on Sunday and the card opener is littered with runners that have trialled well and it is up to punters to test their skills at reading gallops and taking notes on the habits of trainers – because that is essentially what a barrier trial is.

Just how far behind or how far in front a horse finishes in a trial is immaterial. A trial needs to be gauged on individual showings, and what can be expected from different trainers. Some trainers make use of them as trial gallops, others as a shop window for horses that are up for sale and others just letting their charges go through the motions because the rules say they have to. Over time just how the ‘form’ of particular trials work out becomes apparent.

Seasoned trainer Dennis Drier is one of the shrewdest in his profession but Yessiricanboogie, a seven-length winner on debut, and Pearl Of Asia, a narrow winner at cramped odds in his debut, have rather compromised trial winner Ninotto.

From a pole position draw, Ninotto is likely to start at short odds in spite of the smart showings of Double Games, who simply cruised through his trial and may be the biggest threat to the selection, and the more experienced African Warrior and Chief Officer.

Let the games begin!

By Andrew Harrison

The Justin Snaith-Richard Fourie combination can expect a profitable day at Durbanville on Saturday if the ante-post prices are anything to go by. They have the favourite in four of the nine races.

World Sports Betting has installed Rio Querari at 15-20 to win the opening 1 250m Juvenile and Destin is also odds-on at 7-10 to take the Betting World Maiden (race four) while Cyber Blossom heads the market for the Tabonline Maiden Juvenile (race three) at 2-1 and The Boston Rose is 3-1 favourite to take the Interbet Handicap (race seven).

Brett Crawford is the only other trainer with more than one favourite – Corne Orffer rides 22-10 shot Grand Silvano in race two while Greg Cheyne has the mount on 5-2 top weight Vforvictory in race six.

By Michael Clower

Wayne Badenhorst is another of the young trainers at Summerveld who is making inroads and this is not surprising considering the wealth of experience he has gathered in his 24 years in the game.

He will be relocating to Ashburton in a couple of months’ time.

His horses have had 53 runs for 6 wins this season at a strike rate of 11,32%. He has also had eight second place finishes and a place strike rate of 41,51%. However, possibly the most telling statistic is the R33.30 profit a punter would have earned if putting R1 a win on each of Badenhorst’s horses.

Badenhorst left horseracing for a while a few years back and was earning a living in the furniture business.

However, an owner lured back him to the game he loves with an offer to train six horses on a farm close to Richmond. The stint went well and in his best period he bagged five winners in three months.

However, the farm was subsequently sold and he returned to Summerveld. He has received support from the like of Keith Smith and Shaun Standeaven and also from some of his good friends. By next week he will have a string of 20.

He has four horses running on Sunday on the Greyville turf and is bullish about one of them.

He said, “In the 8^th race I have Sun On Sand. I have got her as well as I can. Last time 1400m was a bit short but she was about nine lengths back at the top of the straight and was beaten only four-and-a-half lengths. She is drawn wide on Sunday but the distance of 1900m is spot on and we will drop her out. Muzi Yeni is up and she will be mowing them down. I think this is her race to win.”

He said of his other runners, “Elnora (Master Of My Fate filly running in 1^st race) is a nice filly and I am probably putting her in the wrong race here against the boys as I just want to see where I am with her and whether she is good enough to go for the big races, so I have thrown her into the deep end but hope she can rise to the occasion.

Class Of Eight (3^rd over 1400m) is very temperamental but I have tried one or two things and she will win a maiden. We will try and drop her out and see if she can run on.

I’m Free’s (5^th over 1200m) last run on the poly was not great so I’ve put her on the grass but she has drawn badly. She’s fit and well and has a bit of ability so I hope she can put it together.”

Badenhorst’s philosophy is to go in trying to win every race he enters.

He said, “I get the horses as ready as I can and want to get a cheque everytime they run.”

As a trainer who rides himself, he knows when they are ready. His training methods are based on all he has learnt from his time spent with some of the best in the game.

Badenhorst began workriding at the age of 12 for Yvette Bremner in Port Elizabeth.

He later spent six months as a workrider in Hong Kong. He then returned to the Bremner yard. From 2005 to 2007 he worked for top trainer David Payne in Australia. After that he had a stint with another top trainer, Alec Laird.

Later, Laird sent him down to KZN with his Champions Season string. Badenhorst enjoyed Durban so much he did not want to return to Johannesburg.

He then took out his own license. However, he eventually could not carry the amount which was owed to him in training fees and was forced out. His stint in the furniture game was profitable but he is glad to be back working with his beloved horses. 

He is now proving he has what it takes to make it in this toughest of professions.

By David Thiselton

Gareth van Zyl experienced the ups and downs of training racehorses at the dawn of his career but looks to already be hitting the proverbial highway a year or two later and has the second highest strike rate among the country’s top 50 trainers.

This season he has had 126 runners for 21 winners at a strike rate of 16,67% and has the third highest place strike rate of 51,59%.

Asked what he put this down to, he replied, “I follow a business plan of sifting out bad horses. If horses can’t earn I would rather move them on to a weaker centre or in to a new discipline like show jumping. Effective studying of the program and planning a horse’s races also helps. We are also not a punting stable, so our horses run on their merits. I also try and run from favourable draws only as there are only so many times you can go to the well.”

Waiting for draws requires patience, but Van Zyl said it was possible to keep a horse ticking over during the wait. Therefore, a Van Zyl horse returning from a short layoff should not be written off as it has likely just been waiting for a draw and will invariably be fit enough to be competitive. However, he admitted that sometimes the wait was so long he would be forced to accept a bad draw.

Van Zyl said he had a “healthy spread” of owners, although mentioned Graham Palmer and Maurice Ferreira as two of the most prominent.

He is sent a number of horses by breeders, but otherwise selects horses himself at the Sales.

He explained his purchasing philosophy, “I firstly look for balance and athleticism. I have horses of all sizes in my yard from big to small as I don’t put as much importance on substance as I do on athleticism and balance.”

Van Zyl said he was very happy with the facilities available to him at Summerveld and this not only included stabling and training tracks but also a treadmill, which is owned by his father Gavin, and a hydrotherapy spa.

Of his training methods he said, “I think the fundamentals of training are commonly used but the fine tuning is personalised.”

He said he was also very much a fan of barrier trials and added, “I think they are a great training aid and educating tool.”

Indeed, a Van Zyl-trained barrier trialist which shows promise usually delivers in a subsequent race.

He said his best horses at present were YessirIcanboogie, Can You Feel It, Red Al and Paths Of Victory.

Yessiricanboogie, an athletic two-year-old daughter of the new Highlands stallion Time Thief, was ultra impressive on debut over 1000m at Scottsville, She showed exceptional natural speed and possesses gears too. She won easing up by 7,10 lengths and will next be going for the Strelitzia, which will be a springboard into the Grade 1 Allan Robertson. A sales voucher won at the KZN Breeders Golf Day was the prompt for a group of golfing friends to look for a horse at the KZN Yearling Sale last year and they can consequently look forward to some exciting times with YessirIcanboogie, whose price of R110,000 is looking a bargain.

Jackson filly Can You Feel It completed her two-year-old season still a maiden but finished third in both the Grade 2 Golden Slipper over 1400m and the Grade 1 Thekwini over 1600m. In her debut this season over 1200m she waltzed in by 5,75 lengths. However, she subsequently sustained a tendon injury, so has been sidelined. Van Zyl will not be rushing her into anything, but said there was still a chance she could run in the Champions Season.

Captain Al filly Red Al has won her last two starts over 1900m on the Greyville poly and Van Zyl will be travelling her to Johannesburg at the end of the month to run in the Grade 2 SA Oaks over 2450m at Turffontein. He reckoned she was looking for the trip and would enjoy the galloping track too.

He regards Paths Of Victory as just below Champions Season quality, but this twice-winning Noble Tune middle distance to staying type has finished second in his last two starts off a 91 merit rating and has been raised to a 92.

Van Zyl is fortunate to have Warren Kennedy as his stable jockey. Kennedy lived for a long time in the shadows of the top echelon jockeys but with the spate of injuries and retirements to the latter group recently he soon emerged as one who was more than capable of filling their boots. He is now fast establishing himself as one of the best jockeys in the country. He is currently 8^th on the national log with 85 winners and is the 6^th highest stakes earner.

Exciting breaking news is that Damon Delpech, the son of recently retired jockey great Anthony, will be joining Van Zyl’s yard as assistant trainer.

Van Zyl said, “Damon is joining me in April. He has spent time at Summerhill stud and on a stud farm in Kentucky. He has had valuable exposure to the game and this will stand him in good stead.”

Gareth’s early exposure to the game was also through his father’s jockeyship and he was later his assistant trainer. He said he still bounces ideas off Gavin.

Gareth began his career as a licensed trainer on October 30, 2016 with a double which included the Listed Jonsson Workwear Michaelmas Handicap. However, less than a year later he lost the horses of owner Brian Burnard, which formed the majority of his string. He rebuilt virtually from scratch, starting on August 1, 2017, so the horses he himself has purchased are now only three-year-olds.

He has made big strides and looks to have a bright future.

By David Thiselton