Aldo Domeyer is to give up his job with Andre Nel and Plattner Racing to become first jockey to Candice Bass-Robinson.

Aldo-Domeyer

“I don’t like the term stable jockey but I will have first claim on Aldo,” said Mrs Robinson. “Grant van Niekerk will still ride for me – I often have more than one horse in a race and Aldo is restricted as to what weight he can do – but he will no longer have first call.”

Marinaresco may yet fly the South African flag overseas despite plans to send him to New York having to be cancelled.

Marsh Shirtliff, in whose colours the Champions Cup winner runs, said: “He will stay in South Africa and go for the July but we will then make another call regarding overseas. That would be a good time to go, bearing in mind Dubai next year.”

Reflecting on the four-year-old’s slightly below par performance in the Sun Met, Shirtliff added: “I don’t think he would have won – Whisky Baron was weighted to win the race on Winter Series running – but I do feel that he could have finished a bit closer.”

Whisky Baron’s break at Drakenstein is being restricted to three weeks and then he returns to Brett Crawford to be prepared for the Vodacom Durban July. “I would think that he will start off in possibly the Drill Hall or the Gold Challenge,” said Crawford.

Investec Cape Derby winner Edict Of Nantes will stay in Cape Town for the Winter Guineas (April 22) “and we will then decide,” said Derek Brugman referring to when the colt moves to Durban to be prepared for the July. He expects a similar approach with Table Bay but admits to some puzzlement over the runaway Cape Classic winner’s disappointing effort in the Derby.

By Michael Clower