Richard Fourie has decided, a little surprisingly perhaps, to ride as a freelance for the time being.
When he won on the Justin Snaith newcomer Le Harve on only his second ride back at Kenilworth on Saturday it looked business very much as usual, with his signature on the record-breaking trainer’s dotted line all that was needed to restore the pre-Hong Kong partnership.
But Fourie said afterwards: “I’m not making any decisions yet and at this stage I don’t want to commit myself to anything. I want to see if I can pick my rides.”
Snaith, meanwhile, is busy nurturing his two-year-old talent and said: “I will wait a bit with Le Harve, put him away and look after him. But Bishop’s Bounty could run in the 1 100m race on Saturday although he needs ground while I am tempted to geld Sergeant Hardy (Met day Listed winner) as he is a very big horse.”
Richard Fourie (Liesl King)
Tar Heel, who led from halfway for Joey Ramsden in the OFYT Pinnacle, looks like having a crack at next month’s Computaform Sprint – albeit by default.
Derek Brugman reasoned: “He is an out-and-out 1 000m horse and Group-wise there is not much for him in Durban. The Computaform wouldn’t be first choice and you couldn’t go into it with a lot of confidence but I can’t see an alternative.”
Donovan Dillon, who rode the 7-1 shot, is developing a useful association with Glen Kotzen and gave the Woodhill trainer his 40th winner of the season on newcomer South Side in the Birchwood Hotel Maiden.
Andre Nel is planning a tilt at the Fillies Winter Series with the Midas Handicap winner Captain’s Flame while Percival will also be kept in Cape Town after getting the better of Little Mo close home to justify some hefty support in the First Cut Handicap.
Nel said: “Captain’s Flame can be a little hot but she is pretty talented. Percival is improving all the time and I think he is going to enjoy the winter.”
Winners are what most jockeys want for their birthdays and Aldo Domeyer, who celebrated his 29th with an Alan Greeff treble at Fairview on Friday, partnered both the Nel winners and got Pixelate up in the final furlong of the Boland Promotions Maiden for Shane Humby.
Both Bernard Fayd’Herbe and Brett Crawford are convinced that Me Myself And I will be better over further after the 8-1 chance came into her own in the closing stages of the mile Tytec Maiden. The winner is owned by the Ridgemont Stud which was also successful with the filly’s year older half-sister Chinawhite at Turffontein 90 minutes earlier.
Riding master Terrance Welch has abandoned post-CTS Million Dollar plans to go countrywide with Heavelon van der Hoven who partnered the 17th winner of his lucrative season after the Mike Robinson-trained Bold Aspen was backed from 12-1 to 6-1 in the Brilliant Glass Maiden.
Welch explained: “Heavelon will go to PE and possibly some apprentice races in Durban but riding elsewhere is not going to work. It’s in Cape Town that he gets his support and the trainers here want the jockeys with them in the mornings. Once riders start disappearing they don’t want them at all.”
By Michael Clower
