The Vodacom Durban July as I saw it: Anton Marcus

“Down at the start, when it was delayed, one or two of the other horses were getting a bit warm but Do It Again was nice and relaxed.

“I didn’t have a game plan as such going into the race but I was concerned that it was going to be devoid of pace and I was towards the rear early on. However, when African Night Sky started over-racing everything just fell into place. I had a trouble-free passage and a trouble-free run in transit, and this probably made the difference to the horse. I was able to keep him balanced and keep him in a rhythm, and for me that was the most important thing. Indeed on this course it was paramount and it meant I was able to keep him out of trouble.

“Going into the final turn I wanted to get him mobile so I started riding. I thought he would take a while to unwind – I knew he wasn’t going to come home in 22 seconds!  When I joined Made To Conquer I was slightly concerned because he is a fighter but when we passed him I knew we had put it to bed.”

By Michael Clower