‘Superman’ on Kryptonite
PUBLISHED: September 29, 2014
Andrew Harrison
Ten winners in three days – more winners than some jockeys ride in three years! Anton Marcus, “Superman” to his legion of followers, was a reluctant talker at Greyville yesterday but the multiple national champion need not have said anything; he’s been saying it all on the track this weekend.
It was five from six rides at Greyville on Friday evening, one at the Vaal on Saturday and another four at Greyville yesterday.
On some forums he has been accused of pinching rides from his weighing room colleagues and not putting in the hard yards but the complete opposite is true. Marcus rides work at Summerveld Monday to Saturday and scurries from one ring to another as if he were a first year apprentice. Catching his breath between rings and promising an anxious Jeff Freedman he would be back to put Rif Raff through his paces but had one more to do for another trainer, Marcus re-iterated. “I’m here every day except Sunday’s. This is my job. The only hassle is that it’s a schlep from Umhlanga to Summerveld,” he grinned before trotting off to his next engagement. But not only is he a hard worker, he’s also an extremely astute judge of the form book and when he phones a trainer for a ride they sit up and take note.
Colin Scott, whose regular jockey MJ Odendaal is laid up with a virus, has gained from the benefit of Marcus’s judgement in recent meetings. “When he phones for the ride you don’t say ‘no’,” said Scott and Marcus landed the odds on both Libertine and Burrwood for the yard this past week.
Marcus has also been quick to work out the Greyville polytrack and judging by his tactics his key would appear to being his judge of pace on the new surface where the early pace can often be suicidal. He is not afraid to make the running as he showed when making most, if not all, on Craig Eudey’s Flyfirstclass in the second, Varbration in the fourth and Bold Inspiration in the fifth. But he is also quite content to sit off the pace if it suits and his mount is capable, a ride that sticks in the mind being Auction King last Tuesday.
There were no mistakes with the Robbie Hill-trained Assimilation in the first yesterday. Although slowly away as is her want, Marcus had her quickly into stride and in a good position to challenge up the straight. However, the odds-on chance was always travelling and the daughter of Dupont won easing up.
Flyfirstclass finished down the field in his first crack on the poly but Eudey’s patience has paid off for owner Keith Young. According to Eudey the gelding has had a host of issues throughout his career but his fifth victory was due reward for consistency.
The polytrack has been put to the “heat” test over the past couple of months and what has become evident is that under these conditions it needs loads of water. Yesterday was the first under wet and cold conditions. Greyville track manager Ralph Smout said that the surface had held up extremely well and although they only had about 5mm of rain it was cold and wet and there was not kick-back. There were also no complaints from the jockeys which bodes well for the future.
Picture: Nkosi Hlophe
