The battle for the national jockey championship is not lacking needle and it spilled over in the second at Greyville on Saturday. Muzi Yeni finished the day four winners behind log leader Lyle Hewitson with four meets left to the end of the season on Wednesday.

The two came together repeatedly during the running of the race with the stipendiary stewards taking a dim view of some unprofessional riding by both jockeys. The official stipes report does not go into detail but both riders will face an inquiry.

It all started at the 900m mark with Yeni’s mount Mr Greenlight shifting out off the heels of Tommy Grand resulting in Mr Greenlight and Hewitson’s mount, Moon In June, coming together. Yeni appeared to elbow Hewiston who retaliated by forcing Mr Greenlight back in behind horses. The bland report reads “…. bumping when racing in close proximity. An inquiry will be opened into this incident.”

From here, Hewitson took his mount around runners but his challenge was short-lived in the straight allowing Mr Greenlight to come back at him with Yeni taking up his running forcing Hewitson it ease Moon In June off the heels of Mr Greenlight. “At the 400m Moon In June was carried out and was eased off the heels of Mr Greenlight. An inquiry will be opened into this incident.”

Yeni then took his frustrations into the boardroom. “A further inquiry will be held into jockey M Yeni’s conduct in the boardroom,” concluded the report.

Both riders have been maintaining a punishing schedule in their hunt for winners and exhaustion must be a mitigating factor. Yeni will have ridden in over 1800 races this season for 212 winners while Hewitson has clocked up over 1500 races for his current tally of 216 winners.

By Andrew Harrison

Joey Ramsden landed the second eLan Gold Cup of his career on Saturday and the keys besides training skills were jockey Nooresh Juglall taking full advantage of his low draw of two and the tough four-year-old filly responding obediently to his adept instructions.   

Dynasty’s Blossom was not favoured by the compressed handicap conditions of the race, as opposed to her last start in the Gold Vase over 3000m, where she was well weighted.  

However, it has been proven time and time again in South African racing that weight in 3200m races is not the deciding factor. Staying every inch of the trip and being tuned to the minute are just as important and enjoying a good passage in the race is crucial.  

The way it panned out for Juglall was the pole opposite to the way it had happened just one race earlier on Ramsden’s charge Double Alliance in the Grade 1 Premier’s Champion Stakes over 1600m. This Twice Over gelding began pulling from a good draw of three and was then caught without cover for a few strides, so his race was run before they turned for home.

Dynasty’s Blossom, on the other hand, relaxed well from the off, even when she faced the breeze for the first 250m. Juglall was then able to ease her on to the rail as the wider draw horses came across to take up the running. She had thus found cover without any exertion whatsoever.  

She was much more relaxed in those first 250m metres than the favourite Doublemint, who was quite strong on the bit until the cover had come across.

Doublemint’s fancied stable companion Strathdon began pulling before the first turn and it took him a while to settle after that. 

Another fancied horse, Shenanigans, found himself trapped wide down the back straight and jockey Lyle Hewitson was forced to go forward.

The second favourite Gimme One Night was crossed by Dynasty’s Blossom 250m after the start, forcing him to ease, and he became unsettled for a few strides. However, after that he settled well and can have few excuses, so perhaps his pedigree, which is not as suitable for this trip as Dynasty’s Blossom, was the telling factor. He had won a Listed race over 3200m at Kenilworth in January, but that race was run at a canter for the first kilometre. 

Another horse who was in single figures in the odds, the topweight Roy Had Enough, was a bit strong in the first 350m before Piere Strydom expertly placed him one wide with cover in midfield. However, Strydom sacrificed his good position at about the 11000m mark when deciding the pace behind the leader Dark Moon Rising, who had gone few lengths clear, was too slow. He inched his charge forward on the outside of horses. Roy Had Enough stayed on well in the straight but the weight of 60kg told. 

Strydom’s early move might have been necessary, considering he was still beaten a head in the end by Dark Moon Rising, but it also helped the horses who were further back. As it happened the first three home all came from the back half of the field.  

Juglall took full advantage of Strydom’s move and made the race-winning decision at about the 900m mark. He switched outward off the rail and got on to the back of the train which was beginning to chase Dark Moon Rising.  

Dynasty’s Blossom thus had momentum turning for home and had plenty of fuel in the tank too due to the good passage she had enjoyed. 

She gave a tremendous kick and now just had to stay. She also had to get through some traffic and once again Juglall’s decision-making helped as he switched her a few horse widths inwards when passing Roy Had Enough. This ensured the filly would not be hampered by the slowing Dark Moon Rising.  

Dynasty’s Blossom began to hang outward late in the race but had done enough to beat Made To Conquer, who came from last, by 0,80 lengths.

Doublemint ran on well but his exertions in the first 250m might well have caught up with him and he could only manage a 1,20 length third. 

The pole position-drawn Al Bon Dubai, whom Dynasty’s Blossom had sat behind for most of the journey, also enjoyed a good passage but didn’t have the same momentum coming into the straight. He stayed on well for a 1,80 length fourth. 

The unlucky horse was no doubt Shenanigans. Despite the poor trip he had. He still managed to battle on for a 2,05 length fifth.

Dark Moon Rising also did remarkably well to hold on for sixth, beaten 2,75 lengths, considering he led by about seven lengths at one stage.

It was a peach of a ride by Juglall and another fine training feat by Ramsden, whose expertise as a horseman will be sorely missed if he does relocate to Singapore.

Juglall gave credit to four time-winning Gold Cup jockey, Glen Hatt, for advising him how to ride the filly.

Hatt is the racing manager of Dynasty’s Blossom’s part-owners Maine Chance Farms. Another part-owner is of high profile in world racing, Mrs John Magnier, and the other part-owner is Jagessar Limited (nominee Alan Cooper). 

Dynasty’s Blossom was bred by Highlands Farm Stud and Georgina Jaffee. 

If lessons were to be learned by punters and pundits it is that how a horse behaves in the first half of a race should be studied just as much as it does in the closing stages. Pedigree analysis and an attempt to calculate how the race will pan out for the first 1000m are also of importance.  

However, by the time the Gold Cup arrives next year these lessons will likely have been forgotten and the usual collateral form and weights will likely take precedence over all other predicting factors. 

By David Thiselton

Justin Snaith, still basking in the glory of back-to-back Vodacom Durban July wins with Do It Again, saddles three proven stayers in tomorrow’s Gr3 eLan Gold Cup and although Do It Again will not emulate Space Walk’s July and Gold Cup double some three decades back, he has other strings to his bow.

Snaith has given Strathdon the somewhat dubious nick-name of ‘Matthew Lips’ after one of the NHA’s senior handicappers, pointing out that Strathdon has not won a race for nearly two years, his last win coming in an eight-horse race off a merit rating of 87. He now has a rating of 101 without having won a race since, a situation that riles Snaith every time the subject is brought up.

Strathdon has paid for his consistency but stable rider Richard Fourie has stuck with the gelding which speaks volumes.

Snaith was fairly bullish of Doublemint’s chances in the VDJ where he was heavily supported in the market, in from 28-1 to start 13-1 on the day. He was only four lengths back to Do It Again but runs like a horse that is looking for today’s trip and has a pedigree that suggests that he will be at home over the extra. In Anton Marcus he has a jockey who knows exactly what is required and this could be Snaith’s parting shot.

Frank Robinson has turned to currently Mauritius-based Piere Strydom to partner top weight Roy Had Enough. The colt ran an excellent race in the VDJ, beaten less than three lengths but it was possibly telling that Marcus, who partnered the colt in the Track & Ball Derby, suggested the Gold Cup rather than the July after that win.

With Track & Ball offering 5-1 and better the field there is plenty of opportunity and Brett Crawford is responsible for the 10-1 chance Gimme One Night who was a cracking second to Shenanigans in the Betting World 2200 on July day. Crawford has brought him on slowly leading into this event. He stays well, has a good draw and a handy weight which ticks many of the boxes.

There are plenty of others in with chances but Doublemint gets the nod ahead of stable companion Strathdon with Gimme One Night having the ideal prep.

One of the highlights of the afternoon will be the clash between VDJ runner-up Rainbow Bridge and the progressive Buffalo Bill Cody in the Gr1 Champions Cup.

Rainbow Bridge has done little wrong for Eric Sands except win this winter and rounding off his season with a Gr1 victory would be fitting.

With Hawwaam being scratched at the start of the VDJ, punters were denied the opportunity of seeing possibly the country’s best three-year-old perform against his elders but stable companion Buffalo Bill Cody has only once tasted defeat and cruised to a comfortable victory over the smart Cirilo in his only start this year.

Off the track for close on eight months with a virus is not ideal but Mike de Kock is a master of his trade and the match-up between two top horses is a mouth-watering prospect.

There are three other Gr1 races on the card, The Mercury sprint possibly an Equus Award decider in the sprint category and the two Gr1’s for Juveniles, the Premiers Champion Stakes and the Thekhwini Stakes for fillies are both hotly contested affairs.

A win for recent Gr2 Golden Slipper winner Eden Roc will cement his place at the top of the pile for two-year-old males but the filly’s category is not cut-and-dried with many of the leading candidates having coffin draws next Saturday.

By Andrew Harrison

To take a bet go to www.tabgold.co.za or www.trackandball.co.za

Aldo Domeyer is going to have a field day on his return at Kenilworth on Saturday if the bookmakers are right. When the early prices were posted yesterday five of Domeyer’s seven mounts were favourites and another was second favourite.

The favourites comprise the Justin Snaith-trained newcomer Peaceful Day (race 2) and stable companions Honey Pie (4) and Spirit Festival (7), Andre Nel’s Round The Horn (8) and the Candice Bass-Robinson-trained Sacred Arrow in the Pinnacle (5).

A spell in Hong Kong can improve a jockey quite considerably and punters with long memories will recall how five years ago Karis Teetan returned from his first stint there to win on seven of his 21 rides. Most of the winners were so little fancied that all except the last of them started at 7-1 or more. Judging by Saturday’s prices the bookmakers have not forgotten either!

By Michael Clower

His rowdy backers did not take the slightest bit of notice of all the black looks as they bellowed home 36/1 chance Justfortheepenny in the second at Hollywoodbets Scottsville yesterday. With only one behind him turning for home, the volume gradually grew from a hopeful cry of “come on Muzi” to a crescendo as Muzi Yeni drove the colt home to a commanding victory for Nathan Kotzen and owner Rob Haswell who had brought along an enthusiastic entourage to share in the moment.

Bred by his good friend Anton Procter, it was a sentimental win for Haswell as the colt was named in honour of his late wife Penny who was a pillar of ‘Maritzburg society and well known for her philanthropic work. A strapping son of Just As Well, Justfortheepenny won with authority, showing a sharp turn of foot which bodes well for his future.

Haswell is not one to shy away from a good punt and there will have been a few sighs of relief around the betting shops as Cumulus played second fiddle to Ultra Magnus in the seventh.

But Haswell will have known his fate early, as Brett Crawford’s runner put plenty of daylight between himself, Cumulus and the opposition. Ultra Magnus has had his fair share of niggles but Zimbabwean Brian Makwabarara, well known in racing circles here and north of the border, and partner Graeme Hawkins have been patient and things are looking rosy.

Gareth van Zyl will have taken great satisfaction in Noble Joshua’s victory in the Track & Ball Gaming Apprentice Handicap as Kabelo Matsunyane got the often difficult gelding home ahead of another not so easy ride, Legend.

“He is self-destructive,” confirmed Van Zyl. “He was scratched at the start twice before but we have been working on him and he seems to have got over that now.”

It was not an easy day for supporters of favourites and Bella Ballarina got the ball rolling in the first, Yeni producing Yogas Govender’s filly with a timely run to out-point the two more fancied rivals, Talia Al Ghul and Katie’s Treasure. The latter appears to be another problem child, Mark Khan mounting up only once the filly had been loaded.

Anton Marcus steadied the ship somewhat in the third as he scored on the odds-on chance Arizona Silk to give Kotzen a quick double. Up against winners at his last two, Arizona Silk franked the form of stable companion Kayden’s Pride and the Mike de Kock runner Alibi Guy, both runners on eLan Gold Cup day this Saturday.

Corinne Bestel has a small string but her runners appear to have an affinity for Scottsville with Blaze Of Silk doing the honours under apprentice Tejash Juglall in the fourth.

Serino Moodley made his trip to Scottsville for one ride count as he steered Carmella home for Mike Miller in the fifth. The filly was saddled by Craig Eudey. Eudey handed in his trainer’s brief earlier this year but has now signed up with Miller in partnership, the two having known each other for over 40 years.

Marsanne lost her unbeaten record in the Blinkers Bar Handicap but this was her first outing on a firm turf track, her two wins both coming on the poly, but she did well enough finishing a close-up third behind the progressive Linnear trained by Lezeanne Forbes and less fancied stable companion Wildly In Love.

It was a tough day at the office for visiting trainer Paul Peter who had a number of well fancied runners disappoint, but he did not go home empty handed with Corrido rounding off his afternoon.

By Andrew Harrison