Brandon Morgenrood is to move to New Zealand and he could leave South Africa as early as next month.

Morgenrood, 38, said: “I have been offered a job with Eoin Kemp. How it works over there is that you ride work for the first two months and then you can apply for a racing licence. I don’t have an exact date for when I go but it will probably be next month.

“I wouldn’t leave if it was just me – I love Cape Town and it’s my home – but my son is now four and I don’t see a future for him in this country.”

Morgenrood returned  from injury with two rides last Saturday and at Kenilworth this Saturday he has mounts for Brett Crawford, Glen Kotzen and Riaan van Reenen.

He said: “I was out for five months with problems with my left shoulder – tears in the supraspinatis tendon and the rotatator cuff, which is what baseball players get but in my case it was wear and tear after 25 years of riding.”

By Michael Clower

South Africa’s first ever black Champion Jockey S’Manga Khumalo is running away with this year’s championship, which was very tightly contested for the first half of the season, and looks likely to regain the title he first won in the 2013/2014 season.

Meanwhile apprentice Lyle Hewitson is likely making record breaking progress towards losing his 4kg claim and clinched his first career treble in the professional ranks at Turffontein
Khumalo had ridden 173 winners this season at the time of going to press at a strike rate of 18,31% and was 22 clear of Anthony Delpech, who has a phenomenal strike rate of 23,05%.

However, Anton “Superman”Marcus has the highest strike rate in the country, his 115 winners coming at a rate of 25,33%.

 

Khumalo is being mentored by one of South Africa’s greatest and most professional ever jockeys, Felix Coetzee, and this is proving to be a telling weapon in his armoury. In the same way the greatest of golfers need advice on their swings, the best jockeys can always do with input from a knowledgeable observer, although Coetzee is likely to be taking a backseat at the moment such is the confidence with which Khumalo is riding.

Meanwhile, Hewitson has age and workriding experience on his side, but it is still interesting to compare his progress at this stage of his career to the most prolific apprentice in South African history, Gavin Lerena, who went on to be crowned South African Champion Jockey last season.

After 74 rides Hewitson has had eleven winners at a strike rate of 14,86%, while Lerena had only six winners under the belt at that stage at a strike rate of 8,11%, while this season’s leading apprentice Callan Murray had five winners after 74 rides at a strike rate of 6,7%.

Hewitson also has plenty of trainer support on his side having arrived at the Academy with a big reputation after riding 22 winners as a workrider.

Nevertheless the former Kearsney College pupil has impressed with his maturity and it would have paid to follow him on Saturday.

His three winners occurred in successive races.

The Joey Soma-trained Savage Wind bounced back to his best to just get up and win a 2600m handicap at odds of 15/2, the Soma-trained High Drama then won at odds of 7/2 and the Sean Tarry-trained Elusive Spirit then won at odds of 15/2 after a perfectly judged front-running ride from Hewitson.

Hewitson just has nine more to go to reach the 20 winner mark at which stage his claim will change to 2,5kg.

Meanwhile, Murray is fulfilling all the predictions his Riding Masters once made and is one of the most sort after jockeys in the country, despite having lost his 1,5kg claim some time ago.

He has ridden 45 winners this season at a strike rate of 7,2% and in the race for National Champion Apprentice is 14 clear of joint-second placed Matthew Thackeray and Eric Saziso Ngwane.

Last year’s champion apprentice Craig Zackey has also continued to excel since losing his claim.

He has ridden 58 winners this season at a strike rate of 7,98%, a fine feat considering the first year out of the apprentice ranks is the toughest of years for riders due to the sudden lack of a support base.

Former KZN apprentice champion jockey Donovan Dillon is also doing well down in Cape Town and is stable jockey to one of the most powerful yards in the country, Joey Ramsden. He has ridden 41 winners this season at a strike rate of 9,53%.

By David Thiselton

Apprentice Julius Maponya was injured in a fall at Ashburton yesterday morning and was stretchered off to hospital with suspected neck injuries.

Maponya, a graduate of James Maree’s riding academy and a first year apprentice at the South African Jockey’s Academy, was riding work on the grass track.

His mount clipped heels as it ducked in behind it’s working companion dislodging Maponya who fell awkwardly.

He was taken by ambulance to Medi Clinic Hospital in Pietermaritzburg in a stable condition.

By Andrew Harrison

Selangor Cup winner Hard Day’s Night is the highest rated horse in the Winter Guineas and he will have to give weight all round at Kenilworth on Saturday week.

Joey Ramsden, who has won the race with stars like Winter Solstice, Variety Club and Act Of War, said: “He worked at Kenilworth last Saturday and he will do so again this weekend. However Mr Wise Guy pulled up a bit wrong after his race last month and we will have to see how the next few days go with him.”

Snaith Racing are flying in Anthony Delpech for the meeting but at this stage the former champion seems more likely to ride Elusive Silva than Langerman scorer Ready To Attack in the big race.

Jonathan Snaith said: “Ready To Attack loves the soft and we are waiting for rain with him. He would be a major contender if we get it. In the Sweet Chestnut Stakes on the same card Anthony will ride Qing who is a very good filly.”

By Michael Clower

Picture: Hard Day’s Night (Liesl King)

The weekend’s KZN racing unearthed a few prospects for the South African Champions Season, which officially starts at the Canon Guineas meeting on May 6.

Dean Kannemeyer is in tremendous form countrywide and had a feature double at Greyville on Friday night with Avontuur Stud-bred Mambo In Seattle colt Mambo Mime and Lammerskraal-bred Trippi filly Fromafar.

They started at odds of 11/2 and 22/1 respectively.

However, the Byerley Turk runner up Baritone was the weekend runner who looks likely to have the biggest impact on the SA Champions Season features.

This Justin Snaith-trained Trippi colt is out of the Gr 3 Jubille Handicap winner over 1800m, the Argentinian-bred daughter of Singspiel Candy Singer. Baritone has always struck as a type who would get better and better as he got older and so he proved on Friday night. In the Gr 1 Grand Parade Cape Guineas in December he was beaten 2,2 lengths into sixth having had the run of the race from pole position and was a length behind Victorious Jay at level weights. He won a handicap over 1600m on Met day in impressive style, pulling away in the closing stages while still looking immature. Mambo Mime was 4,45 lengths behind him that day, although the latter was giving him 2,5kg.

However, on Friday night Baritone had to give both Mambo Mime and Victorious Jay 4kg and had to overcome a wide draw of 12 compared to pole position for Mambo Mime and draw seven for Victorious Jay. He travelled beautifully in the running under a fine ride from Anthony Delpech.

However, he had to come wide into the straight and was still near the back, meaning Mambo Mine, who was ridden by Stuart Randolph, got first run on him down the inside. Baritone cut the deficit with giant strides and went down by just a short-head, despite the 1400m trip being too sharp. He still needed the run and once again gave the impression there is more improvement to come, especially over further. He is likely to be a big runner in both the Gr 2 Canon Guineas and the Gr 1 Daily News 2000 and even the Vodacom Durban July.

Mambo Mime has always struck as classy from the day he fought his way around the Greyville 1600m in his second start start as a juvenile, yet still won. He has settled down since then. He has a lot of speed in his female line but Kannemeyer did send him over a mile early in his career so might believe he is looking for a trip. He will be effective over the mile of the Canon Guineas and can’t be written off despite the weight turnaround he will face with Baritone. Friday night was his second run since arriving back at Summerveld and of course Kannemeyer’s record in classic races speaks for itself. He know how to peak them at the right time and has an excellent team behind him as is proved by his current run. Since February 1 he has had the highest win strike rate of the top 20 trainers in the country at 21,28% and has by far and away the highest place strike rate of 63,83%.

The Gavin van Zyl-trained Budapest finished a fine 0,55 length third in the Byerley, also receiving 4kg from Baritone, and the jury will be out in the Canon Guineas on whether he gets the trip having disappointed in the Cape Guineas.

Ernie ran at level weights with Baritone and was 1,3 lengths back in fourth. However, sprints are likely his route from now on because even the 1400m was stretching his stamina reserves.

The Highveld raider Irish Pride finished a 3,3 length fifth and might have put a dampener on the form for some, being merit rated only 84, but he has always been an eyecatching sort and proved his class.

The like of Victorious Jay and Beat The Retreat can’t yet be written off as they over raced and are better than their respective runs.

Fromafar’s upset win in the Umzimkhulu Stakes was likely no fluke, because she pulled for her head slightly behind a slow pace and eventually came around them but still found plenty in the straight to win by a length under Brian Nyawo. The runner up the Neil Bruss-trained Flying Ice ran at level weights with the winner and was a touch unlucky as she took a while to find a split down the inside rail. She and the winner can both be followed.

Another three-year-old filly to take out of the meeting is the Mike Bass-trained three-year-old Nightingale. She is ever improving, which is not surprising as she is by Silvano, and she found a telling finishing burst off a merit rating of 82 to win a MR 76 Handicap over 1600m on the poly in impressive style. She looks likely to develop into a feature class filly and the trip of the Gr 1 Woolavington 2000 is likely to suit.

At Scottsville on Sunday the Dennis Drier-trained three-year-old Trippi gelding Ferrie proved himself a sprinter of the future with an eyecatching win of a handicap over 1200 off a merit rating of 82. He has improved with gelding and this was his first run since winning his maiden over 1000m at Kenilworth in late December, so is another one who can improve into a feature class horse.

The versatile Kannemeyer-trained Solid Speed loves KZN and later won a Pinnacle Stakes race over 1600m narrowly from Dynamic, to whom he gave 1,5kg. Solid Speed was a staying race stalwart last Champions Season, but has now won the last two 1600m races he has contested, which poses some interesting questions. However, the stayers route is likely to be less competitive so looks the obvious option and perhaps the July could be a possibility too. The promising Duncan Howells-rained Ten Gun Salute made a fair comeback to run a 5,5 length third, receiving only 1,5kg from the older Solid Speed, and he will come on from the run. He is still on track for the SA Champions Season classics.

By David Thiselton