David Thiselton

Gavin Lerena and Richard Fourie, who are two of the three protagonists in the thrilling chase for the national jockeys title, cut contrasting figures towards the end of Sunday’s Hollywoodbets Scottsville meeting as the former spoke confidently about his Hollywoodbets Durban July rides, while the latter confirmed he was “feeling terrible” after being booked off his last few rides.

Lerena’s one winner on Sunday followed a five-timer on Saturday and with Fourie and Zackey also each having one winner on Sunday the situation is now Lerena on 243 wins achieved at a strike rate of 25.26%, Fourie on 239 at 25.16% and Zackey on 236 at 17.57%.

Lerena said about the championship race and whether he would travel to all centres, including the East Cape, from now onward, “It’s not easy to get rides. Durban hasn’t been very kind to me the last couple of weeks either, but we’ll ride wherever we can. it’s still a long month to go, but I’m just enjoying the racing and enjoying the competitiveness of it and may the best man win.”

Lerena has some fine rides on Hollywoodbets Durban July day.

in the big one he rides the Frank Robinson-trained Madison Valley.

Gavin said, “His gallop was very good. He’s sound, he feels very well and he’s very fit, so I am looking forward to riding him with 54kg”

The Clifton Stud-bred Mambo In Seattle gelding has some good formlines as his Betway Summer Cup run puts him ahead of Royal Victory, See It Again and Atticus Finch at the weights in the July.

However, Gavin was asked whether he felt the Hollywoodbets Greyville 2200m was too tight for the rangy Madison Valley and whether the straight was too short and he replied, “Not really, I mean he’s won most of his races at Hollywoodbets Greyville. He’s got the stamina, he ran very well in the Gold Cup last year and  obviously he’s coming off a win in the Cup Trial (1800m) at Hollywoodbets Greyville. It’s always nice to be coming off a win..

In the Gr 1 Ridgemont Garden Province Stakes, his mount Rascova meets her arch rival Double Grand Slam with the tally currently at Double Grand Slam seven and Rascova five.

Gavin first of all revealed that despite Rascova having only had the one run since joining the Sean Tarry yard after her win in the Gr 1 Maine Chance Farms Majorca Stakes on WSB Met day, she had never  been out of work. She will therefore be fit enough.

He said, “It was a good run last time at Hollywoodbets Scottsville (SA Fillies Sprint over 1200m). It got a bit tight that last 100m, so she didn’t really round her race off. But she’s doing nicely. It’s a competitive field. It’s always her and Double Grand Slam and now you’ve got the three-year-olds coming through. So, it’s going to be an exciting race.

In the Gr 2 Splashout Golden Slipper, he rides the Tarry-trained Gr 2 TAB SA Nursery and Gr 3 TAB Protea Stakes winner Green Diamond, albeit from a tricky draw of ten in the 1400m contest.

He said, “Not the greatest of draws, but a very good filly. She’s an exciting ride for the day. I think she will enjoy the step up in trip, it’s all about getting her in a good rhythm and she’s got a great finish on her.” 

In the Gr 2 Omoda Golden Horseshoe over 1400m he rides the Gr 2 Corne Spies-trained filly Elegantrix, who was runner up in the Gr 1 Allan Robertson over 1200m last time to the unbeaten Direct Hit, and he said, “She’s well drawn and beat the boys in her penultimate start (in the Gr 3 TAB Godolphin Barb Stakes over 1100m. It was a great run last time just in behind Direct Hit. The boys are getting bigger and stronger, but she’s very game and I think she’ll enjoy the 1400m.”

In the Gr 3 Post Merchants over 1200m, Gavin rides the Tony Peter-trained Buffalo Storm Cody from draw nine and he said, “He’s jumping from an awkward gate. His last two wins were down the straight, but I think he’s a much better horse around the turn, so I think he’s going to be a big runner.”

In the Gr 3 Durban Gold Vase he rides the crack Frank Robinson-trained stayer Shoot The Rapids, who has to carry joint topweight of 60kg from draw five.

He said, “it’s never easy to carry 60kg over those type of trips, but he’s always stayed well and obviously he was up alongside Madison Valley in the Gallops, so I’m hoping it all goes well.”

In the Gr 3 Magical Zulu Kingdom 2200 he rides the Tarry-trained Litigation and he said, “it was a great fourth last time in the Cup Trial (1800m). He has a lot of weight to shoulder, but in saying that it was a very good last run from him and he’s come on from that run. The only thing that doesn’t really suit is there’s a lot of speed in the race and he almost wants to dictate, so we’re going to have to play the race by ear and hope it works out for him.”

In the Listed Premier Gateway International Handicap over 1600m, Gavin rides the Justin Snaith-trained Underworld from pole position and he said, “I think he is a big runner over the mile, he’s probably better suited to the mile. The only thing is it’s a handicap and he’s got to give away quite a bit of weight.”

Please note that betting is now OPEN for the Hollywoodbets Durban July 2025.

Please note: South African Quartet Pools with fractional betting offered at Pontefract and Windsor (UK) – 30 June 2025.

Andrew Harrison

It has been many a year since the race for the Jockey Championship has resulted in a three-way contest but with a month to go it is still tight at the top with Gavin Lerena, champion Richard Fourie and Craig Zackey all in contention.

Lerena hit a purple patch at Turffontein on Saturday, pulling four winners clear of the reining champion Fourie with Zackey sudden finding himself seven winners adrift to the log leaders going into yesterday’s Hollywoodbets Scottsville meeting.

But with the first three races done, the numbers stayed  the same as all three leading riders were on the board.

Zackey had the easiest ride as Dean Kannemeyer’s filly Princess Of Gaul made short work of her opposition in the first. Sent out favourite, Zackey tracked the pace as young Jacey Botes tried to run them off their feet on Perfume Power but once Zackey released the break a furlong out, it was just a matter of how far as the quickened away to win as she liked.

Fourie was in the winner’s circle in the second but had to work hard for his victory on Clinton Binda’s colt Chapbook. Still green, Fourie had to nurse him through the latter exchanges  but once finding his feet, the son of Rafeef finally got the message  to go through for a comfortable victory.

Lerena kept the status quo as far as the championship numbers were concerned as he deputized for an indisposed Andrew Fortune on the Yogas Govender-trained  Soho Star. Narrowly beaten at his last two over the Hollywoodbets Scottsville 1200m, Lerena extracted the best out of the gelding to get home ahead of stable companions Vihaan’s Web and Quandray.

Apprentice Brevan Plaatjies is currently leading in the apprentice championship ahead of Trent Mayhew. Plaatjies rode his 40^th winner last Wednesday losing his 2.5kg claim, but he was still competitive off his 1.5kg claim as he rode an excellent race on the Bo Ngcobo-trained Ralph The Rascal.

Caught up a blind alley, Plaatjies hunted a gap, shifting in before it opened and sent Ralph The Rascal through to a smart win.

Ngcobo has a small string but has shown that he knows how to train a racehorse in the short time that he has had his trainer’s brief and given better support he will not let his patrons down.

Some apprentices never get to ride out their claim but Plaatjies and Jacey Botes are likely to leave their apprenticeship having ridden over 60 winners and into the ‘big’ world when they are not so popular anymore.

So it is imperative for an apprentice to make a name for themselves as early into their careers as possible and Botes is going the right way. Still claiming 4kg he has a keen judge of pace and some tactical ‘nous’ as he showed aboard Paul Lafferty’s runner Forward Motion. 

Although only shouldering 48.5kg, Botes had his mount in front early but was no tearaway, judging the pace nicely and then keeping his mount running strongly to the line.

He has still got a long way to go and raceriding can be a fickle profession but Botes is going about it the right way.

David Thiselton

Gavin Lerena has ridden eight winners in the last two meetings on the Highveld, a treble at Turffontein Inside last Thursday and a five-timer on Saturday at the Standside track, to pull four clear of Richard Fourie and seven clear of Craig Zackey in the thrilling three way battle for the title.

Craig Zackey had responded to Lerena’s treble on Thursday by riding a four-timer at Fairview on Friday, while Richard Fourie’s double at the latter meeting had seen him reclaim the lead by one at the close of play on Friday.

Zackey went within three of the lead when winning the third race on the smart Tony Peter-trained William Longsword first-timer Titan Of The Turf on Saturday.

However, Lerena then rattled off five wins in the last six races to roar into the lead.

His run began in the first leg of the Pick 6 when the big Clinton Binda-trained Season’s Greeting built on his good third place finish in his previous start, a race which had already seen the second-placed and fourth-placed horses coming out and winning. It was clear a long way out Season’s Greeting’s pace had left the Zackey-ridden favourite Wise Counsel with too much to do and so it proved as Season’s Greeting ran out a 2,10 length winner with the 33/1 chance first-timer, the Mark Khan-trained Queensland (Querari), running second and Wise Counsel, who should win when going over further, third.

In the fifth race over 1000m Lerena had a low draw on the Johan Janse van Vuuren-trained Vercingetorix gelding Chieftain and although that is perceived to be the wrong side he was content to bide his time until the halfway mark at which stage he drove his mount forward. This turned out to be perfect timing as the 99-rated three-year-old ran on strongly to win the MR102 contest by a lengths from Troppo Veloce with the favourite Rodeo Drive once again disappointing and running a 2,25 length third.

In the sixth race over 1000m the Tony Peter-trained Rafa Bay looked to be the one to side with based on some good Cape Town form and a good Highveld debut and Lerena rode him with confidence to win by 2,70 lengths at 83/100 odds from the second favourite Hemisphere with Dontshootthebarman next best.

The Fabian Habib-trained Miss Hannigan with S’Manga Khumalo up spoilt the Lerena sequence by winning the seventh race over 1400m.

However, Lerena was back in the groove for the last two races, winning the eighth over 1400m on the 13/10 shot, the Fanie Bronkhorst-trained Pomodoro mare Princess Ilaria.

He then clinched the five-timer by winning the last over 1160m on the Johan Janse van Vuuren-trained topweight Ensuing, who carried 63kg to a one length victory having been backed in to 9/4. That was a second win for the underrated sire William Longsword.

Earlier in the day the unfashionable Jet Master sire Skit Skizzle produced the winner of the first race, the Robbie Sage-trained Valentina Balducci, who has high profile owners Larry Nestadt, “JJ” Van der Linden and M Lieveaux. She won at odds of 25/2 under Kaidan Brewer.

The second race saw a smart performance from the Paul Matchett-trained Duke Of Marmalade colt The Last Duke, who romped in over 1160m by 4,25 lengths. He looks to be one to follow.

Meanwhile, Lerena has given high praise to his Hollywoodbets Durban July runner Madison Valley. The Frank Robinson-trained Mambo In Seattle gelding put up a good gallop at the official Hollywoodbets Durban July gallops and Lerena said afterwards he felt he was a “massive runner”.

Madison Valley will be out to give Sid Moodley a dream win in the country’s biggest race with his  first July runner.

Madison Valley shorted in from an opening final field call of 33/1 in to 20/1 after the Gallops. However, the biggest mover in the Hollywoodbets Durban July marker has been another horse who also opened at 33/1 after the final field announcement, On MY Honour, who has halved in price to 16/1.