Local team gets nose in front winning Jockey Challenge
Lerena lead the South African team to their sixth win in eight years with 453 points over the two legs.
GAVIN Lerena, Champion Jockey of the Year 2015, led the South African team to a win over their international counterparts at the RACING IT’S A RUSH International Jockeys’ Challenge.
The challenge took place over two legs this year, the first on Friday, November 13, at Fairview and the second on Saturday, November 14, at the Turffontein Racecourse.
Lerena led the South African team to their sixth win in eight years with 453 points to the Internationals’ 368 points. Since its introduction in 2008, by the Phumelela and Racing Association, the local team has only lost in 2011 and 2012.
The members of the triumphant team were Piere Strydom, S’Manga ‘Bling’ Khumalo, Anthony Delpech, Greg Cheyne and Anthon Marcus. After an unfortunate incident before the first race on Saturday, S’Manga Khumalo was stood down and Muzi Yeni was given the privilege to ride in the second leg. S’Manga was reported to be in a stable condition.
South African jockey Anthony Delpech snatched up the last Challenge race, winning 5-1 on Paris Princess, to claim the Victor Ludorum for the most successful jockey in the eight races with 92 points to Aurelien Lemaitre’s from France who managed 89 points. He was the most successful jockey in leg one and had led until the final race, in which he finished fourth.
The South Africans won three races on Saturday, although the teams won two races apiece at Fairview on Friday, the local riders earned the 30 points allotted for a win in three of the races on Saturday.
The sole international win on Saturday came courtesy of Hayley Turner, the international captain, now retired, in the second-last ride of her career. She brought the crowd to their feet when in a thrilling finish she got her Dream Galaxy’s nose down on the line, to win by the proverbial whisker.
Turner from England, is the first ever female to consistently be one of the leading jockeys in the UK and a true legend in her own right. Her international team members included Pat Cosgrave (Ireland), Robert Havlin (Scotland), Eduardo Pedroza (Panama), Francisco Franco da Silva (Brazil) and Aurelien Lemaitre (France).
The first Challenge race went the way of Piere Strydom from Alberton aboard Geoff Woodruff’s charge, Close Relative, who beat Tripadvisor and jockey Pat Cosgrave by 3.20 lengths with Scandal (Pedroza) and Ride Of Honour (Delpech) fourth.
SA captain Gavin Lerena booted Mootahadee to victory over Majestic Bay (Delpech) in the second Challenge race of the afternoon.
