Last chance to cash in on appy’s 4kg allowance

Weight-claiming apprentice jockeys are in a Catch-22 situation.

The youngsters are in demand with trainers as they start out with a 4kg allowance – especially if they show a smidgeon of ability – so get plenty of experience riding good horses that have been heavily weighted in handicap events. But the catch is, the more successful they are the quicker this competitive advantage evaporates: the 4kg drops to 2.5kg after 20 winners, and to 1.5kg after 40 – and ride bookings tend to start drying up.

Many an apprentice rider finds the phone doesn’t ring nearly as often when they can no longer claim; indeed, it can be a real battle to survive in a highly competitive game.

Gabriel Pieterse, an appy who hails from Zambia, has been in demand with trainers for the past few months thanks to his 4kg ticket. But, going into Thursday’s Greyville race meeting, young Gabriel is on 19 winners.

His three rides on the Polytrack card all have good winning chances: Maid In France in Race 6 (6-1 favourite in early ante-post betting), Mind Set in Race 7 (3-1 favourite) and Life Goes On in Race 8 (8-1).

If Pieterse should win on the first of these, he will not lose the 4kg allowance until the conclusion of the meeting. That’s good news for Pick 6 punters, as Mind Set in the seventh is a potential exotic-bets banker.

Trainer Louis Goosen is a master with sprinters and has got this filly whizzing along since acquiring her in April. Her last two runs have been smart wins over this 1000m distance and course – the last one with Pieterse aboard.

Gabriel should be waving goodbye to that 4kg.

SELECTIONS

Race 1:

9 Lake Como, 1 Yoho Mist, 2 Blackwhitedynamite, 4 Atlantic City

Race 2:

6 African Skyline, 1 Fateful Day, 7 Quiz Master, 2 Mighty Mashona

Race 3:

3 Lazuli, 2 Golly Miss Molly, 6 Denisa, 10 Lady Yuvra

Race 4:

1 Khiza, 6 Tales Of Us, 11 Willy The Wizard, 2 Tracker Jacker

Race 5:

5 Fever, 1 King’s Cove, 4 Lord Of The Manor, 6 Patronage

Race 6:

8 Maid In France, 12 Star Choice, 9 Maria Corolina, 4 Rachel

Race 7:

2 Mind Set, 8 Her Royal Majesty, 5 Wildly In Love, 3 Beckoning Beauty

Race 8:

2 We All Chomies, 6 Gimme A Rainbow, 11 Stanton Street, 7 Hampton Court

Pick 6:

1,2,3,5,6,10 x 1,6,11 x 1,3,4,5,6,7 x 4,5,8,9,11,12 x 2 x 2,6,11 (R1944)

PA:

1,6,7 x 5 x 1,6 x 1,4,5 x 8,9,12 x 2 x 2 (R54)