Jockeys between a rock and a hard place

Tough decisions have been foisted upon South Africa’s intrepid knights of the irons by the latest coronavirus lockdown rules, which oblige them to select one of four provinces in which to base themselves and race for most of the month of January.

The jocks have not taken this decree lying down – first pleading, in vain, with the National Horseracing Authority to have a heart and relax its new rule, then threatening High Court action, citing restraint of trade and restriction of livelihood etc.

Racing officialdom is standing firm, for now, understandably jumpy about a Covid-19 outbreak sullying the game’s squeaky-clean record of playing by the rules and staying remarkably healthy.

Everyone in racing – from trainers to grooms to owners to horses – travel between the four racing centres all the time, but jockeys hop about the most. Champion jockey Warren Kennedy will compete in Joburg one day, Durban the next; Greg Cheyne will be in Cape Town today, Port Elizabeth tomorrow. Some – like the indefatigable Muzi Yeni – have been known to zip between five venues in a week.

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Pinning such balls of energy down to one place for a month will be disruptive – not only for them, but also for racing administrators who need to get bums on saddles, so to speak.

And that’s not to mention jockeys’ families. For example, riding engagements for the coming week would suggest busy, in-demand jockeys like Kennedy, Anton Marcus, Piere Strydom and Luke Ferraris are taking a short New Year break before tackling the rigours of the Cape feature season.

The command for all jockeys decide by Tuesday 5 January on their preferred bases could disrupt such holidays. Also, families based in Durban and Joburg will have to do without husbands and fathers for several weeks if these gents have ambitions of winning any of the stack of graded races at Cape Town’s Kenilworth racecourse in the next few weeks.

For example, the LÓrmarins Queen’s Plate and the Paddock Stakes will be contested next Saturday, 8 January. Owners and trainers dearly want those trophies on their mantelpieces, so they want the best riders possible.

Marcus, who lives in Durban, has already been declared to ride Do It Again. He’s might also be pencilled in to partner the two-time Durban July winner in the Cape Met, three weeks later, not to mention a handful of other highly fancied runners in other big races during the month. Will he stay or will he go (and stay)?

Trainer Eric Sands has two titans in the Queen’s Plate, Rainbow Bridge and Golden Ducat. He won’t want to make do with an apprentice jockey making up the numbers on the day.

Rainbow Bridge’s most recent – and successful – partner has been Durban-based Donovan Dillion. One imagines Dillon would be inclined to take the Cape Town sojourn, but what would that do to his retainers at home?

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When he won the Summer Cup on Summer Pudding, Kennedy declared her to be the best horse he’d ridden and he will surely want to continue the association in the Paddock and the Met. But what of his lucrative Joburg-Durban roster and his title defence?

Durban’s rising star Keegan de Melo rides for Dean Kannemeyer in both his hometown and Cape Town, Similarly, Sean Veale does duty for Dennis Drier in both cities. Both have significant other stable connections to consider.

Other frequent flyers include former champions Lyle Hewitson, Gavin Lerena and S’Manga Khumalo and in-demand Luyolo Mxothwa, Raymond Danielson and Craig Zackey.

Lots of decisions must be made soon.

Spare a though, too, for trainers and officials at the various racecourses, who will have to find riders to make up their cards. Fairview in PE sees six or seven “have saddle will travel” visitors at every meeting. Will we see mass scratchings for lack of riders?

Even Cape Town seems a tad sparse on the jockey front, with just 17 available at this coming Saturday’s Kenilworth meeting. Luckily fields are generally small, but a few injuries might put the squeeze on.

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A total of 24 jockeys assemble at Turffontein on Saturday 2 January for a nine-race meeting headlined by three Grade 3 races – and a refreshing change of scenery from the Mother City at this time of year.

The level of competition on offer is compelling.

The 1400m Three Troikas for three-year-old fillies pits five-runs-unbeaten Anything Goes against the slightly more experienced War Of Athena, a four-time victor. Those two grab the immediate attention, but any of their four rivals could show the improvement one expects of young horses and seize the top prize.

The male heat, the Tony Ruffel Stakes, sees trainer Paul Peter’s precocious duo, Catch Twentytwo and MK’s Pride, bump heads again after their one-two in the Dingaans at the end of November.

Grade 1 winners Zillzaal and Barahin head the field for the 1800m London News Stakes, which is something of a local arm-wrestle between the top Joburg handicappers. Punters will be looking for a bold effort from the mare Running Brave, who put up a performance to match her name in the recent Summer Cup.

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