King’s Plate: Rachel gets big-race call-up for her ‘machine’

Rachel Venniker rides See It Again almost every day in his morning gallops, so the two know each other rather well. She describes him as “a machine”. It isn’t recorded what South Africa’s top-rated racehorse thinks of the country’s only female jockey but three of his seven career victories have come with her in the irons so he probably approves.

The duo will summon all their mutual love and understanding when they team up once again at Kenilworth on Saturday for the Grade 1 L’Ormarins King’s Plate.

Venniker was drafted in to replace See It Again’s regular race rider Piere Strydom after the master jockey got badly bashed about in a tumble at the Vaal racecourse earlier this week.

Venniker was already engaged to ride at the ultra-prestigious King’s Plate meeting, but didn’t have bookings in either of the headline races, the King’s Plate or the Cartier Paddock Stakes.

National jockeys’ log

Trainer Michael Roberts had no hesitation in opting for the 22-year-old rider from Hillcrest to deputise – after all, she is his contracted stable jockey and he was the prime mover in getting SA Jockey Academy officials to change their minds about admitting her after they’d turned her down twice for weight reasons.

See It Again’s owner Nick Jonsson was also on board. His company Jonsson Workwear is Venniker’s principal sponsor and he has often sung her praises.

Truth is, it wasn’t a surprise booking for racing fans either. Rachel lies in seventh place on the national jockeys’ log, is popular with punters and is widely tipped to be champion jockey in the near future.

Piere Strydom injured at the Vaal

Unlucky Strydom was bruised and received stitches in hospital after his mount Mary Read stumbled and pitched him off in Race 5 at the Vaal on New Year’s Eve. He told Sporting Post he was stiff and sore all over and wouldn’t be climbing into a saddle at the weekend.

His fall was the third accident at an ill-fated fixture. In-form Calvin Habib suffered a fractured clavicle and had to have surgery after Paisley Park stumbled and fell in the pull-up area after Race 3.

He was due to ride Betway Summer Cup champion Atticus Finch in the King’s Plate. Now, his fellow Highveld jockey Raymond Danielson gets the chance ride for raiding trainer Alec Laird.

In Race 4, also in the pull-up, Elembee stumbled and dislodged Craig Zackey. The current log-leading rider was attended to by paramedics and taken to a clinic for observation but was luckier than his two colleagues as he’ll be fit to partner Dean Kannemeyer-trained Gimme A Prince in the King’s Plate.

The mayhem at the Vaal got the jockeys thinking about conditions and they decided the track grass hadn’t been mown short enough. In the end, Races 6 and 7 were abandoned.

The three casualties were lucky to get medical help. Earlier, the start of the meeting was delayed as the ambulance people had forgotten to report for duty.

When the van and crew eventually rocked up, they were made to earn their fee.

BETTING

King’s Plate, Race 7:
22-10 One Stripe
9-2 Oriental Charm, Snow Pilot
6-1 See It Again
10-1 Gimme A Prince
14-1 Royal Aussie
16-1 Great Plains
18-1 Atticus Finch
22-1 Lucky Lad
28-1 Montien
35-1 King Regent, At My Command
80-1 Al Muthana

Paddock Stakes, Race 6:
28-10 Double Grand Slam
3-1 Red Palace
13-2 Saartjie
8-1 Silver Sanctuary
17-2 Rascova
12-1 Rainbow Lorikeet, Little Suzie, World Of Alice
14-1 Knockout
20-1 Gold Poker Game
80-1 Lavender Bay