Lerena set for a flying start

The clock is reset to nil, and we start all over again.

The 2024/25 season kicks off on Thursday and the assignment of trying to win the champion jockey or champion trainer begins. Of course, while the national title is one accolade and obviously the most prestigious, there are also provincial honours to be earned and they are also have value.

While in the jockey field beating Richard Fourie’s record total of 377 will take some doing and will need months of dedicated travel and the support of some of the top trainers, getting off to a good start is vital.

With two meetings left in the 2023/24 season, Muzi Yeni holds second spot and currently has ridden 188 winners, which is half the number of Fourie’s total, while Gavin Lerena had a good finish to the season and is sitting just 13 below Yeni on 175.

Craig Zackey had a great season and he is in fourth place, a further six behind Lerena on 169 while Calvin Habib had one of his best seasons and is lying in fifth place on 154 wins.

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Lerena, in particular, has landed some top rides at the Vaal on Thursday and all six of his mounts are capable of winning.

He rides Orange County for trainer Stuart Pettigrew in Race 1, a Maiden Plate over 1500m on the Vaal Classic Track, and this son of Flower Alley could provide bettors with some value.

Orange County has only raced once and after opening at 10-1, he drifted marginally to go off at 25-2, in a race over 1400m on the Standside track at Turffontein. He lost some ground at the start and after that his race was all but over. Nevertheless, he ran on stoutly to finish fifth, beaten seven lengths by Bacchus.

Neither of the first two past the post has run again but third-placed Diwali Rocket came out to win his next start with ease. Orange County is likely to have learned from that race and with Lerena aboard and with the experience under his belt, this half-brother to eight-time winner Sugar Mountain who will be having his first run as a three-year-old, could get bettors off to a winning start.

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Millahue has done reasonably well since joining Johan Janse van Vuuren’s yard but suffered a setback in November last year and was out of action until April. While the now six-year-old Gimmethegreenlight gelding has not won in his three runs back, he has not finished far off the leaders.

He looks ripe to pick up another win with Lerena up in Race 3, a Middle Stakes over 2000m.