Red-hot Muzi is having a doozy of a spell

Early speculation about the 2023/24 South African jockey championship race has generally only mentioned Muzi Yeni in passing. The diminutive dynamo has tried his heart out in several concerted attempts at the title, without ever getting there. Familiarity breeds contempt and all that, so we tend to feel Muzi will always be the “almost” guy.

That is foolish. This man is hugely talented and ferocious in his determination. And the inevitable tiring travel itinerary doesn’t seem to bug him as much as it does some.

After less than three weeks of the new season, Yeni tops the jockey standings with 14 winners from 55 rides – six ahead of second-placed Gavin Lerena, who had a smashing start to the new term.

Two trebles on successive days

Remarkably, Yeni has already taken a week’s holiday – not riding between 7 and 15 August. Prior to that breather, the Durban-born rider notched up two trebles on successive days, at Turffontein and Scottsville. (Gotta pay those vacation bills somehow!) He returned to action with a four-timer at Greyville on Wednesday this week, followed by two wins at the Vaal on Thursday.

Form experts and betting guides exhort us to follow jockeys and stables in form, so Muzi will be the man to be with this weekend and into next week. We have plenty of horses to choose from as his book is – as usual – packed with promising engagements.

He has eight rides at Fairview on Friday, eight at Turffontein on Saturday, seven at Scottsville on Sunday and plenty more on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday as he racks up flyer miles between Durban and the Highveld.

At Turffontein, Yeni’s best chances come in Races 1, 2 and 8. Alesia’s Love is 16-10 for the first and it would be a surprise if she didn’t crack her maiden at the fourth attempt.

Cape Lights is ultra-consistent and deserves to notch her third win in the second on the card, while the equally honest Quantum Theory can’t be ignored in the eighth.

The early jockey championship betting had Richard Fourie topping the boards at a prohibitive 13-10, following a rip-roaring finish to last season that carried him to the runner-up slot behind Keagan de Melo. Yeni was quoted at 8-1.

If there is anything like those odds about the little big guy floating around now, one might be tempted.