International Jockey's Challenge could end in photo finish
South Africa has won the International Jockeys’ Challenge four times in six years and many will fancy their chances of making it five against the international visitors this weekend.
An initial glance at the fields for the Racing. It’s A Rush International Jockeys’ Challenge races seems to suggest that the scores this year will be exceptionally close.
The riders will compete in eight races, four at Turffontein on Saturday and the rest at Kenilworth on Sunday. Points are awarded to all runners with 30 for first, 15 for second, 12 for third, 10 for fourth, eight for fifth, seven for sixth and if a jockey does not have a ride, down to one for last. Thus even a mid-field finish can swing the final score one way or another.
TAB is offering customers the opportunity to bet on which jockeys they think will fare best in each leg of the Challenge – Race 12 at Turffontein and Race 10 at Kenilworth. TAB will add R20,000 to the Win, Place and Quartet pools on each of these special races.
The international squad seems to have the better rides at Turffontein on Saturday and could end the day with a fairly substantial advantage. The track is one of the fairest in the world, so homeground advantage will not play too much into the local team’s hands.
Top jockey at the meeting could be Andreas Helfenbein, who has three promising rides. One of them is Mike de Kock-trained Estidraaj in Race 10 over 1600m. This three-year-old filly has a huge weight to carry, but could follow up on an impressive maiden win on the Polytrack in her second career start.
Her main danger looks to be stable companion, Ataab, who will be ridden by the stable’s No 1 jockey Anthony Delpech. Knowing both fillies well, he will be planning his tactics carefully!
Tactics could also win the day in Race 6 over 1400m because likely favourite Wisdom Stone is drawn very wide and French rider Gregory Benoist will have to use every skill to overcome that disadvantage.
The other rider with a couple of promising mounts at Turffontein is Turkey’s Yasin Pilavcilar. He could win Race 9 over 1400m on Amazing Strike, who will be fit now in his third run after a layoff and need only repeat his runs in the Golden Horseshoe, the Premier’s Champion Stakes and the Gatecrasher Stakes to claim the bulk of the race stake.
Pilavcilar can also win a race at Kenilworth – on In Limine in Race 8 over 1800m. She tries further but should stay and has placed against some smart fillies, including Red Disa and Jet Set Go.
The quality of his mounts could see him winning the Bronze Saddle in the competition, but it will be a close call with former SA champion Piere Strydom.
Strydom should help the South Africans make a comeback on Sunday because he has outstanding chances of finishing in the frame on three of his mounts.
The field for the International Jockeys’ Challenge:
1 – Gregory Benoist (France) 2 – Anthony Delpech (SA) 3 – James Doyle (UK) 4 – Bernard Fayd’Herbe (SA) 5 – Richard Fourie (SA) 6 – Martin Harley (Ireland) 7 – Andreas Helfenbein (Germany) 8 – S’manga Khumalo (SA) 9 – Adam Kirby (UK) 10 – Yasin Pilavcilar (Turkey) 11 – Piere Strydom (SA) 12 – Muzi Yeni (SA)