Get into the Buzz of the international challenge
APPEARANCE: THE INTERNATIONAL JOCKEYS WILL BE AT FOURWAYS ON FRIDAY
The quality mounts in the six challenge races look well distributed between the local team and the international team.
The Air Mauritius International Jockeys’ Challenge starts on Friday when most of the jockeys will be making public appearances at Betting World The Buzz, Fourways.
Three of the local riders will not be there because they are riding in Port Elizabeth – Craig Zackey, Greg Cheyne and Lyle Hewitson. However, the other jockeys – Anthony Delpech (SA Captain), S’manga Khumalo and Gavin Lerena – and six visiting riders – Australian Corey Brown (who won the Melbourne Cup last week), Englishman Martin Dwyer, Frenchman Thierry Thulliez and Irish trio Seamie Heffernan, PJ Mcdonald and Pat Smullen (International Captain) – are scheduled to be at the shopping centre from 11am.
Betting World will hold competitions for their customers throughout the afternoon with prizes of betting vouchers and airtime and Tellytrack presenters Dominic Zaki and Neil Andrews will be at the shop, conducting interviews with the jockeys and adding to the excitement of the occasion.
The International Jockeys’ Challenge race meeting on Sunday promises racegoers a wonderful experience. Racing on the Deck will give fans the opportunity to enjoy the Johannesburg summer while watching some of the world’s top riders in action on and off the turf.
This is the 10th year the International Jockeys’ Challenge, which is organised by Racing Association chief executive Larry Wainstein, will be staged. Home team advantage has played a huge role in the outcome most years, although the international team has won on two occasions, in 2011 and 2012.
There was a ballot for mounts in each of the Challenge races and runners were seeded beforehand in an attempt to ensure both teams have roughly the same calibre of rides overall.
Points are awarded as follows: first – 30; second – 15; third – 12; fourth – 10; fifth – 8; sixth – 7; seventh - 6; eighth - 5; ninth - 4; 10th - 3; 11th - 0; 12th - 0. If a jockey does not ride in a race, he gets seven points. The team that scores the most points wins the Challenge.
TAB and Betting World will offer betting on the actual riders in the challenge and a preliminary glance at the Computaform Ratings for the fields shows there will not be much separating the teams at prize giving – Delpech and Dwyer might fight it out for the Bronze saddle.
TAB will not only operate Win and Place pools on the jockeys. Punters can also take Swinger, Exacta, Trifecta and Quartet bets.
To bet with TAB on the Air Mauritius International Jockeys’ Challenge, mark Race 11 for Turffontein 19 November on betting forms. Race 11 pools close at the start of the first challenge event, Race 4.