Battles for jockey and trainer titles hot up

With just over four months left in the 2018/19 season Anton Marcus leads the way in the race for Champion Jockey – but only just.

Marcus has notched up 135 winners and is only two clear of Muzi Yeni. Marcus has achieved his success from just 446 rides, meaning 30.27% of his mounts land up in the winner’s enclosure. Almost 70% of his rides have finished in the first four. Yeni’s winners came from 1129 rides which is a percentage of 11.78.

Two jockeys in the process of closing the gap are defending champion Lyle Hewitson and Gavin Lerena. Hewitson, who started the season late due to injury, has ridden 124 winners from 792 rides. Lerena is on 108 wins from 406 rides. Fifth is Ryan Munger who just needs two more winners to ride 100 for the season.

Top apprentice is Luke Ferraris, who has ridden 58 winners and is in 11th spot over all.

The “Big Three” are fighting out the trainer’s title but despite a good Cape summer in which he won both the L’ Omarins Queen’s Plate and the Sun Met, current Champion Trainer Justin Snaith has quite a bit of ground to make up on Sean Tarry. At this stage Tarry is R4.32 million ahead of Justin Snaith.

Mike de Kock is third, a further R1.33 million back. However, with the R4-million Premier’s Champions Challenge and R2-million SA Derby still to come, and Snaith unlikely to bring up any runners, the picture could change completely before they head to Durban for the winter. Brett Crawford is fourth and Alan Greeff fifth, a great effort for a trainer based in Port Elizabeth.