Mighty Muzi for the July

Diminutive Muzi Yeni, arguably the most popular jockey with the South African public, has landed one of the prized mounts in this year’s Vodacom Durban July – on Joe Soma-trained Got The Greenlight.

In a dramatic development yesterday, Yeni was drafted in to replace fierce rival Lyle Hewitson, the reigning champion jockey who had originally been declared to ride the recent Daily News 2000 winner in the country’s biggest horse race.

Hewitson is now booked on another three-year-old colt, Shango, for champion trainer Sean Tarry, for whom he had been riding regularly since returning to the country from riding stints in Hong Kong and Japan.

Got The Greenlight is currently 7-1 third favourite for the July, while Shango languishes at 33-1.

“Due to unforeseen circumstances on jockey Lyle Hewitson’s side, he will not be able to honour his riding engagement aboard our horse in this year’s Vodacom Durban July,” said Soma in a statement.

Yeni narrowly lost out to Hewitson in a titanic battle for the 2018-19 national jockey championship – 219 winners to 216.

That fiercely competitive title chase boiled over on 27 July, 2019, four days before the end of the season, in a race at Greyville – when, interestingly, Yeni was riding a horse called Mr Greenlight.

A National Horseracing Authority inquiry into the incident read: “Mr Yeni pleaded not guilty to the charge. The Inquiry Board found Mr Yeni guilty of the charge … [and] imposed a suspension from riding in races for a period of 90 days.”

This ban ruled Yeni out of a 2020 attempt to realise his ambition to claim the championship.

However, the rider bounced back after three-month punishment was over.

Yeni hails from Umlazi, a sprawling settlement outside Durban, so it would be a homecoming of note if he were to triumph in the July next Saturday – at Greyville.