De Melo makes Durbanville debut

KEAGAN DE MELO rides at Durbanville for the first time in his career on Saturday when he has mounts in six of the eight races – five for Glen Kotzen and In The Jungle for Piet Steyn in the Tabonline.co.za Handicap.

“Glen asked me to come down for the day,” said De Melo yesterday.

“He has ridden 15 winners this term and is noted for being a particularly stylish jockey – “I haven’t set out to be that but it’s just the way I have been brought up to ride.”

He steps in for in-form retained stable jockey Ryan Munger who is not riding on Saturday but who is third on the national log with 40 winners.

Cantata

Cantata (race two) and Merkaba (race seven) are De Melo’s best chances according to World Sports Betting who had Cantata as 7-2 second favourite and Merkaba as 7-2 joint favourite when the firm posted up its prices yesterday.

Greg Cheyne, fifth with 33 winners after landing the first four at Fairview on Tuesday, rides in every race except the sixth.

The Justin Snaith-Richard Fourie combination has the favourite or joint favourite in half the races.

Fourie, who won the 2006 Cape Classic on Jay Peg, will ride the lightly-weighted Clipper Captain in Saturday week’s Kenilworth Grade 3 and Snaith has also accepted with Seventh Sea (Robert Khathi) and Clouded Hill.

Juniper Spring

In the Western Cape Fillies Championship on the same day Fourie partners Juniper Spring for Snaith. The filly is a full sister to last year’s winner Snowdance.