SA jockeys excel

THE South African jockeys walloped the visitors at Kenilworth yesterday, following up their three-one triumph at Turffontein on Saturday by taking all four international races.

The final points tally in the Racing It’s A Rush match was 547 to 288 and since this particular series was started in 2008 the home team has won five times out of seven.

Disappointed visiting captain James Doyle said: “I think we had bad luck with the draw. Either that or we are all very bad jockeys!”

The biggest name among the visitors may have failed to notch up his first South African success but it was not for want of trying and you could see why Sheikh Mohammed is prepared to pay so much for him as he pulled out one stop after another in an ultra-determined bid to make all on Valerio in the Betting World Handicap.

But in the end his mount had no more to give and third was the best he could manage.

Independence

Piere Strydom got up close home to win this on the Brett Crawford-trained Independence and the former champion led two furlongs on Roaring Wind for Glen Kotzen in the last to take his total to just two short of his 5 000 target.

Anthony Delpech took the Victor Ludorum (top jockey) award and he kicked off yesterday’s leg with comfortable win on Indaba in the Table Bay Hotel Handicap.

The three-year-old has now won three on the trot and Dean Kannemeyer somewhat understandably reckons she has a real future.

He said: “I am going to enter her for the Avontuur Cape Fillies Guineas although, as Anthony said, she really needs 1 800-2 000m. But she has a lot of potential.”

Bernard Fayd’Herbe, taking part in this competition for the first time, landed the Egyptair Handicap on Saint Sophia for Mike Bass on a day the Milnerton maestro could do no wrong.