Jockeys face travel ban

The National Horseracing Authority ( NHA) has warned interprovincial travel by jockeys could again be banned — particularly to the Eastern Cape — if stringent Covid-19 rules are not followed.

In a media release, the NHA said “the fight is not over and we urge jockeys to be diligent and responsible”.

The situation is being closely monitored by chief compliance officer Arnold Hyde, who said:

The NHA wants to send a strong message to all travelling jockeys that race in Port Elizabeth to ensure that extra precaution is taken while present in this hotspot area and upon returning to other racing districts in the country.

Should the spread of the virus continue in the current trajectory [Eastern Cape], we will have no option but to stop interprovincial travelling by jockeys to that province. Please treat this as an important message to ensure the sustainability and continuation of racing in SA.”

In June and July, jockeys were not allowed to move between provinces for race meetings and top riders had to decide whether to race in Gauteng or KwaZulu-Natal. Champion jockey Warren Kennedy chose to stay in KwaZulu-Natal.

Three jockeys who regularly travel from Gauteng to the Eastern Cape are Lyle Hewitson, this season’s leading rider, Luke Ferraris and Marco van Rensburg.

Van Rensburg rides for the Gavin Smith stable at Fairview meetings and this combination had a red-letter day last Friday, winning four races. It proved a successful — and profitable — weekend for Van Rensburg who then travelled to the Vaal to pilot ExpressfromtheUS to victory in the WSB Grand Heritage race.

A son ofWhat A Winter, bred and owned by Rooispruit Stud, ExpressfromtheUS provided Van Rensburg and trainer Stuart Pettigrew with their second Grand Heritage success after Soldier On’s victory in 2018.

The win rounded off a successful year for Pettigrew whose three-year-old filly Anything Goes won the grade 1 Thekwini Stakes at Greyville in August.