Domeyer perfect but not first
ALDO Domeyer’s perfect six at Kenilworth last week was not a record for number of winners on a day in South Africa, although he might have been the first to do a perfect six (six wins from six rides).
Jeff Lloyd has reportedly ridden seven winners in a day on three occasions in South Africa. He repeated this feat On November 30 last year in Australia, when having 11 rides on a 12 race card at Sunshine Coast racecourse. Lloyd at age 55 became the oldest to win the Brisbane Premiership last season. He is on his way to reclaiming this title having ridden 78 winners this season, 32 clear of second-placed Robbie Fradd.
Lloyd is chasing Chris Munce’s Queensland metropolitan record of 103. Lloyd is also locked in a struggle with William Pike to be leading jockey in Australia. Both riders are currently on 98 winners in all for the season. Lloyd recovered from a mild stroke in 2013, which makes his recent achievements all the more remarkable.
Strydom
South African record-breaking jockey Piere Strydom has ridden seven winners in a day twice. On one of these occasions on July 14 1990 he famously rode the Pick 6 at Gosforth Park, the only rider to have achieved this feat. He also rode the winner of the first race that day. His Pick 6 winners were the Mike Azzie-trained 6-1 shot Boy On The Run, the Mike Azzie-trained 18-10 shot Dandy Man, the Herman Brown Snrtrained 11-10 favourite Mathematic, the Robbie Sage-trained 4-1 chance Haystack, the Spike Lerena-trained 16-10 favourite Highland Gypsy and the Spike Lerena-trained 2-1 favourite Straw Lining.
Strydom’s other winner on the day was the Nic Claassen-trained 6-10 favourite Golden Child. On the same day Strydom rode in a match race on the Azzie-trained Brainteaser, who was beaten by Cliffie Otto-trained Divine Act, and also rode in two other races.
The first to achieve seven winners in a day in South Africa might well have been the legendary Harold “Tiger” Wright.
In a nine race Rand Turf Club meeting held at Newmarket racecourse in Alberton on February 3 1960, Wright had eight rides and won on seven of them. Two of the winners were for George Azzie, the grandfather of current trainer Mike, two were for EJ Sparks and one each for ETC Passmore, DC Littlefield and R Ralphs.
Domeyer’s achievement does not constitute a Western Cape record either as Garth Puller rode seven winners at Kenilworth on September 27 1980 when having a ride in all nine races.
Puller, who was SA Champion Jockey in the 1978/1979 season and is now a trainer, rode the first five on the card and also race seven and race nine. Four of his winners were for Peter Kannemeyer and three for Bert Abercrombie.
Marcus
Basil Marcus achieved seven winners in a day on December 3 1986 at Greyville where he rode in all nine races. His first winner that day was on a top class sort in the Herman Brown-trained Singing Boy, who won a maiden over 1 200m at odds off 11-10F. The son of multiple champion sire Foveros went on to win two G1s over 1 600m and 2 000m respectively, both when raiding Turffontein. Marcus’ other victorious rides were on the Joe Joseph-trained Foreign Attache (2nd race 16-10F), the Mike Miller-trained Business Liner (4th race 14-10F), the Ormond Ferraris-trained Bold Candidate (5th race 6-1), the Terry Ryan-trained Miss Lobkowiez (6th race 18-10F), the Brown-trained Harry’s Champ (8th race 13-10) and the Mike Airey-trained Hunting Queen (ninth race 6-1).
Marcus, who was the seven-time Hong Kong Jockey Champions won seven Hong Kong Jockey n also once rode six winners in a day in Cape Town while still an apprentice on 21 June 1975 where he had eight rides in an eight race card at Milnerton. Remarkably five of those winning mounts were by the great stallion Persian Wonder, who was duly crowned Champion Sire for the fourth time in succession at the end of the season.
Persian Wonder won the sire’s championships two more times, but only after his great rival New South Wales had clinched the title twice. Domeyer is currently in 15th place on the SA national log with 41 winners achieved at a strike rate of 17,01% and he duly has seven rides at Kenilworth’s meeting this Wednesday.