Strike it rich with Strydom
BLOW: BROKEN STIRRUP LEAVES STRYDOM OUT FLAT ON THE TURF
Work riders to put on a polished display at Turffontein.
Racing can have its ups and downs and I definitely can’t exactly say I’m on an “up” at the moment. I have spoken before about getting on the wrong horse at the wrong time and that is exactly what happened to me on Thursday.
I have had numerous falls through my career and even though I have been lucky enough not to have suffered a major injury, any injury does set you back.
In Race 4 on Thursday I rode Refuge and as they jumped from the starting stalls I initially thought he had jumped a little skew. That can cause your foot to come out of the stirrup iron but most of the time you get your foot back inside in a matter of strides and get back riding.
This time I was quite amazed that I fell off in such an easy manner, but I only learned later that my stirrup iron had snapped. We often have to replace our equipment through wear and tear but how do you judge, if something is made of steel, where and when it is going to break?
In fact, brand new irons have been known to snap so there is just no way of knowing. It was lucky that it happened at the start so we were not going at full speed.
In terms of my injury, I was obviously sent for X-rays as I felt a pain in my neck and they showed I had a fracture in my neck. I was then sent for an MRI scan and the report back from the radiologists is that they believe it is possibly an old fracture.
Therefore I have to take this week quite easy and hopefully I will be back next week.
The run of injuries to jockeys lately has been quite weird to see. Right now top jockeys like Anton Marcus, Anthony Delpech and Gavin Lerena all out for long periods after falls.
But I have to add that even though through the years we may fight and argue with people, so many people have called to ask about my well-being and have wished me well. As tough as this game is, at least we can say that we still care about one another.
Today we race at Turffontein for the final leg of the Work Riders’ Challenge. As a result our usual band of jockeys miss out on a meeting but when you see the way these riders have improved, not only in the way they ride in races but also what they carry over to their work riding, it has to be of great benefit to trainers in particular and to the whole sport in general.
Clearly some guys are more experienced than others that has to count in their favour. It would probably help to follow those riders who have shown potential as the trainers have probably noticed their ability and have given them the better rides.
All the eight races are Maiden Plates which in a way makes it easier as they are run at fixed weights and some horses are better handicapped than others.
Race 1 is over 1160m and on current form Kick Butt and Countess Var should fight it out. The unknown quantity is Snowballed who is only a two-year-old but she does not have to be that talented to win this race.
Race 2 is the first leg of the Place Accumulator and Battle Front looks the right horse on form. Unfortunately his last run was last year and therefore you might need to include Two Guns in the Place Accumulator.
The horses with the best form in Race 3 are Hurricane Lass and Jaunita and those two should get you through the PA as this is quite a small field.
For the Pick 6 consider Hear The Trumpet, who even though she has been well beaten seems to have run against stronger company.
Race 4 looks a two-horse race between Queen Of War and Pearl Of Siberia. Those are the two for the Place Accumulator but for the Pick 6 consider La Mer as he did not finished far behind Pearl Of Siberia in their last start.
Race 5 is a 2400m event and my first choice is Imoto. The way he stayed on last time I would think he will see out this distance. He could be a possible banker in all bets. If you don’t want to banker him in the Pick 6 consider Hirohito, Brand New Cadillac and Corrido.
In Race 6 we have the best bet on the card in New Zealand. She has the strongest form, is well drawn and because in her last two starts she had bad draws she could improve even further.
Race 7 is quite difficult as a lot of these horses have finished quite close to one another. My first selection is Day Has Come as he is lightly raced and can probably make further improvement.
For the Pick 6 you might have to include Norland, Rockstar Child, Yaamen, Horace, Candela and even Stradivari for the bigger players. He is drawn No 1 and is from the in-form Brian Wiid stable. It could even be worth going with the field in this race.
For the PA consider three or four of those mentioned.
In Race 8 we have another possible banker in Alnasl. She has the strongest form and now she also has a good draw. A possible inclusion could be Cruiseberry who is a useful inclusion if you are looking for a decent Pick 6 payout.