Bernard has been awarded the Gold Circle Jockey of the month for June 2018. He rode 7 winners from only 33 rides and notched up an impressive 51% wins and places strike rate. This top rider can only ride at a certain weight and is always competitive and no stranger to the winners enclosure, especially in the Graded races.
Well done Bernard!
ASHTON ARRIES
Apprentice Jockey Ashton Arries rode 42 horses for the month notching up 6 winners and 15 places. His total stake money earned was R550350-00 – during this month Ashton also lost his claim as an apprentice and also suffered a fall riding Dancing With Tatum at Greyville and had to step down from several of his rides – despite this he still managed to rack up some impressive stats and achievements.
Well done Ashton.
Keagan De Melo
Keagan De Melo is Gold Circle’s Jockey of the Month for January 2018.
One of the hardest working jockeys on the circuit, commuting between the Highveld and KZN, Keagan won eight races at a winning strike rate of 20% and total stake earnings of over R578K.
Congratulations Keagan.
Anthony Delpech and Anton Marcus were the leading riders in KZN during December but apprentice Denis Schwarz had an exceptional month, booting home nine winners and is Gold Circle’s Jockey of the Month for December.
Well Done Denis!
KEAGAN DE MELO
Keagan has matured into a highly talented rider whose services are not just sought by local conditioners but in other areas as well. He has proven an asset to the Duncan Howells stable which topped the trainer log in KwaZulu-Natal this month.
Keagan had 39 rides in the province during the month and steered nine of them into the winner’s enclosure at a winning rate of 23%, which is close to a win from every four rides. Punters that followed him with a R1 win bet on each of his rides will have been more than happy with a return on their investment of R35.30. Adding to his winning tally, he managed to get another 14 of his rides into the placings.
A good month and well done Keagan
GUNTER WROGEMANN
Gunter has been around a long time and has ridden many, many winners in his career for a variety of stables, mostly in the Highveld region. He is a very skilful jockey and a fierce competitor and since Louis Goosen has relocated his stable to Ashburton Gunter has been far more active in KwaZulu-Natal where, in the past month he finished second to Anton Marcus on the local log with nine winners.
Gunter has also got off to a good start in the new season nationally and is currently fifth on the National Jockey Log with 36 winners and a win-place strike rate of 56%.
The likeable jockey is likely to spend a lot more time in KwaZulu-Natal during the current season and is sure to make his mark on the winner’s table.
Well done Gunter
ANTHONY DELPECH
Anthony Delpech and Anton Marcus continue to dominate on the winner’s log in KwaZulu-Natal which is understandable with both riders in great demand and riding for top stables and patrons.
During the month both had similar win and place strike rates ensuring they kept their supporters happy but not every horse the top riders throw a leg over are champions and they still have to use their talents to get their mounts into the winner’s enclosure.
During the month Anthony was in top form booting home 12 winners and 11 seconds from his 42 rides and punters will have profited from his success.
Well done Anthony
It was a competitive month with many riders enjoying multiple successes on the track and all deserve recognition for their talent. Anton Marcus continued to prove his superior talent while the younger and less experienced riders like Serino Moodley and Ashton Arries showed promise of greater things to come in the future.
For their efforts both young riders – Serino and Ashton – deserved acknowledgement of their performances. Both riders managed six winners in the month, just one less than Marcus, but with a superior win-place strike rate of 45% to 38%, Ashton just pipped Serino by the proverbial short head.
Well done to both riders and congratulations to Ashton.
BERNARD FAYD’HERBE
Racing generally during the month of July was dominated by three riders – Anthony Delpech with 14 winners and both Anton Marcus and Keagan De Melo each with 13 visits to the winner’s circle.
Choosing the winner from that group would have been difficult as each one held strong claims. But a stronger claim had to lie with Bernard for his tactical and talented handling of Marinaresco in getting the Silvano gelding across the line in the Vodacom Durban July under top weight of 60kg. It was the heaviest mass carried by a runner since Pamphlet shouldered 61kg over the then 2 000m trip a long way back in 1920 – almost 100 years.
Marinaresco was not the biggest horse in the race and Bernard showed his skill in placing him and preserving him for that electric finishing burst which he is known to have and then producing him just at the right moment to secure the victory.
Well done Bernard, it was an outstanding performance.
ANTHONY DELPECH
Selecting the winner of the award this month was not easy. Anton Marcus was again in top form with 11 winners including features and Corne Orffer made the best of his opportunities including success in the Post Merchants.
But Anthony was in brilliant form to boot home 17 winners from 60 rides with another 26 of his mounts finishing in the placings to give him an outstanding 71% win and place strike rate. Many of his successes were from perfectly-timed rides from off the pace bringing his mount storming down the outside to win, perfect examples of giving mounts a chance that brought back memories of the former similar-styled great rider Garth Puller.
An excellent performance Anthony and well done.
Well done Anthony
