Three provincial teams featuring 12 of the country’s top jockeys will compete over four races at Greyville Racecourse (Races 2,3,4 and 5) on Saturday, July 18, for the inaugural Interprov Rider Cup.

The competition will be run over four consecutive races (Greyville R2, R3, R4, R5) with points being allocated as follows:

Because of the narrow band of points allocation it is hoped that competition will be close and contain a little “needle”.

In order to give all riders an equal opportunity, the horses in each race have been seeded by a panel of form experts into four categories of three from top to bottom. The riders from each team will get a chance to ride in each category with the choice of horses done by ballot. This will give each rider a chance to showcase their skills on the best and the worst rated runners.

“We are always looking for ways to promote and add entertainment to our racedays and this format has proved successful in the past,” said Gold Circle’s Racing and Marketing Executive, Graeme Hawkins.

“It will give racegoers the opportunity to watch the best jockeys in the country go head-to-head and the bragging rights that go with winning the Interprov Rider Cup will hopefully add a competitive edge to the races.”

All riders will carry the owners’ colours but will be distinguished by different coloured caps. The KZN team will wear black caps with the Western Cape blue and the Highveld red.