The jockeys championship has been thrown wide open by Gavin Lerena’s decision to ride in England for much of the remainder of the season.

The 2014/15 champion was eight clear on 129 winners at the start of yesterday’s racing but, with him out of the running, Anthony Delpech (121), Greg Cheyne (118) and Anton Marcus (116) are vying for favouritism.

Greg Cheyne (Liesl King)

Cheyne, the only one of the trio not to have been champion before, was many people’s idea of the likely winner before Lerena hit top gear but at the weekend he once again insisted that he is determined not to be sucked into a gruelling fly-everywhere battle, saying: “I am just going to carry on the way I am.”

It’s not just a three-horse war either. Five others went into yesterday with more than 100 winners – Craig Zackey (109), Richard Fourie (104), Muzi Yeni, Andrew Fortune (both on 103) and S’Manga Khumalo (102).

Lerena is to ride for Lambourn trainer Charlie Hills and his trip is being sponsored by the Chelsea Thoroughbreds Syndicate managed by Joey Ramsden’s brother James. Its 27 horses are spread around nine trainers thus increasing Lerena’s possible opportunities.

Mike de Kock is to train Goddess Var, the Var grand-daughter of champion Promisefrommyheart who set a new National Yearling Sale record when sold to Hamdan Al Maktoum’s Shadwell South Africa for R5 million on Friday.

Form Bloodstock’s Jehan Malherbe, who did the bidding, also bought the top-priced lot at the Emperors Palace Select Yearling Sale a fortnight earlier. Grab The Light, a full brother to Jackson, will go to Dean Kannemeyer. The purchaser of the R3.8 million colt asked Malherbe not to reveal his or her name although it will be readily accessible once the ownership is registered.

Michael Clower