It was five from six rides at Greyville on Friday evening, one at the Vaal on Saturday and another four at Greyville yesterday.

On some forums he has been accused of pinching rides from his weighing room colleagues and not putting in the hard yards but the complete opposite is true. Marcus rides work at Summerveld Monday to Saturday and scurries from one ring to another as if he were a first year apprentice. Catching his breath between rings and promising an anxious Jeff Freedman he would be back to put Rif Raff through his paces but had one more to do for another trainer, Marcus re-iterated. “I’m here every day except Sunday’s. This is my job. The only hassle is that it’s a schlep from Umhlanga to Summerveld,” he grinned before trotting off to his next engagement. But not only is he a hard worker, he’s also an extremely astute judge of the form book and when he phones a trainer for a ride they sit up and take note.

Colin Scott, whose regular jockey MJ Odendaal is laid up with a virus, has gained from the benefit of Marcus’s judgement in recent meetings. “When he phones for the ride you don’t say ‘no’,” said Scott and Marcus landed the odds on both Libertine and Burrwood for the yard this past week.

Marcus has also been quick to work out the Greyville polytrack and judging by his tactics his key would appear to being his judge of pace on the new surface where the early pace can often be suicidal. He is not afraid to make the running as he showed when making most, if not all, on Craig Eudey’s Flyfirstclass in the second, Varbration in the fourth and Bold Inspiration in the fifth. But he is also quite content to sit off the pace if it suits and his mount is capable, a ride that sticks in the mind being Auction King last Tuesday.

There were no mistakes with the Robbie Hill-trained Assimilation in the first yesterday. Although slowly away as is her want, Marcus had her quickly into stride and in a good position to challenge up the straight. However, the odds-on chance was always travelling and the daughter of Dupont won easing up.

Flyfirstclass finished down the field in his first crack on the poly but Eudey’s patience has paid off for owner Keith Young. According to Eudey the gelding has had a host of issues throughout his career but his fifth victory was due reward for consistency.

The polytrack has been put to the “heat” test over the past couple of months and what has become evident is that under these conditions it needs loads of water. Yesterday was the first under wet and cold conditions. Greyville track manager Ralph Smout said that the surface had held up extremely well and although they only had about 5mm of rain it was cold and wet and there was not kick-back. There were also no complaints from the jockeys which bodes well for the future.

Picture: Nkosi Hlophe

CTS boss Adrian Todd said: “We have always prided ourselves as innovative and we believe that this initiative will be well received by both buyers and vendors.”

The horses in this weekend’s Durbanville sale will qualify for the race and those in CTS’s new Johannesburg Ready To Run Sale on 31 October will also be eligible for a R2.5 million race next year.

In the meantime the Emperor’s Palace Ready To Run Cup at Turffontein on 1 November will carry total stakes of R3.85 million, making it the richest race run in South Africa so far. At Kenilworth in January 2016 the CTS Million Dollar will be worth R11.2 million, and even more if the Rand keeps falling.

However next year’s TBA Ready To Run Cup will drop back to R2 million. “That is the projected return based on the number of entries for the sale and with Bloodstock South Africa chipping in,” said Peter Gibson yesterday.

Phumelela racing boss Patrick Davis said: “I understand that the gallops are not ideal for trainers but we stage them in the interests of promoting the race, and we will try to do things in such a way that we minimise stress and other problems that trainers may have with specific horses.” Davis pointed to the example of last season’s gallops when the highly-strung Jackson was allowed to work first.

The public gallops, nine days before the race, became a specific race condition for the 2011 Met after a previous attempt to introduce them on a voluntary basis had to be scrapped for lack of support. The gallops generate valuable publicity but are unpopular with Cape Town trainers as they don’t always fit in with training schedules and because horses have to endure a nightmare stop-start journey through the congested traffic, particularly those travelling from Milnerton.

Dean Kannemeyer said: “I am not in favour and my view is don’t force me. Don’t tell me when and where I must gallop a horse. It’s me who is training him and what I do I will be in the best interests of the horse. If they want, they can video the horse working and show that.”

Justin Snaith, whose Jet Explorer hurt himself in last season’s public gallop, added: “I know they have had these gallops for the Vodacom Durban July for 100 years but the trainers don’t want them in Cape Town. They are not fair on the horses, on the owners or on those of the public who have backed them.

“You don’t say to athletes in the Comrades Marathon that you want to see them running 40k first to find out if they are fit enough and, if I have a horse this time that I don’t want to gallop, I won’t gallop him. I will just bring him to the course and walk him round the parade ring.”

n Grant van Niekerk will be free to ride at Saturday’s Matchem/Diana Stakes meeting. He opted to face an inquiry when told he would be given a ten-day suspension for interference at Durbanville last Wednesday. However the ban was subsequently reduced to seven days (Sep 27-Oct 3).

Picture: Liesl King

The race was run at a cracking gallop and Fanie Chambers was content to sit in just off them. Approaching the final furlong he sent Tommy Gun about his business and he quickly pulled clear to win by three lengths. Uncle Tommy tried gamely to stay with him but the bird had flown.

The early pace took its toll on top weight and favourite Jet Jamboree who struggled into fifth.

Trainer Louis Goosen was most unhappy with the handicappers after his star sprinter Trip Tease picked up a three-point penalty when second behind Blazing Al but the handicappers appeared to have got it spot on as Trip Tease turned the tables in no uncertain manner in the Hampton Handicap. Trip Tease drew off to win by a length from Blazing Al and Salute The Sun.

Picture: JC Photo’s

The Racing Appeals and Disciplinary Board first dismissed Schofield’s appeal to have the improper riding charge thrown out, then failed in a bid to have the crushing suspension reduced. Schofield emerged stony-faced from the three hour hearing but shook the hand of Racing Victoria chief steward Terry Bailey before engaging in a brief chat with him

Schofield will miss the key Turnbull Stakes and Caulfield Guineas meetings, returning on Caulfield Cup day, October 18. He and legal counsel Paul O’Sullivan said they would discuss whether to appeal to VCAT.

Schofield’s penalty stemmed from a race at Mornington on September 17, where stewards found he turned his mount’s head towards the mount of Michelle Payne on his inside and hemmed her in for 200 metres. O’Sullivan unsuccessfully argued that Schofield’s ride aboard Seguaro was merely “competitive’’, an argument supported by former jockey Sam Hyland, who appeared as a witness for Schofield. “He didn’t go bang! And knock her into a box,’’ Hyland said.

Judge Russell Lewis said a previous vow from Schofield to take stock and mend his “wayward ways’’ had not happened. Schofield has been suspended 20 times in the last two years, twice for improper riding.

Lewis said steward’s footage of the Mornington incident – which featured two bumps to Payne’s mount – clearly showed the horse’s heads made contact because of Schofield’s actions. Of that and the bumping, Lewis said Schofield had engaged in “deliberate and intentional conduct’’ and “posed risk and potential danger.’’

Schofield argued that the first bump was “50-50’’ and the second was the fault of Payne, which he did not claim when interviewed by stewards immediately after the Mornington race.

Cliff Pannam, acting for the stewards, accused Schofield of changing his original evidence. Pannam said Schofield’s actions “cannot be allowed to happen in races in this state – it creates danger.’’

Payne was supportive of Schofield in the steward’s inquiry at Mornington, saying it was competitive riding, and Pannam said at the appeal hearing that Payne was merely protecting Schofield. “It’s not uncommon,’’ he said.

–       Heraldsun.com.au