Andrew Harrison

ANTON MARCUS has had a forest fire of smoke blown up his rear over the years. Proven against the best on the international stage, there is little doubt that he is a master of his trade.

To many of the uninitiated that follow the sport, the simple task of a jockey is to stay on board and ride for the line as hard as possible, win lose or draw.

But as in any sport, the best will always triumph simply because they are more tactically aware.

Few will argue that the pace of a race will make the world of difference to the result. But often, subtle tactics employed by the top riders within a race are the difference between winning and losing.

Riders who can win races on mediocre mounts, races that their horse should never have had a chance in given the form, are the riders that trainers look for and support. Riders who are tactically astute and aware of the capabilities of the opposition.

There are also trainers who expect more from their charges than what they are capable of producing – the classic line from a jockey when asked by a trainer why he did not follow instructions; “unfortunately I had to bring the horse with me.”

But back to the second race at Hollywoodbets Greyville yesterday. Marcus was aboard favourite Chapter And Verse for trainer Michael Roberts, himself a former titan of the pigskin. The money arrived late for Garth Puller’s charge Banzai Pipeline but Marcus will have worked that out a long time before the race.

All went well for both runners, both perfectly placed, Marcus up second tracked by Lyle Hewitson on Banzi Pipeline.

Shortly before entering the straight, Marcus eased wide off the heels of pacemaker Luxemburg, headed for his favourite ‘golden highway’ up the outside fence.

But with Bazai Pipline slipping through up the inside fence, Marcus allowed his mount to shift in on some tiring horses in the hope that they would force Hewitson to delay his challenge for a few strides.

The ploy didn’t work, given that the horses on Marcus’s inside were not intimidated, allowing Banzai Pipeline a clear passage. But it was a clever piece of riding by Marcus who, seeing that his ploy had failed, drifted out onto his ‘highway’ and kept the favourite running to the line, proving just that fraction better than his market rival.

Andrew Harrison

THERE is little doubt that the introduction of the Merit Rating system of handicapping has had a profound effect on racing in this country. In its purest form it has its merits but I would argue that the local horse population is not big enough for the system to work effectively.

This is proven by the introduction of a myriad of special dispensations for various categories of races, introduced in reaction to try and plug frailties in the system. This, to a point where many trainers and, more importantly the majority of punters, are left guessing.

Jack’s Bird, a winner of one race and two placings from nine starts finds herself giving weight to all in the Greyville Convention Centre Handicap that heads the card on the poly at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Wednesday.

Michael Roberts’s filly has paid dearly for finishing close-up in weak feature company. She was on her way down the ratings from a high mark of 100 before the KZN Fillies Guineas where she finished 3,6 lengths behind Missisippi Burning. But her sixth place shunted her back up five pounds from her 90-rating going into the Guineas without earning a cent.

In other jurisdictions that use the MR system, horses capable of performing in Graded company seldom run in handicaps.

So, this race will be a test. After the Guineas, Jack’s Bird was given a break where she finished nearly five lengths back in a 1200m sprint. That should have brought her along nicely into this 1600m event and from a good draw, Roberts and her supporters will be hoping that the handicappers have it right.

One of the major complaints of the current MR system is that a horse like four-time winner Song Of The Forest, has earned R200k more than Jack’s Bird but has a MR of 81. With Jabu Jacobs claiming his 2.5kg allowance on Brett Crawford’s filly, Jacks Bird will be conceding 8.5kg to her rival that has been in cracking form of late.

In a leap of faith, Jack’s Bird is taken to get the better of Song Of The Forest, but with no confidence.

David Thiselton

THE MIKE DE KOCK-TRAINED Barak proved himself a promising stayer when fighting back to win a Pinnacle Stakes event over 2 600m at Turffontein Inside on Saturday under lightweight jockey Jarryd Penny. It was his third win on the trot meaning he is unbeaten since blinkers were donned.

This Master Of My Fate gelding has a deep pedigree which includes Vodacom Durban July winner Power King, Summer Cup winner Malteme, Grade 1 Woolavington 2000 winner Wendywood, Grade 1 winner Exhilaration and others but he is a rangy, galloping type with a big action. 

Barak went into the race 8kg under sufferance with former SA Derby winner Hero’s Honour according to official merit ratings.

However, he did only have to carry a featherweight 50kg.

Furthermore, he had impressed as a progressive stayer in his previous start and duly started 15-4 favourite. 

The race did not pan out well for him, which adds merit to the win.

Penny decided to drive him up into a handy position from the off and this might have been due to the theory that light weighted horses should be up there over marathon trips to ensure the top-weights are made to carry their welter burdens. 

On this occasion being handy early proved to be costly. 

The big horse took held of the bit but Penny did manage to have him covered in second place. He maintained his rail position but by the time they had reached the final turn he had been shuffled back into midfield. He then had to go around The Bosbok, who had gone wrong.

Ultimately, he turned for home right near the back of the eight horse field, meaning the early exertions might well have been unnecessary.

He was now going to have to prove himself some horse to find the necessary extra to make up the leeway.

He did so but then came under threat from the other bottom weight in the contest, Gold Griffin, although the latter was carrying 1kg overweight under national champion jockey Warren Kennedy.

Barak responded magnificently to Penny’s urgings and saw off the challenge to win by a quarter of a length.

It is not unusual for South Africans stayers to build up a sequence before being found out when they run in features, but Barak looks to have plenty of scope for further improvement and De Kock must be thinking of races like the WSB Gold Cup already.

Barak is out of the Captain Al mare Bermuda Sloop, whose five wins were from 1500m to 2000m. He was purchased for R360,000 at the National Yearling Sales by Jehan Malherbe’s Form Bloodstock and is owned by De Kock together with Malherbe’s wife Noeline and G Ragunan.

Besides Power King and Malteme, who also won the Grade 2 Gold Circle Derby over 2400m, other stamina horses in his pedigree include Power King’s half-brother Northern Land (Badger Land), who won the Grade 3 Cape Summer Stayers over 2500m, Listed Oaks Trial winner Bize and Sammy Jo, who won the Listed East Cape Oaks.    

Andrew Harrison

Those of you that have been in the game for any length of time will know that in the months after Champions Season, one always has to keep an eye on horses from Richmond-based trainer Doug Campbell.

He is not blessed with the big guns but makes do with what he’s got and he came up trumps with a treble at a hot and windy Hollywoodbets Scottsville yesterday.

The first winner was expected, the other two pleasant surprises, but in this sport a winner is a winner no matter what.

The cleverly named Vunderbar came up trumps in the card opener as Donovan Dillon got the best out of the gelding to beat the well fancied favourite Calvino.

Harper’s Dream was next up for Campbell as his filly out-duelled Nirvana Girl and Late Night Live, Harper’s Dream starting at 29-1 and paying R25 on the tote.

The big exotic bet bomb exploded in the fourth as Vitus Beiring got up under replacement rider Muzi Yeni. As Campbell explained, he was not keen to run the gelding on the Hollywoodbets Greyville poly and with Scottsville in mothballs for its annual spring treatment for the next two months, he had no option but to run from his wide gate.

With no form to recommend him, 66-1 and R75 a win on the tote just about summed up his chances but Yeni was seen at his very best as he got his mount’s nose down when it counted to hold off Lord Of The Manor.

Keagan de Melo on the second placed runner, took a chance and objected against the winner, but it was more in hope.

Anton Marcus was back in lethal form as he booted home a treble.

With the ‘best’ going seemingly up the inside rail, Marcus somehow got his mount over from 16 draw in the second and My Lady put it all together for Ashleigh Fortune and KZN’s leading owner Mario Ferreira.

Yukta’s Dance for Gareth van Zyl and the blinkered Pearl Of Asia completed a satisfying afternoon’s work for Marcus.

To the uninitiated, riding racehorses looks like a fairly innocuous profession but in many cases, it is more dangerous than say F1 motor racing or Moto GP. Although those drivers and riders crash at high speed, F1 cars are so well designed that it takes a major crash for the drivers to be injured. Moto GP sees riders hitting the tarmac and the dirt regularly, mostly without serious consequence as their body armour is super strong.

A jockey has no more than a helmet and a body protector, both mainly to shield them from flying hooves in case of a fall.

Falls are thankfully few and far between, but some like Tristan Godden’s parting company with his mount in the second yesterday, look spectacular. His mount clipped the heels of the horse in front of him, catapulting Godden head-over-heels onto the turf, fortunately landing on his back and not on his head.

Other falls, like the one that ended the career of former champion jockey Anthony Delpech, appeared fairly innocuous. But Delpech landed on his feet and the force of his landing caused career-ending spinal damage.

Thankfully Godden escaped with a bruised arm and limped off the course with a sore knee.

David Thiselton

THE ASHLEY FORTUNE-TRAINED and Pippa Mickelburgh-bred Futura colt Avenir was the horse to take out of yesterday’s meeting at Hollywoodbets Greyville as he was backed into favourite for the Maiden Plate race over 1400m on turf and got up despite enduring a rough passage.

In the end it was the class and experience of Anton Marcus, helped by the physical strength and resolve of the horse, which made the difference and the former would have breathed a sigh of relief when the judge’s verdict went his way. 

Marcus expertly got him over from a draw of ten to find the rail in midfield. 

As they turned for home a gap opened down the middle and Marcus elected to go straight for it. 

However, the horse in front of him drifted outward and Avenir was practically T-boned by two horses who were holding their positions on the outside. 

Avenir was jostled a couple of times as Marcus attempted to get through the gap again and later he was bumped when trying to shift outwards to get through another gap.

The big horse finally had a clear run at the 300m mark and he started making up the leeway.

Marcus gave him a couple of smacks but it was from the 100m onward that the presence of the great jockey told.

He put the stick away when less experienced jockeys would likely have been doing the opposite. He must surely have analysed that this horse had courage in tenfolds to still be trying after such a rough passage and did not require, or deserve, any more punishment. He was able to keep the horse straight with encouragement from the hands and the horse let himself down superbly in the final stages, thus making full use of his lengthy stride. He won by the skin of his teeth from the hard-knocking Jay’s Dancer. He did not beat a quality field but to have come through that battering and still win on debut around the turn at Hollywoodbets Greyville had said a lot. 

It was the first of a fine sequence for the Fortune yard as they recorded a hat-trick at The Vaal today. 

Marcus was full of praise for Avenir’s courage after the race and humbly said he had little to do with the victory.

This horse should improve with age and as he goes further.  

Pippa Mickelburgh, stud manager of Avontuur Thoroughbred Farms, recalled, “There was a competition for the best-looking foal by Futura with the prize being a free service and I was confident he would win it. He didn’t but I said to the winner, ‘Oh well then we will beat you on the racecourse!’.”

She continued, “His dam Varsity Queen comes from an old Avontuur family which includes the like of stakes winners Schiffer, My Kazzie, Mentor, Royal IQ and Wise King. We sold her but later I bought her back as a one-time winner from trainer Bart Rice when he departed for Korea. She then produced a succession of magnificent looking foals and this is proven by the first of them called Graduate by Oratorio selling for R3,2 million.”

Graduate was later part of a dispersal and MIckelburgh continued, “I will always remember trainer Dennis Bosch saying he thought he was a July horse but unfortunately he went wrong (after four wins). Her second foal also by Oratorio was the Paul Peter-trained filly Operetta who has won seven times.”

Avenir was bought by Rathmor Stud on behalf of prolific owner Mario Ferreira for R500,000 at the Cape Thoroughbred Sales Premier Yearling Sale and if he remains sound this could prove to be a bargain.

At this year’s CTS Premier Yearling Sale Adam Marcus bough Varsity Queen’s Silvano colt for R625,000.

There is also a Gimmethegreenlight foal on the ground and she is currently in foal to Querari.