Summerveld trainer Frank Robinson described his top class Dynasty filly Olma as “spot on” on the eve of her departure for Johannesburg, where she will participate in the Gr 1 Laurie Jaffee Empress Club Stakes over her probable optimum distance of 1600m at Turffontein on Saturday.

Meanwhile, all is still well with the Mike Bass-trained three-time Gr 1-winner Inara, who has also been trained for the Empress Club out of Summerveld.

Excellent jockey Ian Sturgeon has formed a fine partnership with Olma and rides her from a plum draw of four in the prestigious weight for age event, which has attracted a small but classy field of nine.

Sturgeon never rides Olma in work due to the fine training track partnership the small filly has formed with workrider Enos Magaba.

Robinson said, “Enos knows what to do and gives excellent feedback. Her work has been very good, I am very happy. She has come on from her last win and is very well. She is getting better and better. I always knew she was going to mature. The tongue tie has also made a big difference.”

Robinson also admitted at the beginning of the season to have over-estimated her ability to stay.

 

She has consequently won her last three races in impressive style, a Conditions Plate over 1800m on the Greyville turf, the Gr 3 Flamboyant Stakes over 1600m on the Greyville turf and the Gr 3 Kings Cup against the boys on the Greyville poly.

Travelling to and from altitude has always posed a problem for South African trainers, but anecdotal evidence would say horses should be capable of raiding from the coast for races not further than a mile.

Five-time champion trainer Geoff Woodruff also once pointed out Summerveld is at an altitude of about 700 metres. He said, “It is already more than a third of the altitude of Johannesburg and from there a horse can get away with a run over any distance,””

Many Summerveld horses have proven him correct, including a horse trained by Robinson’s former guv’nor Herman Brown Senior called Singing Boy, who raided to win a Gr 1 over 2000m at Turffontein as well as a Gr 1 over 1600m, a Gr 3 over 2000m and another big race over 1800m.

Robinson has recently conformed to the trend of leaving on Friday at midnight and arriving on the morning of the race.

However, he has now decided to revert to the method used in the days of Singing Boy and is leaving tonight (Thursday) and arriving early tomorrow morning (Friday).

“This gives us a chance to feed her and walk her and she can have a bit of a break before the race. She can get a little worked up, but I noticed last time she travelled back she was fine, and it’s probably due to her being a bit older and more mature.

Foveros, Yamani and Rock Star were other examples of Brown-trained horses who won Gr 1s at Turffontein when arriving a day or two before the race.

Olma has run three times at Turffontein and every one of the races has been way below par, so hopefully the new travel strategy will reap dividends.

Robinson regards Inara as being “a tough nut to crack”, but pointed out her three worst runs were around a right handed turn and he also wondered whether having to first acclimatise to Summerveld, after travelling from Cape Town, and then having to acclimatise to Johanesburg, would take the edge off her.

However, the Bass camp would say her three below par runs around right-handed Greyville last season could likely be put down to the lung infection she was found to be carrying.

Assistant trainer Robert Fayd’Herbe said everything was currently “hundreds” with her. She is coming off a brilliant defence of her Gr 1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes crown, which was run on January 23.

The raiding pair are the two highest rated horses in the race on 111 and 107 respectively, but will face stiff competition from the like Of Trophy Wife, who was finished in the top three in three separate Gr 1s.

Olma’s credentials were given a boost yesterday (Wednesday) when her Michael Roberts-trained half-brother by Argonaut Caddy Master won on debut on the Greyville turf over 1200m.

By David Thiselton

Apprentice Lyle Hewitson will more than likely break the record for the shortest time taken for an apprentice to lose his 4kg claim. He landed a double at Greyville yesterday to take his tally to 13 in less than 80 rides at an amazing strike rate for an apprentice of 14%.

To be fair to his Jockey Academy colleagues, Hewiston was well grounded on the work rider’s circuit before joining the academy, winning the championship last year and can hardly be classed as a green apprentice.

He will however also be learning the tough ways of the weighingroom and will no doubt have taken some flak from senior rider Brandon Lerena after landing the fifth on the Kom Naidoo-trained Tuscan. Although what all the fuss was about is hard to fathom.

Hewitson tracked the pace one off the rail and made good use of his claim quickly sending his mount for a clear run up the outside fence. It got close at the wire as the grey Stolen Destiny pressed him all the way but Tuscan held on narrowly.

The objection hooter announcing second against first had patrons puzzled especially as the alleged interference occurred at the 1200m mark. A review showed things getting a little tight but hardly grounds for an objection.

Hewitson had earlier kept the Sean Tarry wrecking ball rolling in the fourth with another polished display aboard In Other Words as the filly notched her sixth win from only nine starts and her first on the turf.
“She’s not the best mover,” said assistant Deshone Steyn. “That’s why we have kept her to the poly. But she will win races on the grass. She’s above average.”

In Other Words was a hiccup in Dean Kannemeyer’s run of form with Impala Lily sent out favourite and only narrowly beaten.

An hour later the R3 million yearling purchase Tripandie had the stable back on track as he run up his third win on the bounce with a telling stretch run.

“I thought he finished his race off very well. Today was a good win. He’s gone up 4kg in the weights,’ reasoned Kannemeyer.

“He came with a price tag but he hasn’t been an easy horse to train. I will allow him to earn his stripes and he’s going the right way. We will see how he pulls up and take it from there.”

It was a day of doubles as Roy’s Fly followed up for Naidoo and prolific owner Roy Moodley in the seventh.

By Andrew Harrison

Brandon Morgenrood is to move to New Zealand and he could leave South Africa as early as next month.

Morgenrood, 38, said: “I have been offered a job with Eoin Kemp. How it works over there is that you ride work for the first two months and then you can apply for a racing licence. I don’t have an exact date for when I go but it will probably be next month.

“I wouldn’t leave if it was just me – I love Cape Town and it’s my home – but my son is now four and I don’t see a future for him in this country.”

Morgenrood returned  from injury with two rides last Saturday and at Kenilworth this Saturday he has mounts for Brett Crawford, Glen Kotzen and Riaan van Reenen.

He said: “I was out for five months with problems with my left shoulder – tears in the supraspinatis tendon and the rotatator cuff, which is what baseball players get but in my case it was wear and tear after 25 years of riding.”

By Michael Clower

South Africa’s first ever black Champion Jockey S’Manga Khumalo is running away with this year’s championship, which was very tightly contested for the first half of the season, and looks likely to regain the title he first won in the 2013/2014 season.

Meanwhile apprentice Lyle Hewitson is likely making record breaking progress towards losing his 4kg claim and clinched his first career treble in the professional ranks at Turffontein
Khumalo had ridden 173 winners this season at the time of going to press at a strike rate of 18,31% and was 22 clear of Anthony Delpech, who has a phenomenal strike rate of 23,05%.

However, Anton “Superman”Marcus has the highest strike rate in the country, his 115 winners coming at a rate of 25,33%.

 

Khumalo is being mentored by one of South Africa’s greatest and most professional ever jockeys, Felix Coetzee, and this is proving to be a telling weapon in his armoury. In the same way the greatest of golfers need advice on their swings, the best jockeys can always do with input from a knowledgeable observer, although Coetzee is likely to be taking a backseat at the moment such is the confidence with which Khumalo is riding.

Meanwhile, Hewitson has age and workriding experience on his side, but it is still interesting to compare his progress at this stage of his career to the most prolific apprentice in South African history, Gavin Lerena, who went on to be crowned South African Champion Jockey last season.

After 74 rides Hewitson has had eleven winners at a strike rate of 14,86%, while Lerena had only six winners under the belt at that stage at a strike rate of 8,11%, while this season’s leading apprentice Callan Murray had five winners after 74 rides at a strike rate of 6,7%.

Hewitson also has plenty of trainer support on his side having arrived at the Academy with a big reputation after riding 22 winners as a workrider.

Nevertheless the former Kearsney College pupil has impressed with his maturity and it would have paid to follow him on Saturday.

His three winners occurred in successive races.

The Joey Soma-trained Savage Wind bounced back to his best to just get up and win a 2600m handicap at odds of 15/2, the Soma-trained High Drama then won at odds of 7/2 and the Sean Tarry-trained Elusive Spirit then won at odds of 15/2 after a perfectly judged front-running ride from Hewitson.

Hewitson just has nine more to go to reach the 20 winner mark at which stage his claim will change to 2,5kg.

Meanwhile, Murray is fulfilling all the predictions his Riding Masters once made and is one of the most sort after jockeys in the country, despite having lost his 1,5kg claim some time ago.

He has ridden 45 winners this season at a strike rate of 7,2% and in the race for National Champion Apprentice is 14 clear of joint-second placed Matthew Thackeray and Eric Saziso Ngwane.

Last year’s champion apprentice Craig Zackey has also continued to excel since losing his claim.

He has ridden 58 winners this season at a strike rate of 7,98%, a fine feat considering the first year out of the apprentice ranks is the toughest of years for riders due to the sudden lack of a support base.

Former KZN apprentice champion jockey Donovan Dillon is also doing well down in Cape Town and is stable jockey to one of the most powerful yards in the country, Joey Ramsden. He has ridden 41 winners this season at a strike rate of 9,53%.

By David Thiselton

Apprentice Julius Maponya was injured in a fall at Ashburton yesterday morning and was stretchered off to hospital with suspected neck injuries.

Maponya, a graduate of James Maree’s riding academy and a first year apprentice at the South African Jockey’s Academy, was riding work on the grass track.

His mount clipped heels as it ducked in behind it’s working companion dislodging Maponya who fell awkwardly.

He was taken by ambulance to Medi Clinic Hospital in Pietermaritzburg in a stable condition.

By Andrew Harrison