The South Africans won the Racing. It’s A Rush! International Jockeys’ Challenge for the sixth time in eight years, scoring 453 points to the Internationals’ 368.

The locals have lost the Challenge only twice since the test was introduced by Phumelela and the Racing Association in 2008 – in 2011 and 2012.

South African jockey Anthony Delpech swooped in the last Challenge race, winning on 5-1 shot Paris Princess, to claim the Victor Ludorum for the most successful jockey across the eight races with 92 points to Aurelien Lemaitre’s 89. The Frenchman, the most successful jockey at Leg 1 of the Challenge at Fairview on Friday, had led until the final race, in which he finished fourth.

Delpech had Pine Princess just off the early lead until shortly after they straightened. She led 300m out and stayed on well to beat her stable companion Matsuri, ridden by Panamanian Eduardo Pedroza, by 1.50 lengths. Scot Robert Havlin was a head further back in third on Elusive Prophecy with Lematre’s mount Alessia fourth.

That was the South Africans’ third win of the afternoon. Although the teams won two races apiece at Fairview on Friday, the local riders earned the 30 points allotted for a win in three of the Challenge races at Turffontein on Saturday.

The sole International win came courtesy of Hayley Turner in the second-last ride of her career. She teamed up with Dream Galaxy (14-1) in Race 8 and rode a vigorous race to get her mount’s head down in a three-way tussle with Greg Cheyne aboard Cassie O’Malley. Delpech finished third, 0.50 lengths further back, on 6-1 chance Withbatedbreath with Anton Marcus and Zrinski another long head behind in fourth to give South Africa the bulk of the points.

The first Challenge race went the way of Piere Strydom aboard Geoff Woodruff’s charge Close Relative, who beat Tripadvisor (Irishman) Pat Cosgrave by 3.20 lengths with Scandal (Pedroza) and Ride Of Honour (Delpech) fourth.

SA captain Gavin Lerena booted Mootahadee to victory over Majestic Bay (Delpech) in the second Challenge race of the afternoon.

Jockey S’manga Khumalo was injured in the parade ring before Race 1 when his mount, Greatfiveeight, reared turning on to the track for the canter down. Khumalo went flying and, although reported as stable, was stood down for the meeting. Muzi Yeni took his place in the International Jockeys’ Challenge.

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Black Arthur, for some time considered an Investec Derby contender, could start his classic hunt next month after making it two out of three when ridden by Keagan de Melo in the Itsarush.co.za Handicap at Kenilworth on Saturday.

Justin Snaith said: “He will now have a nomination for the Grand Parade Cape Guineas and with a good draw he could be a serious contender.”

So could runner-up Mambo Mime who was conceding 5kg and was only beaten half a length but Dean Kannemeyer, who has won five of the last 11 Cape Guineas, sounded a little hesitant.

He said: “I’m not sure about the classics although when Anthony Delpech won on Mambo Mime last time he said ‘This horse is better than you think.’ Personally I thought the handicapper was very hard on him with a rating of 95 but he was right.”

Jo’s Bond, who made all under Shadlee Fortune to spring an 18-1 surprise in the 1 000m conditions plate, will run in the Southern Cross Stakes on December 5 before having a crack at the CTS Million Dollar (Jan 23).

Snaith, who initiated a treble with the Fayd-Herbe ridden Dixie Express in the Plumblink Handicap, said: “Her work in the week was super impressive and I thought she was my best bet on the card.”

Mike Bass went racing for the first time since his near-fatal illness struck three months ago and, considering all he has been through, he seemed in remarkably good shape.

He said: “I go to the track in the mornings and, although it’s a bit of a mission to get here, I will keep coming racing.”

Bass had the satisfaction of seeing Cavallino scoring under Robert Khathi while Tevez, despite starting almost unbacked at 20-1 and returning with a bleeding mouth (presumably from hitting the pens), came within less than half a length of winning the Cape Merchants for the third successive year.

Exelero, backed from 7-1 to 4-1 joint favourite, could manage only 12^th. MJ Byleveld came in convinced something was wrong and the vet found the gelding to be striding short.

But for Dennis Drier the race proved a triumph of planning as well as a belated first Cape winner of the season. His previous 18 runners all lost with many seeming as if they needed the run.

Drier, who last won the Merchants with Consent To Conquer in 2002, said: “I was a little worried by that but I was a bit more confident after the horse’s last gallop at Kenilworth ten days ago. When he got beaten on July day I’d said to Braam van Huyssteen that he could be our Merchants winner so this race was the mission.”

Sean Veale, riding his first Kenilworth winner for seven seasons, added: “I thought I had the measure of Tevez in the last 200m but he stuck to me like glue.”

Brandon Morgenrood, having sprung a 66-1 shock on the Paul Reeves-trained Rising Sunset in the Comwezi Security Maiden, was unlucky on favourite Silicone Valley in the Chattels Handicap. He was repeatedly denied an opening and was beaten a length and a half by 25-1 shot Albarakah. Corne Orffer, who rode the Glen Kotzen winner, also struck in the last on Speedy Chestnut for boss Brett Crawford.

By Michael Clower

Picture (Liesl King): Triptique (Sean Veale) winning the Cape Merchants at Kenilworth on Saturday 

S’Manga Khumalo earlier today pronounced himself no worse than bruised after Saturday’s nasty fall at Turffontein.

The former champion was dislodged from the Sean Tarry-trained newcomer Greatfiveeight on the way to the start of the opening Racing.It’s A Rush Maiden. Concern was high as he lay motionless for a lengthy period before being stretchered off and taken to hospital.

He said on Sunday morning: “I don’t recall too much of what happened but it’s just bruising of the muscles and I should be OK by Thursday.”
By Michael Clower

Diminutive apprentice Callan Murray (pictured) has been making a name for himself since his move to the Highveld and he had a red letter day at Turffontein yesterday scoring on all three of his rides including the biggest win of his career, the Gr2 Victory Moon Stakes.

He sent 11-2 shot Deo Juvente for home shortly after hitting the home stretch and he piloted Geoff Woodruff’s runner to a comfortable victory to book the gelding’s place in the Sansui Summer Cup. Easy Lover made a belated effort to peg back the winner but was never going to get there. However, he finished ahead of emergency acceptor Platinum Jet and long-time leader Ahlaam who ran a cracking race from a deep draw.

Murray had earlier warmed-up winning the first two races on the card and he gave Deo Juvente the perfect ride. Mid-field from a wide draw he had the gelded son of Trippi poised to strike at the top of the straight.

With plenty of horse under him he went for home early and once in front was never in danger of defeat. The balance of the field were labouring a long way out and just how the form for the Summer Cup stacks up will be interesting.

Old salts will tell you that you judge a jockey’s talent by the races he shouldn’t have won but did. Apprentice Craig Zackey, along with Murray, comes out of his time at the end of January but he has already established himself as a rider with a cool head and heaps of talent. Yesterday he took a calculated gamble on the speedy Little Genie in the Gardenia Stakes (Listed) and won a race that had ‘cheek’ written all over it.

Although coming off a break, Carry On Alice looked to have more in her favour than against and in the final analysis it was Zackey’s enterprise that carried the day as only a head separated the two at the line.

Zackey took the field on from the break and was clear in a matter of strides. Over two furlongs out his mount was seemingly under pressure but the young apprentice kept her nose down and drove for the wire.

Anthony Delpech, replacement for S’Manga Khumalo who was injured in the preliminaries before the first race and replaced by Muzi Yeni in the International Challenge, looked to have timed his challenge on Carry On Alice to perfection as his filly pulled up along sides his rival but Little Genie fought resolutely and Carry On Alice never looked like getting past.

Since Dominic Zaki fitted the daughter of Judpot with blinkers and teamed her up with Zackey she is unbeaten in five starts although yesterday’s triumph could come at a price. She was rated 15 pounds inferior to Carry On Alice and is likely to be shunted up the handicap.

Dennis Drier broke his Cape drought when bottom weight Triptique defied the handicapper with a game win in the Cape Merchants to deny a game Tevez his third straight win in the Gr2 race.

Under sufferance in the handicap, first call lightweight rider for the Drier stable, Sean Veale, produced the gelding out of a packed field with a telling run to deny a charging Tevez the hat-trick.

Haley Turner, the UK’s most successful female jockey ever, rounded off her career with a final victory in the Racing. It’s A Rush Jockey’s International Challenge at Turffontein when getting up in the tightest of finishes to deny Grey Cheyne and Cassie O’Malley on the line in the second last race of the challenge. Turner announced her retirement from the saddle earlier this month and this was her last victory as a professional jockey.

Her win was in vain as the local riders had the luck of the draw as far as mounts went and ran out easy winners of the Challenge.
By Andrew Harrison

The Racing. It’s A Rush – International Jockeys’ Challenge (IJC) adds a bit of spice to this weekend’s racing menu with the country’s best jockeys, captained by Gavin Lerena, taking on an international team headed by England’s Hayley Turner.

The IJC is contested over two racemeetings with the first leg consisting of four races run at Fairview today (R5-8) and the second at Turffontein tomorrow (R4, R5, R8, R9). Sandwiched in between tomorrow’s four races is the all-important Sansui Summer Cup pointer, the Gr2 Victory Moon Stakes.

Last year’s winner, Judicial, went on to finish third in the Summer Cup and is back to defend his crown. Trainer Tyronne Zackey appears to be using a similar routine this season running the improving five-year-old fresh. Judicial has his work cut out with top weight and a wide draw but it’s worth noting that his last run, a Pinnacle Stakes win over course and distance back in July, was assessed by handicappers as a career best.

Disco Al is six now but trainer Joey Ramsden’s decision to take him up north could see further improvement yet from the son of Captain Al who has a habit of leaving it late. The Turffontein standside track should be ideal and Disco Al was finishing best of all in his prep run behind St Tropez last time out.

Another to impress behind St Tropez last time out (1800m Pinnacle on the Turffontein inside track) was the lightly raced Deo Juvente. The Geoff Woodruff yard have been patient with this four-year-old Trippi gelding and he comes into this race with a similar profile to that of Judicial entering last year’s race.

Ahlaam finished ahead of both Deo Juvente and Disco Al last time out but, despite being well in on official ratings here, the four-year-old filly is worse off at the weights with those two this time around. The daughter of Asiatic Boy is, however, still on the up and could be a danger if allowed to dictate.

It’s a competitive race and a good case can be made for many of the remaining carded runners. But the most intriguing of these could be the recently gelded Prince Of Orange. The four-year-old disappointed in features last season but caught the eye in his first start as a gelding last month, a close up second to the progressive Toro Rosso over a too short 1450m.

A chance is taken on Prince Of Orange who is probably aimed at bigger races to come but is most likely better than his current rating (94) with healthy respect for Disco Al and Deo Juvente.

By Brendan Pather

Picture: Gavin Lerena