It was erroneously reported in the Racegoer last week that the great jockey’s 5000th career winner had occurred when Act Of War won the Cape Guineas on December and that he was now 26 away from 5000 in SA but of course he didn’t ride Act Of War in that race and 5000 career winners was actually achieved on November 22 in the Selangor Cup.

Piere Strydom
Strydom had said at the time of the much publicised and celebrated 5000 career milestone that he had been hoping to reach it at a meeting on the Highveld, where he has been based since the late 1980s.
What better compensation for his legion of Highveld fans could there be than for him to achieve the 5000 winners in South Africa milestone at the Champions Day meeting at Turffontein on Saturday, which is undoubtedly Johannesburg’s biggest racemeeting these days as it features five Gr 1 events and four Gr 2s.
Strydom has five rides tomorrow and all of them have chances. The Listed Highveld Sand Challenge over 1600m is one of two feature races on tomorrow’s card and Strydom is aboard a live wire in Tap Tap Makhatini. He is out at the weights with the top two and has a tough task on form with Tommy Gun, but this horse has never quite fulfilled his promise and showed signs that he could still do so when winning the Listed Riverside Handicap over 1450m last time out, although he did have a much better draw of 2 than his 9 draw tomorrow.
Tommy Gun has the race to himself on paper and should be too good here despite a wide draw, as this is the consistent sort’s likely best course and distance these days.
The three-year-old All The Bids is joint topweight and has the same merit rating as Tommy Gun. An indication of how highly he is thought of is that he has been entered in the Vodacom Durban July. He has a wide draw but is effective over this trip and stays further, so will be staying on strongly and is a big danger.
In the Listed Queen Of The Sand over 1600m, Strydom has a chance on Julie Doolittle, who should enjoy the step up on trip. On paper she has a tough task with the best weighted horse Royal Trip, but on the form of their last meeting she could possibly beat her as she is 3kg better off for a 2,5 length beating. However, Royal Trip is an improving three-year-old drawn three, while Julie Doolittle is drawn 14. On the other hand Julie Doolittle has far more experience of the Vaal sand than Royal Trip’s jockey MJ Byleveld.
The well-bred Bang Sue loves the Vaal sand and is another one with a fine chance here.
In race 3, a Pinnacle Stakes event over 1200m, Strydom’s mount Across The Ice is joint best in at the weights and well drawn in barrier 2 over his favourite course and distance. This evergreen eight-year-old has six wins, four seconds and a third in 13 starts over this course and distance and his recent 0,75 length second over 1000m on the sand to one of the highest rated sprinters in the country, Trip Tease, proved that he has not lost his zest for the game. His style, in which he shows early pace and then says on resolutely means he will be hard to beat from this low draw, especially with a rider who knows him so well aboard. However, on the downside this will be his second run after a rest and he will have his work cut out if one or two others find their best form.

Across The Ice (Nkosi Hlophe)
The Pinnacle Stakes races usually favour female runners these days and the Lucky Houdalakis-trained Listed Sandy Beach Stakes winner over course and distance, Sarasota, is duly the joint-best weighted horse. This will be the first time she has raced over course and distance since her win in the Sandy Beach last August and interestingly Strydom rode her in that race. Across The Ice ran in a different race over course and distance on the same day and his time, carrying 4kg more than Sarasota, was slightly slower than hers, although he was reported to have made a breathing noise.
However, although Across The Ice now carries 7kg more than Sarasota, his last run suggests that he has benefitted from the rest and he is still the one to side with. Anger beat Across The Ice by 6,3 lengths in that meeting last August, but he was receiving 7,5kg. He is an in and out sort and it’s difficult to predict how he will do, so he is one to watch carefully in the preliminaries.
On pedigree Strydom’s mount in the 5th race over 1000m Manx Park doesn’t really appeal as a sort who will enjoy the Vaal sand, but on running style he does as he has plenty of early speed. However, on the downside he is drawn on the wrong side, in barrier two, according to trends.
The in form Mogok’s Desire looks the one to beat on form and has landed a fair draw of seven. Others to consider are Lonelyarethebrave, Captain Sam, who is having his third run on the Highveld, Eusebius and Salute The Sun. Strydom’s mount in the last race over 1200m, Blackberry Wine, will be suited to the sand on pedigree and is well drawn, so is tipped to beat Lady Casey and Usisi.