With two months remaining in the Nelson Mandela Bay horse racing season, the jockeys have joined the trainers in a brutal title fight.
Racing fans are used to trainers Gavin Smith and Alan Greeff battling it out for the East Cape trainers’ title, year after year.
The race for the jockey title is usually not a close affair. It is again the case this year, with Cape Town-based Richard Fourie dominating.
It is the race for the locally-based jockeys’ title where things are getting interesting, really interesting.
This past Friday’s meeting was testimony to the hard work local jockeys put in, early in the mornings at the Fairview training centre in Greenbushes.
Of the nine races on the day, four were won by the local jockeys. Charles Ndlovu, Kendall Minnie, Yuzae Ramzan and apprentice, Donald Geerthsen, each won a race.
After Ndlovu won race five with Juan Carlos, he commented that there are two months of the season left and he is going to give it a full go to try to win the title.
Minnie is the current leader, and must have heard what Ndlovu’s intentions are. He produced an excellent ride in the very next race to win with Gideon’s Daughter.
He now has 13 wins for the season behind his name, with Ndlovu four behind. Ramzan didn’t want to be left behind and won the last race on Friday. This was his eighth winner and keeps him in the running.
In recent years the visiting big name jockeys dominated proceedings at the Fairview meetings, with the locals barely getting a look in.
This led to a local jockey award being added to the annual Racehorse Owners Association Awards, in a step to recognise the achievements of the local jockeys.
They are the ones who work the horses at various stables at Fairview and get them ready for the visiting stars to deliver the goods on race days.
The local jockeys are always looking for opportunities to show what they can do with good horses, and are grateful when those chances do arrive.
While the locals are still fighting it out in the remaining 12 meetings, Fourie has already made sure he will retain the (overall) East Cape title.
The big question is whether he will better the season record of 116 wins, set by Greg Cheyne in 2019.
Don’t forget the trainers’ title race. Greeff (120) is seven ahead of Smith, the defending champion.
June race days – free entry for spectators
- 7: Poly – Pinnacle Stakes
- 14: Poly
- 21: Turf
- 24: Poly
- 28: Turf – EC Breeders Stakes
