Multiple former SA champion jockey Anton Marcus was in fine form at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Sunday where his seven rides produced five winners and two seconds.
The Ridgemont Racing-sponsored Marcus, who only two months ago returned from a break following surgery, has been in a rich vein of form and has now ridden 43 winners at a strike rate of close on 33% this season.
Anton Marcus rounds off a top day at the office as Master Vision wins the final race at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Sunday (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
The veteran boasts over a century of Gr1 winners and has a realistic chance of achieving the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate – Sun Met double in 2020 through his association with Mike de Kock thunderbolt, Hawwaam.
On Sunday, Marcus booted home Canadian Bolt (Robbie Hill), Extravargant (Tony Rivalland), Carbon Fibre (Gareth van Zyl), Silver Prancer (Dennis Drier), who set a new course record, and Master Vision (Nathan Kotzen).
He went second on his remaining two rides on Basetsana and Baby Shooz – the latter ducking out late when leading and then coming right back to be beaten just a neck by Caesura.
The Stipes reported that Marcus appeared before the Board and was questioned regarding his ride on Baby Shooz in the concluding stages. In this regard, he explained that, at approximately the 250m, he had dropped his right side rein and had struggled to re-gather it until the 150m. When questioned regarding why he had elected to use his crop in his right hand, despite his mount hanging out between the 200m and 150m, he explained that, once he had finally gathered his reins satisfactorily, he elected to go with Baby Shooz’s momentum, despite it hanging out. The Board noted the explanation, which was also corroborated by the patrol films of the race.
Marcus has rocketed to the top of the jockey table of the R750 000 Hollywoodbets KZN Sizzling Summer Challenge.
