Winning Team: Yogas Govender and Aldo Domeyer
A minor flaw in the system coupled with a misjudged call by a top jockey, rather than any sinister manipulation, was at the root of a routine jockey change at Kenilworth on Saturday. Punters were scratching their heads in puzzlement. As it turns out, even top jockeys get it wrong sometimes.
It is a known fact that punters make selection decisions influenced by jockey engagements. When jockeys switch rides, after acceptance, that attracts attention. And we know how quickly conspiracy theories flourish out of nothing in this game. In this case the rider change was made after the cut off time and took some time to filter through the information systems.
The jockey switch that raised some eyebrows concerned the Yogas Govender coupling in the fourth race and Pick Six opener, where first choice Plattner jockey Aldo Domeyer jumped off Jet Intombi to ride My Precious. Robert Khathi, who was engaged to ride My Precious, then took the ride on Jet Intombi.
Nothing wrong with that. A straight swap, as it were. But it is possibly not quite that simple. Let’s look at the sequence of events. On Monday 5 August trainer Govender accepted with Jet Intombi (Domeyer) and My Precious (Khathi). Draws are published after acceptance and Jet Intombi pulled an awful 17, while My Precious was allocated 9.
On Tuesday 6 August Domeyer rides work on both horses and suggests to Govender that he should ride My Precious in the race rather. Govender rates Jet Intombi far higher and tells Domeyer to stick with the Jet Master filly. On Friday 9 August Domeyer works both horses again and My Precious impresses him. He is even more adamant that he wants to switch rides and discusses the switch again with his trainer.
Govender urges him to reconsider and says that wherever Jet Intombi finishes, My Precious will be behind. Domeyer argued that Jet Intombi had pulled an awful draw of 17. To top it all, she is a hot filly. He felt that she would have an uphill battle from that position and that her late dash style would not be suited by the short Kenilworth home straight.
He knew them both well enough. He had also ridden both fillies in a combined five races and in work twice in the build up week. My Precious had put in the better work. All told, according to Govender, Domeyer felt that Jet Intombi would likely start favourite, further influenced by her two excellent previous runs and the fact that the stable jockey was riding her.
But he believed that she could not win from the 17 draw. On the day of the race, Domeyer phoned Govender yet again to urge him to institute the change. Due to cellphone reception problems at Rondeberg, Domeyer cannot get through but eventually gets a message to Govender. Govender, still adamant that Domeyer is on the right horse, eventually relents as he feels that he can’t have a jockey with the wrong state of mind on the favourite. He phones the National Racing Bureau.
The change is accepted by the clerk on duty as it is a jockey for a jockey. The official Stipes Report records it:
a)Jockey A Domeyer replaced Jockey R Khathi on MY PRECIOUS. (09h19 on 10.08.2013). This change was made in due time with Stewards permission and with the mutual consent of all the connections
b) Jockey R Khathi replaced Jockey A Domeyer on JET INTOMBI. (09h19 on 10.08.2013). This change was made in due time with Stewards permission and with the mutual consent of all the connections.
The rules suggest that this change was actually made late, as 9 am is the cut off time on race days. The relevant rule states: 55.2 In the event that the RIDER of a HORSE engaged and declared to ride in terms of RULE 55.1 is unable to ride such HORSE, a change of RIDER may be made prior to 09:00 on the day of the RACE by the OWNER or TRAINER of the HORSE who shall advise such change to the ROR or the SB. Thereafter a change of RIDER may be authorised by the chairman of the SB in accordance with the guidelines which appear in the Appendices to the RULES.
The change was disseminated by the National Racing Bureau, but was picked up as having been made after cut off time by the Cape Stipes. The matter was allowed to rest as is, as unravelling or changing it may have caused further confusion. Information filtered through to punters eventually, and naturally raised some questions.
In a telephonic interview, trainer Yogas Govender was adamant that there was nothing sinister in the change, and it had transpired as a result of a judgement call by jockey Domeyer:
“My Precious is a small filly, half the size of Jet Intombi. She battles in the soft going, although is a very good sand worker. I actually think very highly of Jet Intombi. She is a filly who has a stamp of class and is crying out for more ground. She is quite hot but Malan Du Toit has been working with her and she is settling down. I eventually relented to Aldo (Domeyer’s) request as I did not want a jockey who had a negative attitude and thoughts that he could not win,in the saddle,” he said.
Govender is now in his fourth season at the helm of the Plattner operation and has achieved great success in a short time. He has trained close on 250 winners and has consistently achieved one of the highest win and place strike rates of close on 50 percent. He was at pains to stress again that there was absolutely nothing sinister in the jockey switch.
“As Aldo said afterwards, even top jockeys get it wrong sometimes. My job is to train as many winners as possible. I always do what I believe is the very best to optimise my chances of winning. If Aldo was not in a positive state of mind about his mount, I gave Robert the chance. And he took it with both hands. Good luck to him!”
The irony is that Jet Intombi’s gate also opened prematurely and a false start was called. A further delay resulted with the starting stall batteries having to be charged. Despite all the odds stacked against her, Jet Intombi vindicated her trainer’s confidence and came home a ready winner as 22 to 10 favourite.
Aldo Domeyer had to be content with an eighth place finish on the 28 to 10 second favourite My Precious. As for the system, the authorities may want to revisit the process. The National Horseracing Authority police and enforce the rules. A National Racing Bureau clerk accepted and disseminated the change and in so doing inadvertently forced the Stipes’ hand to bend the rules.
Ed Note: Another stable jockey switch was made on the day. In the eighth race Justin Snaith switched Sean Cormack and Stuart Randolph around. Randolph was placed on Dumani and Cormack rode the eventual winner Rain Gal. The change was made on Thursday morning.
