Double Century Delpech. The top jock hit the magical 200 mark.
Jockey Anthony Delpech took a step closer to his third SA Champion Jockey title when he chalked up his double century of winners at the Greyville night meeting on 12 July. The 200th was the first leg of a happy hat-trick . By our calculations, this puts him four winners ahead of Anton Marcus, who had a very quiet day with only three rides between the Vaal and Greyville. So the fight for glory looks particularly evenly poised as we enter the final nineteen days of the season.
We have been unable to determine just why Anton Marcus took his foot off the accelerator today by taking so few rides and all our enquiries in this regard hit a brick-wall. His relaxed attitude has allowed the Seychelles-born rider to grab a soft cushion as we head towards the interesting and exciting showdown in the Eastern Cape on Friday. Neither of them travel to Kenilworth on Wednesday and they go into Thursday’s Scottsville meeting with Delpech holding the upper hand with eight rides against Marcus’ six.
The Avontuur-sponsored Delpech started the Greyville evening off on a high by reaching a notable milestone of 200 winners in his 2010/11 season campaign when he punched the Mike De Kock trained Silver Flyer out to shed his maiden against winners in smart style in the opening event. The talented jockey was extremely lavish in his estimation of the son of Silvano, who he said would go on to win his races. He was however less kind to a ‘certain website’ who he said had apparently ‘had a full go at me’ after his frustrating day on Sunday. He tendered the view that ‘these type of people were bad for racing.’ We wonder who the errant journos are but the performances of professionals will always be open to public and media scruitiny and labelling those that express an opinion as ‘bad’, is probably unfair. But that is his opinion and he is entitled to it.
Delpech then showed the flair of a jockey brimful of confidence by riding a confident race on Shield The Sheik, who was always up in the vanguard before drawing away late to win the sixth race with ease. This Desmond Egdes gelding was tipped as a good thing by the Sporting Post after his forward effort against The Mouseketeer in the KZN Breeders, and he slammed a fair field in the MR 78 Handicap over 1600m.
Very Impressive! Miss Ipanema and Stuart Randolph win the second.
The quiet and unassuming Stuart Randolph also rode a nice double on the evening and his first winner was by far and away the most impressive on the card. The Dennis Drier trained Miss Ipanema, an Australian bred daughter of General Nediym, was the second maiden winner in open company, in the second race in very impressive style. She was so far ahead of the pack that she was geared down short of the winning post. Randolph was on the mark again in the fifth race, an MR 70 Handicap for fillies and mares, where he steered the Mark Dixon daughter of Modern Day, In Broad Daylight, to a very easy win after slicing through late down the inside.
Trainer Paul Lafferty produced the bomb of the evening in the shape of the talented but inconsistent Kings Call, in the MR 92 Handicap over a mile. The son of King Of Kings got up in a three cornered finish to win the penultimate race on the card, thanks to a vintage Richard Fourie power-ride. It was so close that the deadly eye of commentator Craig Peters was hesitant as High Accolade had sneaked through quietly on the rail, while Silent Partner was flying up the wide outside. The photo showed that the ham on the sandwich had gotten up by a whisker. The colt, who runs in the silks of internationally renowned SA born race-caller Trevor Denman, was registering a third win from twelve starts.
The start of a great evening! Silver Flyer is winner number 200 for Delpech.
The high-riding Anthony Delpech closed the card when booting home the ill-fated Rabiya’s half –sister, Meezah, for Mike De Kock. He rode a confident race on the Goldkeeper filly , who swept past her field wide out, to win very easily. She looks to have improved in her rest time since winning her maiden in March, and could now be fulfilling her early promise. Delpech’s white-gloved fist punched the air in delight as they sailed past the post, and the memories of Scottsville on Sunday were now a distant dot on the horizon as he gears up for a pressure-filled few weeks ahead.
