Three's Company. Dom Zaki saddled the first three in the Pick Xix opener.
Vaal based trainer Dominic Zaki celebrated a career milestone when saddling the first three horses past the post in the Pick Six opener at The Vaal on 4 August. Just a minor problem though. The lesser fancied horse won and his colleague Stuart Pettigrew suffered the same somewhat pleasurable inconvenience in the very next race.
Zaki saddled the trifecta in the Novice Plate over 1200m but he would have expected the favourite Star Rating to have finished closer than third behind Paela and the Johannesburg gelding Oh Driscoll. Weichong Marwing looked to have poached a winning lead when cruising through the 400m marker some five lengths clear but the very fast National Emblem gelding fell in a hole and a wide awake Greyling pounced on the game Paella. An almost embarrassed Zaki said that he may have to revisit the equipment worn by the favourite but was nevertheless thrilled to saddle the trifecta for the first time in his career. He said that he had not had a bet – which had interviewer Dave Mollett puzzled.
Stuart Pettigrew saddled both Salutation and Or Els in the day’s topliner and jackpot opener, an MR 92 Handicap for fillies and mares over 2400m. Salutation was the stable elect and favourite to win this contest but could only run a weak third behind her stablemate and the rejuvenated Floating Feather. Randall Simons partnered the winner and while Pettigrew was happy to go home with a winner’s cheque, he was quite vocal in his criticism of jockey Marco Van Rensburg’s ‘poor ride’ on Salutation. Pettigrew said he failed to understand how a jockey riding a horse carrying 62kgs could let her run in the open without cover. He was obviously very angry and it is refreshing to see honesty and transparency in the winner’s enclosure from somebody else other than the eloquent Ian Jayes!
Double delight. Hennie Greyling rode two winners today.
Young apprentice Hennie Greyling rode only 19 winners last season and he shared riding honours on the day with Muzi Yeni. Greyling’s biggest career win to date was the 2010 Gr3 King’s Cup on the Glen Kotzen-trained Thunder Creek, and while this Vaal midweek meeting is a far cry from those dizzy heights, he would have welcomed his double with open arms. He won the opener on the Leon Erasmus-trained Perfect Miss. She is by Mellifont and is a sweet little pony. Her breeder, a certain J Marais, deserves an Equus award for patience. Erasmus explained that it was only his second winner in ten years of support of the stable. That is a record in anybody’s book. Greyling then rode the Zaki winner Paella, in the third race. He rode a patient race – unlike his senior Weichong Marwing who was in a costly hurry on the favourite, Star Rating.
Clinton Binda is a master in converting battlers into earners and he saddled the exacta in the MR 72 Handicap over 2000m. The tight finish was fought out by the ex Paul Matchett horse Super Break and the former Glen Kotzen gelding Marching Band, with the former staying on well. Both horses are, with all respect, no stars, and it is remarkable how Binda turns them around. Royal Rez ran third and astute punters will have followed him – his merit rating is 64 these days after a career peak of 101!
In form. Muzi Yeni rode a great double.
Muzi Yeni has made a great return to race-riding after his injury and he rode a smart double on the day. His two winning rides were two contrasting examples of race-riding at its best. The first leg of the double was in the MR 86 Handicap for fillies and mares over 1700m. The Geoff Woodruff-trained Queen Mira went off favourite and the daughter of Danehill Dancer looked the class act in a field of nine ladies. Her replacement rider Weichong Marwing gave her every chance and she looked to be travelling with a double handful throughout the race. But Yeni rode a perfectly judged race up front on the Greg Anthony-trained Aussie bred Dream Street, who won by many lengths after dictating the pace. Interestingly the only three Australian bred fillies in the race filled the top three places . Yeni’s next winner had all the signs of a rider brimming with confidence. He squeezed the Sean Tarry-trained Tigress through a narrow gap to get up and pip Gavin Lerena on Royal Wings. The two looked to have touched slightly but there was no sign or news of a race review. It was a great ride and after Shaheen Shaw had told us that Yeni’s agent was bemoaning his jockey’s relative lack of support in Gauteng, the double could not have come at a sweeter moment.
