Veteran Gr1 winning trainer Vaughan Marshall has confirmed that Grant van Niekerk will definitely ride his outstanding dual Gr1 winner Linebacker in the R5 million Gr1 Hollywoodbets Durban July.
Van Niekerk has enjoyed a terrific season and was aboard when Linebacker ran a cracking second behind Al Muthana in Saturday’s Gr1 Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge.
He is far and away the most succesful jockey to partner the son of Captain Of All.
The official Gallop racing website shows Van Niekerk riding Warrior.
Linebacker wins the Cape Derby – he must be a serious contender for top honours on 2 July (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
“Grant van Niekerk is definitely booked for Linebacker,” Vaughan Marshall told the Sporting Post on Wednesday morning after we enquired as to why he was listed on Warrior.
Tuesday marked the final supplementary stage for the R5 million Gr1 Hollywoodbets Durban July.
A number of jockeys were declared and the most interesting among them was Australian-based South African Callan Murray on the Mike de Kock-trained Hollywoodbets Gold Challebge winner Al Muthana and Aldo Domeyer landing the plum ride on twice July winner Do It Again.
Callan Murray (photo: hamishNIVENPhotography)
David Thiselton writes on www.goldcircle.co.za that Murray has enjoyed nine Gr1 wins in his career, including a treble on one day and two of that treble were for De Kock. He has had other Grade 1 wins for De Kock.
Do It Again has been the best performed horse in the July at the weights for four successive years and on past best performances is almost certainly the best weighted horse in this year’s race.
Domeyer has never ridden the seven-year-old Twice Over gelding in a race before.
Other jockey declarations were Richard Fourie on Pomp And Power, Craig Zackey on Hoedspruit, Piere Strydom on Belgarion, ,Muzi Yeni on Safe Passage, Warren Kennedy on Aragosta, Gareth Wright on Airways Law and Kabelo Matsunyane on Bingwa.
Interestingly, Smanga Khumalo has been declared to ride both Jet Dark and Sparkling Water.
