Master. Fareed Anthony rode a great race to win on Terry Lister this afternoon.
Veteran Cape jockey Fareed Anthony clinched our Ride-Of-The Month award in front of his alma mater with a performance that bordered on pure genius at Kenilworth this afternoon, while three of the jackpot legs were won by deceased champion stallion Jet Master.
A gem of a ride to win the seventh race aboard the longshot Terry Lister illustrated the unassuming Anthony’s cucumber cool attitude and thirty plus years of raceriding experience. Terry Lister was also notably the third Jet Master winner in the Cape jackpot!
Anthony was South African Champion Apprentice in 1982/83 and was the first man of colour to graduate at one of the world’s leading jockey training institutions. His ride today would hopefully have captured the attention of the many greenhorn apprentices gathered for the SA Jockey Academy raceday at Kenilworth.
Piet Steyn’s five year old gelding Terry Lister does not rank by any stretch of the imagination amongst the best Jet Master progeny produced in this country. His three wins prior to today were achieved in thirty-three hard slogging runs. Fareed Anthony was aboard him when he won his maiden way back in August 2010, and he knows the horse well.
Astute punters may also have detected a hint to a return to some measure of form recently . Terry Lister’s past three fast-finishing efforts in his last few runs, with the likes of lesser experienced pilots in Grant Van Niekerk and Morne Winnaar being unable to convert the effort into serious cheques, were a sign of things to come.
Today he turned for home close to last in the field of fifteen in the MR78 Handicap. Anthony switched him to the inside and he slowly made up ground. It looked a hopeless case at the 200m marker as he was all dressed up with nowhere to go. Not panicking, Anthony continued to hang in until the gap materialised and he punched him through to catch and beat the tough Khyber Crossing with pacemaker Locked On Target sticking around for third place.
What a ride! No whip, no stress. Just a great result for owners Danie De Wet, Chris Sandes and Jim Thomson. Litchfield Stud bred the winner out of the Northern Guest mare Grace O’Malley.
As for the SA Jockey Academy raceday, one can only wonder again why almost every formal structure of the sport of kings markets itself so badly. While there is undoubtedly excellent work being done to produce great jockeys, why is maximum mileage not gleaned from the feelgood projects on days such as these?
So Easy! Trippi's Abercrombie coasts home to win the second race today.
We form part of the South African horseracing media, but why were we not informed about or requested to join in the spirit or promote the occasion? If we assume the focus was on fundraising and promoting awareness, then why would the media not be utilised as a partner?
Bernard Fayd’herbe was the most successful rider on the day with three good winners that included the smashing Trippi colt Abercrombie, who won the second race in the manner of a horse with a bright future. Having only his second start, the Drakenstein Stud owned and bred jumped sluggishly but found a clear path down what appeared to be the more favourable inside going to win the Maiden Juvenile Plate over 1200m with ease. He is one to be with in future.
Apprentice Jason Smitsdorff is fast making a name for himself in the Cape very quickly and he built on his good Durbanville winner in midweek, when shocking Pick Six punters in the opener, a Maiden Plate over 1000m. The bookies buddy De La Rey was outpaced early and by the time he got into stride, the Smitsdorff bird had flown. He kept Mike Stewart’s formless Qui Danzig gelding New York Minute going to win rather easily.
Smitsdorff was caught by a bird of a different kind in the Apprentice MR68 Handicap over 1200m. Denies Lee rode her first Cape winner when she kept the Justin Snaith four year old Mysterious Jet going to win the all apprentice affair. Smitsdorff arrived too late on the Mike Stewart – trained Phalaborwaexpress, and had to be content with a second place. Lee and Smitsdorff are both great value for their 4kg claims.
So Slick. Another for Jet Master as Aldo Domeyer wins the fifth race on Slick Jet.
Aldo Domeyer rode yet another Jet Master winner when he punched the obviously smart Slick Jet out to a smooth win in the MR80 Handicap over 1200m. Berkley made the pace a cracker as Domeyer had Slick Jet just off the main action. Sent on his way about 200m out, the Mike Bass trained gelding strode clear for his third win from seven starts.
Owned and bred by Lammerskraal Stud, he is a handsome beautifully bred chestnut out of the Western Winter mare Fair Maiden.
Cape trainers made their presence felt in the Grade 3 double feature held at Scottsville today. Joey Ramsden sent the smart Captain Al filly Trinity House to post in the R146 250 Gr3 Umzimkhulu Stakes run over 1400m. Anton Marcus hardly worked up a sweat in recording her fifth win from eleven starts in a modest six horse field.
Dean Kannemeyer then won the R200 000 Gr3 Byerley Turk run over the same trip with the improving Bernard Kantor and Markus Jooste owned Depardieu. The son of Dupont was left to his own devices in last place as the previously unbeaten Unannounced made the pace.
Karl Neisius who travelled all the way up from Cape Town to Pietermaritzburg, produced Depardieu down the middle to win going away.
Results
Byerley Turk S. (SAf-G3) (4/14)
Scottsville, South Africa, April 14, R200.000, 1400m, turf, good, 1.24.23 (CR 1.21.72).
DEPARDIEU (SAF), 58.5, b c 3, Dupont (GB) – Diva (SAF) by Trigger Finger. Owner M J Jooste and B Kantor; breeder Normandy Stud (SAF); trainer D Kannemeyer; jockey K Neisius (R132.609)
Unannounced (AUS), 58.5, b c 3, Snitzel (AUS) – Dialogue (AUS) by Dehere
Northern Conquest (SAF), 58.5, b c 3, Alado (GB) – Romantic (SAF) by Caesour
Margins: 1, 2¾, nk
Also ran: Territorial Waters (AUS) 54.5, Distinguished (SAF) 52.5, Storm Bringer (SAF) 56.5
Umzimkhulu S. (SAf-G3) (4/14)
Scottsville, South Africa, April 14, R146.250, 1400m, turf, good, 1.24.64 (CR 1.21.72).
TRINITY HOUSE (SAF), 58.0, b f 3, Captain Al (SAF) – National Vixen (SAF) by National Assembly (CAN). Owner Mrs I and Mr M J Jooste; breeder Klawervlei Stud (SAF); trainer J Ramsden; jockey A Marcus (R96.970)
Miss Ipanema (AUS), 54.0, b f 3, General Nediym (AUS) – Sherborne Abbey (AUS) by Zabeel (NZ)
Beloved Betty (SAF), 54.0, b f 3, Spectrum (IRE) – Arch Mistress by Arch
Margins: 1¼, sh hd, nose
Also ran: Reason To Believe (SAF) 58.0, Happy Heart (SAF) 56.0, Awesome Beauty (SAF) 54.0
