Pocket Rocket! Grant Van Niekerk steers Glen Kotzen’s Counts Rocket to an easy win in the Listed Winter Juvenile Stakes (Equine Edge)
Jockey Grant Van Niekerk rode a cracker on a memorable day when he steered Glen Kotzen’s smart Count Dubois colt Counts Rocket to a facile victory in Saturday’s R121 875 Listed Winter Juvenile Stakes. The 2yo races in the familiar Jooste silks and looks particularly promising, in the process throwing a damp rag over the Langerman form.
Counts Rocket was shrewdly steered clear of a run in the Langerman, which was won by his stablemate Antonius Du Bois.
In that leading Cape juvenile feature, Antonius Du Bois had beaten Jungle Skyline a head in a sterling win from the front. Incidentally Antonius Du Bois was also ridden by the seemingly unstoppable Van Niekerk.
On Saturday the Langerman runners were put squarely in their place.
Counts Rocket beat them all solidly, with Lastbutnotleast (2 lengths), Juddering Angel (2,05 lengths), Jungle Skyline (6,55 lengths) and Tiger Island (7,80 lengths) having no chance with him on the day.
The race was run at a solid gallop with Juddering Angel showing the way from Counts Rocket and Jungle Skyline, with Oats further back.
Into the home run Juddering Angel looked to have running in him as Van Niekerk moved Counts Rocket around him and he glided quickly into a commanding lead.
With only Lastbutnotleast appearing to be running on into second spot, Counts Rocket hit the front at the 300m marker and drew clear to win very easily by two lengths in a time of 102,34 secs.
Juddering Angel stayed on for a rather one paced third and may not have enjoyed having to do the donkey work.
Counts Rocket has been brought along slowly from a quiet sprint debut on April Fool’s day over the Kenilworth 1200m.
He shed his maiden in runaway style at his fourth outing over the Kenilworth mile, and repeated the feat on Saturday.
He looks like a very promising sort indeed.
Counts Rocket is a R200 000 Cape Yearling Sale Book 2 graduate.
He was bred by Klawervlei Stud and is by Count Dubois out of the Galileo mare Milla’s Rocket. She won twice in the UK.
A winner of 2 races with 1 place from 5 starts, Counts Rocket took his stake earnings to R125 975.
For Grant Van Niekerk, who has recently returned from a lengthy suspension for an inexplicably awful weight contravention (ironically on Glen Kotzen’s The Witch Doctor on Queen’s Plate day), the wonderful winning streak proved again that racing is a long game.
There is always some light at the end of tunnel.
