Okapi Ladies Race Could Be A Roll Of The Dice!

The name of Kayleigh Oakes’ mount in Saturday’s Okapi Ladies International at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth is not lost on her.

Roll Of The Dice, priced up as a 50-1 outsider in the 12-strong field of amateur ladies riders, of whom seven will be making their debuts in a race.

Gary Lemke writes that Oakes has a distinguished showjumping background, having been interested in that aspect of the equine industry since she was a youngster.

“My parents tried everything to stop me from riding horses,” she laughs. “They wanted me to take up golf, pushed me into netball … everything. But I was so attracted to show jumping.”

On Saturday she dips her toes into the competitive waters of race riding.

“The name of my horse actually describes it well. It’s Roll Of The Dice. I came down from Johannesburg a few weeks ago and sat on a few options from Michelle Rix’s stable. I liked Roll Of The Dice and here we are.”

It’s still early days and Oakes is making the adjustment from showjumping to race riding.

“I’m sure a lot of the girls will tell you the same thing that the shorter stirrups and the different centre of gravity are the biggest challenges. In showjumping the stirrups are never as short as they are here and your centre of gravity shifts completely. Plus, the speed you go at is completely different!”

Despite not having been in a race before, Oakes has more than an outsider’s knowledge of the sport.

Her boyfriend is professional jockey Wesley Marwing and she sought his advice when first being approached about her involvement in the Okapi Ladies International.

“Vicky Lerena (also in Saturday’s race, aboard The US Of A) sent me a message on Instagram and said, ‘would you like to do the ladies race?’ I said to my boyfriend, ‘um it’s not something I’ve ever thought about, but why not give it a try? The next day I went to Paul Matchett’s yard at Randjesfontein and they stuck me on some horses. I was like, ‘OK, maybe I can do this’. I’ve been very lucky and have had lots of people giving me tips and advice.”

Just so that we can establish ground rules here… were Oakes to win on Roll Of The Dice, would she have bragging rights over her boyfriend?

“Oh no,” she laughs. “I would never try to tell him how to ride winners! He has way more experience than me.”

Indeed he has. Marwing rode the first winner of his own career aboard Money Tree back in 2012.

Like everyone, Oakes has a favourite horse, a show jumper.

“Kokopillau was my first horse coming off ponies and he was the first to jump me around 130s (1.30m high obstacles) in July 2022.The first racehorse I sat on and who I first started jumping out of the pens on was Charge Ahead.He was trained by Paul Matchett and is now down in Gqeberha with Zietsman Oosthuizen. He’s a three-year-old who I also did my first grass gallop on.”

She is a racing enthusiast. Although admits to “not knowing anything about betting”, and she enjoys the morning’s track work.

“I’m gaining confidence all the time,” she adds. And, jumping from draw one in Saturday’s 1200m sprint down the straight, she will have the inside rail for company.

Which is entirely the opposite from Roll Of The Dice’s own race debut, when he was drawn 14 out of 14 around the Durbanville 1250m turn.

He finished ahead of a horse who won his next start and has finished less than two lengths behind the winner in his following two post-maiden efforts, Master Of Paris.

In fact, if you look at that race’s subsequent formlines, Roll Of The Dice might well make a mockery of his 50-1 odds.

• The Okapi Ladies International is off at 12h25 on Saturday.