Rising star! Grant Van Niekerk looks headed for the top.
Apprentice jockey Grant Van Niekerk swept into the top ten on the SA jockey log with an impressive hat-trick at Durbanville on 28 September. The young man’s win strike rate of 20% is second only to last season’s champion Anton Marcus and on a par with runner-up Anthony Delpech.
That makes for impressive reading by anyone’s standards and for a guy who doesn’t travel beyond the boundaries of the Western Cape for his living, Van Niekerk is doing very well with 16 winners to his credit already.
The jockey log statistics make for interesting reading and one feels for a man like Muzi Yeni who is travelling all over but just not getting the quality support in the Cape. To add insult to injury, Yeni fell off the moderate Faithful Olga at the start of the second race. He was not hurt but his five rides on the day were just not of the level that justifies the cost of plane tickets and the risk of injury. He has had 20 winners from 288 rides, as opposed to example Van Niekerk’s 16 winners from 80 rides. This must be very frustrating for the talented Yeni, and one cannot see him continuing at this helter skelter rate and perservering in the Cape – particularly if he continues to ride the moderate horses.
Van Niekerk is just one of those jockeys who always seems to get the upper-hand in the driving duels in the tight finishes and the first of his three winners saw him pip veteran Karl Neisius in the fifth race. Neisius looked to have grabbed a winning lead on the Kannemeyer-trained Bermuda Sloop, but Van Niekerk had other ideas as he drove Feel My Love up to win a narrow decision. This Fillies and Mares MR70 Handicap had always looked very open, but the result was no surprise, with the debut winner Beloved Betty running green and then storming through late to get up for third place. She will win her races.
High-Flyer. Master Barry wins his fourth race.
Champion sire Jet Master provided Van Niekerk with the final official double on the card. The Piet Steyn-trained Master Barry is one of the gamest front-runners around and he was well positioned early on from his 12 draw before galloping resolutely to hold off the late challenge of Western Count. This was the four year old gelding’s fourth win from nineteen starts and he can only get stronger. Steyn also trained his dam, Who’s Your Daddy, a three time winning Restructure mare.
Van Niekerk then won his third consecutive race on the Allan Higgins-trained Great Kalli, who rallied magnificently to hold off a storming Andrew Fortune and Wise Choice and the free running Cap Alright in the MR80 Handicap over 1200m. The gelding certainly runs for Van Niekerk and he has come into his own as a five year old after battling during his developmental years. He has a huge stride and is a real soldier.
Stan Elley has an obviously smart sort on his hands in the good-looking bay gelding Punta Arenas, who swept through late to win the opener under Aldo Domeyer. Like some of the best horses to race out of the Tellytrack presenter’s Phillipi yard, the son of Silvano is owned by the Badge Boys – Mike Fullard, James Drew and Butch Watson-Smith. The gelding had run second on debut over the Kenilworth 1200m at the end of August to the much trumped Kingslayer from the Kannemeyer yard, and his win in this 1400m Maiden Plate from a midfield draw was full of merit. He was bred by Maine Chance and is a R525 000 National Sale graduate out of a half sister to the top-class Paraca- who also raced in the same colours.
Good day. Veteran Karl Neisius rode a Bass double on the day.
Jockey Karl Neisius rode the first of his two Mike Bass winners when the lightly raced Jet Lady accounted for her field with ease in the second race, a Maiden Plate(F&M) over 1600m. The result was never in doubt as the veteran kept the Jet Master filly on a tight rein and sent her on her way with 250m to run. The battling Kind Lady earned yet another cheque, while the Silvano filly Silva Chant ran an improved race at her third outing and bears watching.
Bass won the Pick Six opener when Neisius enjoyed an armchair ride on the Lammerskraal owned and bred Go Deputy filly Sheisapromqueen, who accounted for the luckless Rushing Elf in the Maiden Plate over 1800m. Ezio cut out a fair gallop as Neisius had the Bass horse in close attendance the whole way around. She stayed on and skipped clear to hold a hard ridden Rushing Elf. The Marshall filly Butterfly Child was fractious and delayed the start and then fluffed her lines by jumping slowly.
