What caused Gavin Lerena to lose it in those final strides? (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
An incident in the second race at Turffontein on Sunday, described by a champion jockey as ‘unprofessional at the highest level’, will see title chasing Gavin Lerena facing an inquiry, without the option of an admission of guilt.
A National Horseracing Authority official confirmed to the Sporting Post that an inquiry would be instituted without the option of an AOG after Lerena stood up in the irons on the 28-10 Gimme A Storm and struck his colleague Jason Gates (riding 66-1 Blurred Vision) multiple times on the back with his crop. Gates appeared to retaliate half heartedly after the third strike.
The two horses were racing close together for some way,
Watch the incident here on the outside – Gates is in green and white, while Lerena is in the red, white and black silks:
The Sporting Post fielded a number of calls from readers, with a weighing room colleague of Lerena calling the incident ‘horiffic’.
“All the work going in to making the game great again and this goes on. Unprofessional!” added the respected jockey.
Lerena has been riding like a demon, and booted home two winners, including victory in the Maine Chance Farms Gr1 Majorca Stakes, at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Met day.
There are other incidents in recent times of jockeys clashing mid race.
One thinks here of the much publicised Muzi Yeni-Lyle Hewitson saga, where Yeni got 90 days for intimidation and interference when he took his hand off his left side rein and placed it on Jockey Hewitson’s arm during the race back in 2019.
In 2021 Piere Strydom struck Jockey Muzi Yeni with his crop in the concluding stages of a race and pleaded not guilty.
Strydom was found guilty as charged and after considering all factors in mitigation, including, interestingly, the manner in which Yeni rode his horse at the time of this incident, imposed a suspension of ten days.
The Sporting Post believes that Jason Gates became a new Dad a few hours earlier on Sunday morning. Congratulations to him and his wife, Della!
