KZN-based Keagan de Melo booted home three winners at Durbanville on Saturday for three different yards and cemented his position in the SA top ten as he shows the benefits of an improved work-rate.
The top ten on the SA jockey table is something of a closed club at this stage of the game with just over three months left of the season, with De Melo about 14 wins ahead of the eleventh placed Craig Zackey.
Keagan de Melo steers the 9-10 Sanskrift home from Richard Fourie and Team Valor’s Linda Loves Lace (Pic- Chase Liebenberg Photography)
De Melo never rode in a race at Durbanville last season, but made it 8 wins at a strike-rate of just under 15% this season so far when he grabbed his treble on Saturday.
The 25 year old has always been a talented rider but he is riding with maturity and enthusiasm and is reaping the rewards of his commitment.
On Saturday his first winner was a pick-up ride as a replacement for the injured Aldo Domeyer and it was something of an armchair experience as Candice Bass-Robinson’s Duke Of Marmalade filly Sanskrift – bred by Maien Chance Farms out of an unraced full sister to champion sire Silvano – won her second start in effortless fashion.
The 2yo R800 000 National Yearling Sale graduate races in the interests of Mario Ferreira. Candice confirmed that there were some good 2yo’s around this season and it was hoped that her charge would hold her own. She is a full-sister to the recent Umzimkhulu Stakes runner-up Santa Clara and a half-sister to new Hemel ‘n Aarde stallion, Horizon.
De Melo also rode the formless Hildegarde (Adam Marcus) and favourite Lip Service (Joey Ramsden) to victory in the third and fifth races, respectively.
De Melo has three rides at Scottsville on Sunday. The fancied The Sultans Bazaar runs in the fifth, while Miss Smarty Pants and July entry Silva’s Bullet run in The Scarlet Lady and The Sledgehammer, respectively.
The Turffontein meeting was abandoned after the running of the seventh race due to lightning activity in the vicinity of the track.
