Highlands, part of Ridgemont’s new sponsored jockey Anton Marcus has made a dazzling start to his first season with the leading Cape breeders, riding six winners in his first two meetings with an early win strike rate of 50%.
Anton guides Captain Courteous home for Snaith racing (Pic – Candiese Marnewick/Gold Circle)
Marcus, who rode the 100th Gr1 winner of his illustrious career last month when Do It Again won the Vodacom Durban July, followed up on Super Saturday to make it 101 Gr1’s on the Cape Champion 2yo Pomodoro filly Return Flight in the Thekwini Stakes.
He ended an injury interrupted last season on 104 winners with a 25% win strike-rate.
On Sunday at Scottsville he booted two winners home for the bang in-form Garth Puller yard and was in prime form at Greyville on Wednesday, with 4 all-weather winners – coincidentally for four different yards.
Anton steers Mashari home for Garth Puller at Scottsville on Sunday (Pic – Candiese Marnewick/Gold Circle)
Anton started the day for Yogas Govender when winning on Lickerio. He made it a clean sweep of the first three races on the card, getting Keep It Real (Glen Kotzen) and Captain Courteous (Justin Snaith) into the winner’s box in races 2 & 3.
He then had to be content with places until the final race where he steered Bold Beauty to her maiden win at the expense of the favourite, Josephine Baker.
Marcus is lethal on any track. But he somehow just outrides them most days on the Greyville polytrack. A thinking jockey with a plan A , B and C, he gets his mount into the right positions to optimise their chances.
He will be seen in the Cape for the Sizzling Summer Season, where he is expected to partner some of the powerful Kieswetter family attack.
