Oscar Mkunzi broke Louis Burke’s stranglehold on the 2024/25 Hollywoodbets Workriders’ Series when he booted surprise winner Indebe Mayibuye home to win the third leg at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on a sun-drenched Saturday afternoon.
Oscar Mkunzi was all smiles after he won the third leg of the 2024/25 Hollywoodbets Workriders’ Series (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
After Burke had won the first two legs, and was riding the odds-on favourite Wild Applause here, it looked tough for his fellow competitors to make ground but Oscar Mkunzi had other ideas and produced the mostly formless and unfancied Indebe Mayibuye (20-1) to beat Blue Ribbon Day (33-1) in the hands of Siphiwo Feni by a length in a time of 66,08 secs for the 1100m.
The favourite Wild Applause (1-3) was well beaten a further 3,50 lengths back in third.
Luke Coleman, who was in second place on the log, rode Peanut Pops who was declared a non-runner after nudging her gate open prematurely as the starter sent them on their way.
The winner, who appeared to enjoy a drop in trip back to the sprint course, races in the interests of Hollywood Racing and is trained by Candice Bass-Robinson.
She shed her maiden here and has run 2 places from her 9 starts for stakes of R94 738.
Bred by Klawervlei Stud, Indebe Mayibuye, whose name means ‘the trophy/cup must return’ or ‘may the trophy/cup return’ cost R240 000 at the Cape Regional Sale.
She is a daughter of William Longsword (Captain Al) out of the top-class seven-time winner Trophy Wife (Tiger Ridge).
While the workriders earn the standard riding commissions, a grand prize of R25 000 is on offer in the Hollywoodbets Workriders’ Series, and will be shared amongst the top five riders on the final log.
Points are earned by individual positions in each of the four races and to keep all stakeholders updated, Cape Racing will publish a regular log.
The R25 000 prize pool will be allocated as follows:
- Winner earns R12 000
- Runner-up earns R6 000
- Third place earns R4 000
- Fourth place earns R2 000
- Fifth place earns R1 000
We look forward to 22 February as the Hollywoodbets Workriders’ Series continues, culminating in an exciting finale on 16 March 2025, the Cape Racing Sales Day, featuring the inaugural running of the R5 million CRS Big Cap, and which heralds the sun set on the summer season.
