The 2016 Rider Cup, an Inter-Provincial contest between leading jockeys from the Highveld, the Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, is set to take place at Scottsville Racecourse today.
The competition will be decided over four legs and apart from the bragging rights, medals and the floating trophy, an amount of R100 000 will be up for grabs, with the winning team receiving R48 000; the runners-up R30 000 and the also-rans R20 000.
Gold Circle extended invitations to riders based on their positions on the National Jockeys’ Log as at the end of May and, the following will make up the three teams:-
THE HIGHVELD HAWKS
S’manga Khumalo – captains Hawks
S’MANGA KHUMALO (Captain)
Champion jockey elect, S’manga has been helped in his cause for his second championship by being attached to the all-powerful Sean Tarry yard. Being able to ride at bottom weight has helped his cause. He was the first Black rider to win the Vodacom Durban July when scoring aboard Heavy Metal for Tarry in 2013. He has ridden over 1000 winners after starting his first year as an apprentice with a blank. He rode 8 winners the following year before blossoming with 50 winners in his third year. With three weeks of the season to run S’manga has the championship sewn up with over 220 winners and is one of the most sought after riders on the circuit.
ANDREW FORTUNE
Former champion Andrew Fortune disappears off the radar every now and then but the enigmatic jockey has been hard at work this term having ridden over 160 winners. Now based on the Highveld he has chased around the country for winners and still boasts one of the finest “pair of hands” in the business. He has ridden in over 1000 races this season with only S’manga Khumalo and Muzi Yeni having more rides.
JP VAN DER MERWE
“JP” as he is fondly known is a natural light weight rider and one of the hardest working riders in the country having ridden over 1000 horses this season. He got his big break back in January when called on to deputise for an injured Weichong Marwing on Smart Call in the J&B Met and promptly won the biggest race of his career. He is rapidly closing in on 100 winners for the season.
KARL ZECHNER
Karl will forever be remembered as the jockey that partnered the peerless Abashiri to victory in the Triple Crown. Currently sixth on the National Jockey’s log, this will be the first time that he has ridden 100 winners in a season. Based on the Highveld he is well supported by leading trainer Michael Azzie.
THE CAPE EAGLES
Grant Van Niekerk – captains Eagles
GRANT VAN NIEKERK (Captain)
One of the country’s most talented young riders, he was snapped up by the powerful Mike Bass yard as stable rider a year out of his apprenticeship. He has ridden over 100 winners for the past three seasons and is the regular rider of multiple Gr1 winning filly Inara.
ALDO DOMEYER
J&B Met winning jockey Aldo Domeyer is rapidly closing in on riding 100 winners in a season for the first time, breaking his record of 96 two years back. One of the Western Cape’s most sought after riders, he was aboard the Yogas Govender-trained Martial Eagle in the 2013 Met. Aldo had a rocky start to his riding career, having left the Jockeys Academy after five months, but four years later he was returned and became champion apprentice.
TEAQUE GOULD
Teaque rides in the competitive cauldron of Port Elizabeth racing where it is difficult for local jockeys to make their mark as the country’s top riders more often than not snaffle the best mounts. He rode 50 winners as an apprentice and in two years out of his time he has ridden another 37. This season he has ridden over 23 winners and is the leading PE-based jockey.
CORNE ORFFER
Scored his first winner as an apprentice aboard World Party in 1998 for Ashburton-based trainer Des Egdes. He then moved to the Highveld where he was apprenticed to Ormond Ferraris and then Michael Azzie. Orffer has had a rollercoaster ride through injury but did well in a recent stint in Mauritius before returning to South Africa as replacement for an injured Glen Hatt who at the time was Brett Crawford’s first call rider. After Hatt was forced to retire Orffer took over permanently. A natural light weight rider he has a great pair of hands.
THE KZN FALCONS
Anthony Delpech – captains Falcons
ANTHONY DELPECH (Captain)
A veteran of the saddle, Delpech recently ended a lengthy spell as stable jockey to the powerful Mike de Kock yard and now rides freelance with great success. He has racked up over 2900 winners since starting out in 1986 and in the 1998/99 season set the South African record for number of winner’s in a season with 336. In the 2002/3 season he won 292 races at a strike rate of 22%. He has ridden 50 Grade 1 winners and has won the Vodacom Durban July three times.
KEAGAN DE MELO
A top light weight rider, Keagan’s talents are slowly being recognised by some of the top yards. He finished 13th on the jockey’s table last season, his first as a full-fledged jockey, and is currently two better than that having booted home 72 winners so far this season and over 300 in his short career so far. He was a leading apprentice and won 108 races before coming out of his time.
ANTON MARCUS
Marcus is still one of the hardest working jockeys in spite of his 30 years in the saddle. He has ridden over 3400 winners in his career, more than 80 of them Gr1. He is retained by South Africa’s leading owners Ingrid and Markus Jooste and his services are in great demand when not pencilled in for a Jooste horse. He has an amazing 27% winning strike rate.
MUZI YENI
Yeni’s motto is “have saddle will travel”. Yeni has a riding schedule that would test even the most dedicated as he flits around the country in search of winners. This has paid off in that he has ridden over 100 winners in a season for the past six years. He is currently stable jockey to Duncan Howells. With two weeks of the current season still to run he has ridden 159 winners, 12 better than his previous best.
