Bookies take no chances with Richard Fourie

Craig Zackey has a lead of 15 winners over rival Richard Fourie on the current jockey championship log, yet the latter was made odds-on favourite for the title when betting opened at the weekend.

Zackey has 84 winners on the board – with a dozen in the past week – and is clearly making a concerted bid to win his first championship, travelling a lot and riding for a wide range of trainers. Hollywoodbets priced him up at 1.11.

Fourie, who set a new record of 378 winners when he became champion in 2023/24 and narrowly failed to defend the title last season, has indicated he’ll be expanding his travelling itinerary in the near future. That was enough of a hint for odds layers who promptly posted him at 0.91.

Callan Murray, who returned to South Africa from Australia as stable jockey to the newly powered-up Mike & Mathew de Kock yard, is a fairly distant third favourite at 12.50.

Given his commitment to the KwaZulu-Natal and Highveld bases of his paymasters, it seems unlikely Murray will be a major contender – but never say never in the racing game.

Reigning champion Gavin Lerena, who rode like a demon in the closing months of the 2024/25 campaign to pip Fourie at the post, is a longshot at 33.00 after having had to serve a longish early-season suspension that allowed the opposition to a big advantage.

Justin Snaith is a red-hot 0.5 to land his seventh champion trainer title – unsurprisingly given the stockpiles of explosive ammunition in his Cape Town stables.

Sean Tarry – a sometime champ himself – is a 6.25 shot. Given the promising young talent he has coming through, a few smart bets are likely to go the way of the likeable Highveld conditioner.

The trainer championship is based on stake money won, not number of winners.

BETTING

Jockeys:
(current log position, name, odds)

2 Richard Fourie 0.91
1 Craig Zackey 1.11
5 Callan Murray 12.50
4 Muzi Yeni 20.00
6 Calvin Habib 33.00
15 Gavin Lerena 33.00
3 Serino Moodley 33.00
8 S’Manga Khumalo 50.00
7 Sean Veale 75.00
– Keagan de Melo 75.00
10 Luyolo Mxothwa 100.00

Trainers:

1 Justin Snaith 0.5
4 Sean Tarry 6.25
5 Mike & Mathew de Kock 6.25
3 Tony Peter 8.33
6 James Crawford 20.00
9 Dean Kannemeyer 20.00
2 Alan Greeff 33.00
8 Candice Bass 33.00