Craig Zackey and Muzi Yeni are still flying hither and thither.
With the leading duo in last season’s jockey championship – Gavin Lerena and Richard Fourie – taking a well-earned break from the saddle and a hectic travelling schedule, some of the other top-flight riders in the country will seek to cash in.
Indeed, the likes of Sean Veale, S’Manga Khumalo, Muzi Yeni, Luy Mxothwa and Serino Moodley – all conceivably champion contenders – will be keen to get a handy bunch of wins in the locker while the season is still young.
Of course, there’s a long way to go, but the title will be in the back of minds and is something to bear in mind as we negotiate the dog days of late winter racing.
Busy period for Zackey
Craig Zackey, third in the 2024/25 chase, was prevented from joining the dash to the finishing line by an untimely suspension in the last month of the term. Returning refreshed from that break, he has picked up the furious pace of the last campaign and will have high expectations of a winner or 12 as he travels around the country in the next few weeks.
On Thursday, Zackey heads to the Vaal and has a decent chance of a score with either Frere Jacques in Race 1 or Chantilly Lace in the second – both for trainer Lucky Houdalakis.
At Turffontein on Saturday, Zackey again has early prospects with the same yard, on Midnight Flyer in the opener and Quiet Winter in the next. But his best chance comes in the seventh on Pressonregardless, an honest sort who looks primed to win for Fabian Habib.
Muzi Yeni on the move
Yeni’s fierce championship ambitions remain undimmed by years of disappointment and he, too, is putting in flight miles before the season is out of nappies.
Inspector James is an obvious suspect for the country’s most popular jockey when they pair up in Race 3 at the Vaal on Thursday. Most of his rides in Fairview on Friday carry some sort of chance, while Gamer, for St John Gray at Turffontein on Saturday looks backable.
A busy weekend concludes for Yeni in Cape Town on Sunday, with Justin Snaith’s Wish List in Race 8 likely to pay for his return ticket.
Speaking of travel expenses, Callan Murray will be in search of petrol money for his trek to the Vaal on Thursday for one ride – on Clinton Binda’s Amandla Ngawethu.
