Cape-based jockey Grant van Niekerk faces a quiet festive season after an announcement from the National Horseracing Authority that he has been found guilty of three riding offences resulting in a three-week ban. The 25-year-old, who represented SA in November’s International Jockeys Challenge, got into hot water on these dates: November 23 for causing interference in the fourth race at Kenilworth. November 26 for causing interference in the fifth race at Turffontein. November 30 for causing interference in the first race at Kenilworth. Van Niekerk is the regular pilot of top four-year-old Marinaresco and partnered the son of Silvano into second place in last season’s Vodacom Durban July and also last Saturday’s Green Point Stakes. He will want to complete his suspension before the next target for Marinaresco, the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate to be run at Kenilworth on January 7. The stake for the grade1 race has been raised to R1.5m but is still some way adrift of the R5m prize money f...
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