Muzi Yeni putting in the miles in bid for SA title
The 32-year-old is set to go head-to-head with Lyle Hewitson in Thursday’s main race at the Vaal
17 July 2019 - 13:30
byDavid Mollett
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In an interview, title-chasing jockey Muzi Yeni declared: “Hard work never killed anyone.”
The 32-year-old is certainly living up to that belief. By the end of this week he will have ridden in six different racecourses around the country: Kimberley (Monday), Durbanville (Tuesday), Greyville (Wednesday), Vaal (Thursday), Fairview (Friday) and Turffontein (Saturday).
Though this is clear evidence that Yeni has no intention of throwing in the towel in his championship battle with Lyle Hewitson, bookmakers give him little chance of unseating the reigning champion. World Sports Betting quotes Hewitson at 1-11 with Yeni priced at 9-2.
Interestingly, Hewitson and Yeni could fight out the finish of Thursday’s main race at the Vaal — the Racing Association Middle Stakes over 2,400m.
Hewitson partners the lightly raced Silvano colt Meeraas for trainer Sean Tarry while Yeni will be on Brett Webber’s consistent three-year-old Western Dance for the second time. He rode the filly into third place in a 2,000m race at Turffontein in May.
With just three runs under his belt, Meeraas, out of a Galileo mare, would appear to have more scope for improvement than his female opponent and can follow up his recent maiden win at Turffontein.
Top Shot has a chance of spoiling the party as the seven-year-old ran second last time out over 2,400m and has earned close to R800,000 for his connections. However, he is in the twilight of his career and has to concede 8kg to Meeraas and 9.5kg to Western Dance.
While it is surprising that Yeni had only four rides at Greyville on Wednesday, he has eight booked mounts at Thursday’s meeting and the pick could be David Nieuwenhuizen’s runner Archilles in the seventh race.
A son of Captain Al, Archilles has finished close-up in his last two outings and the five-year-old has the advantage of a good draw in Thursday’s 1,500m contest.
Hewitson’s mount Changing Seasons probably needed his recent outing in KwaZulu-Natal — his first run since April — but he looks one of the lesser lights of Tarry’s powerful stable.
A bigger danger to Archilles could be Paul Peter’s filly Promise, who is chasing a hat-trick following two wins on the Turffontein inside track. The form of her latest win has been franked and, with both the stable and jockey in hot form, is likely to be well supported in the betting market.
Trainer Ashley Fortune will be hoping Hewitson’s expertise can result in Aziri Sun exiting the maiden ranks in the third race. A daughter of Silvano, the three-year-old faces some moderate rivals with Peter’s Forever Indigo and Brian Wiid’s Varquera the pick of the opposition.
Peter saddles his useful filly Florida Quays in the final leg of the jackpot, but preference in this 1,500m race is for Lucky Houdalakis’s runner Pink. The grey hinted another win was close at hand when she was narrowly beaten by Piccadilly Square last time out and she will receive 8kg from Peter’s runner.
Gavin Lerena partners Samarra, who has an each-way chance on her best form, but the mare also has to concede a lot of weight to Pink.
Selections
1st Race: (11) Impressive Duchess (3) Aristachus (5) El Patron (8) Semper Fi
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Muzi Yeni putting in the miles in bid for SA title
The 32-year-old is set to go head-to-head with Lyle Hewitson in Thursday’s main race at the Vaal
In an interview, title-chasing jockey Muzi Yeni declared: “Hard work never killed anyone.”
The 32-year-old is certainly living up to that belief. By the end of this week he will have ridden in six different racecourses around the country: Kimberley (Monday), Durbanville (Tuesday), Greyville (Wednesday), Vaal (Thursday), Fairview (Friday) and Turffontein (Saturday).
Though this is clear evidence that Yeni has no intention of throwing in the towel in his championship battle with Lyle Hewitson, bookmakers give him little chance of unseating the reigning champion. World Sports Betting quotes Hewitson at 1-11 with Yeni priced at 9-2.
Interestingly, Hewitson and Yeni could fight out the finish of Thursday’s main race at the Vaal — the Racing Association Middle Stakes over 2,400m.
Hewitson partners the lightly raced Silvano colt Meeraas for trainer Sean Tarry while Yeni will be on Brett Webber’s consistent three-year-old Western Dance for the second time. He rode the filly into third place in a 2,000m race at Turffontein in May.
With just three runs under his belt, Meeraas, out of a Galileo mare, would appear to have more scope for improvement than his female opponent and can follow up his recent maiden win at Turffontein.
Top Shot has a chance of spoiling the party as the seven-year-old ran second last time out over 2,400m and has earned close to R800,000 for his connections. However, he is in the twilight of his career and has to concede 8kg to Meeraas and 9.5kg to Western Dance.
While it is surprising that Yeni had only four rides at Greyville on Wednesday, he has eight booked mounts at Thursday’s meeting and the pick could be David Nieuwenhuizen’s runner Archilles in the seventh race.
A son of Captain Al, Archilles has finished close-up in his last two outings and the five-year-old has the advantage of a good draw in Thursday’s 1,500m contest.
Hewitson’s mount Changing Seasons probably needed his recent outing in KwaZulu-Natal — his first run since April — but he looks one of the lesser lights of Tarry’s powerful stable.
A bigger danger to Archilles could be Paul Peter’s filly Promise, who is chasing a hat-trick following two wins on the Turffontein inside track. The form of her latest win has been franked and, with both the stable and jockey in hot form, is likely to be well supported in the betting market.
Trainer Ashley Fortune will be hoping Hewitson’s expertise can result in Aziri Sun exiting the maiden ranks in the third race. A daughter of Silvano, the three-year-old faces some moderate rivals with Peter’s Forever Indigo and Brian Wiid’s Varquera the pick of the opposition.
Peter saddles his useful filly Florida Quays in the final leg of the jackpot, but preference in this 1,500m race is for Lucky Houdalakis’s runner Pink. The grey hinted another win was close at hand when she was narrowly beaten by Piccadilly Square last time out and she will receive 8kg from Peter’s runner.
Gavin Lerena partners Samarra, who has an each-way chance on her best form, but the mare also has to concede a lot of weight to Pink.
Selections
1st Race: (11) Impressive Duchess (3) Aristachus (5) El Patron (8) Semper Fi
2nd Race: (10) Stellar Motion (1) Britannia Queen (2) Oona (7) Incognito
3rd Race: (2) Aziri Sun (11) Forever Indigo (1) Varquera (12) Get Set
4th Race: (7) Madida (16) Tunneloflove (6) Cross From Goa (1) Sell High
5th Race: (5) Meeraas (7) Western Dance (1) Top Shot (4) Factor Fifty
6th Race: (7) Claremorris (6) Kirkconnel Lass (4) I Ain’t Trippin (11) Cop Shop
7th Race: (3) Archilles (5) Promise (1) Changing Seasons (8) Copenhagen
8th Race: (6) Pink (1) Florida Quays (4) Ponchielli (2) Samarra
9th Race: (3) Corrido (6) Eurostorm (13) Waqaas (10) Plum Field
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