Kennedy has Delpech’s record of 334 wins in sight

When it comes to football betting, punters must be bamboozled by the large array of bets. First player to score, correct score, number of corners, halftime score — you name it, you can bet on it.

The choice in horse racing is more limited — right now there are markets on the Durban July, champion trainer (Justin Snaith 1-11), champion jockey (Warren Kennedy 1-16), the Triple Crown and Triple Tiara.

Bookmakers should consider introducing this bet: will Kennedy beat Anthony Delpech’s record of 334 winners in a season set during the 1998/1999 campaign?

We have had six and a half months of the 2021/2022 season and Kennedy’s tally is 158 winners. If he maintains his strike rate, it is possible he could just fall short.

Nothing would please the majority of racing fans more than Kennedy reaching the milestone of 335 winners. He is a jockey punters have faith in and his general attitude to his profession is beyond reproach. He handles the media well and they, in turn, report favourably on his achievements.

Those who believe the 41 year-old can beat Delpech’s record point to two important facts — the backing he gets from trainers Paul Peter and Gavin Smith.

The Vaal last Thursday was just another successful day at the office for the Peter-Kennedy combination. They won three of the eight races and the trio were well supported in the betting market.

Kennedy’s association with Smith in the Eastern Cape is vital to his chance of beating Delpech’s record. Each season the Gqeberha conditioner can be relied on to send out a steady stream of winners — this campaign is no different with his tally (up to February 14) standing at 72.

Last Friday, the Smith-Kennedy combination took the first two races at Fairview with Forest Spy and Sing Girl Sing.

Another plus factor for Kennedy is that he is rarely in trouble with the stipendiary stewards. His suspensions are few and far between and — as was the case last May for causing interference in a race at Greyville — his ban was only for seven days.

Unlike Delpech who won the Durban July three times, Kennedy is yet to put SA’s most famous race on his CV. He will be looking for the right horse in the coming months for the big event scheduled for July 2 and now sponsored by Hollywoodbets.

In 2021 Kennedy rode She’s A Keeper in the July, but Gareth van Zyl’s filly was never a serious factor and trailed in six lengths behind Kommetdieding. It was not much better in the recent Cape Met in which his mount Second Base only beat four rivals home.

Second Base was beaten by another top ride from Kennedy on Reunion at Turffontein on Saturday and both could be headed for the grade 1 Champions Challenge where they will bump into a certain horse named Kommetdieding.

Even so, the second cheque in that 2,000m race is not to be sneezed at — Second Base filled that berth in the 2021 race.

Though he is a long way behind both Snaith and Peter in the trainers log, Sean Tarry could have a Derby prospect on his hands in his three-year-old Litigation. Bred at Avontuur Farm, the colt proved too smart for his rivals in the Egoli Mile and — as a son of Greys Inn — may appreciate an even longer trip.