Lyle Hewitson won the grade 2 LHKIR Umgeni Handicap on Pray For Rain, trained by his father Carl
31 July 2023 - 16:02
byCharl Pretorius
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Last Sunday’s Gold Cup meeting at Greyville had a distinctly international flavour that started with the naming of races in promotion of Hong Kong’s “Worldpool” theme and concluded with the Irish flag being draped around the 10th race winner, Pray For Rain.
SA punters were able to place their bets into the huge Hong Kong World Pool for which wins, places, exactas and the swinger bet qualified. The ninth race was named after SA’s Douglas Whyte, who has successfully made the transition to training thoroughbreds on the island after winning 13 Hong Kong championships as a jockey.
The mercurial Lyle Hewitson, who joined the elite band of jockeys in Hong Kong after having claimed two SA titles, jetted in for a few local rides and won the grade 2 listed LHKIR Umgeni Handicap on Pray For Rain, trained by his father, Carl Hewitson.
In May, this five-year-old gelding was offered on a Bloodstock SA online auction and secured for just R35,000 by Galway-based Michael Moroney’s Poet’s Corner Syndicate. Pray For Rain has won both his starts since being sold, earning R160,000.
An excited Moroney, who touched down in Durban just a few hours before the meeting on his first trip to SA, was in fine Irish form in the postrace interview. He promised a party of gargantuan proportions and let rip with a string of expletives to the amusement of most viewers, though the interview was later removed from the official race replay.
“It’s always good to see really passionate people having fun and letting their hair down,” The Sporting Post commented.
Hewitson will soon be back in Hong Kong to start the new season alongside another South African, Luke Ferraris. They will be joined by newly crowned SA champion jockey Keagan De Melo, who will be riding for the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) under licence until February 2024.
Hewitson finished in fifth on the HKJC log with 50 winners last season and said on Monday: “I’d like to better that and win a few feature races.”
Tuesday’s race meeting is on the classic track at the Vaal, where trainer Paul Matchett has strong contenders in Tamil Tigress (race 2) and Special Charm (race 5) and his former understudy Fanie Bronkhorst should win race 1 with Mount Etna.
SELECTIONS
1st Race: (7) Mount Etna (2) Zoom Lady (9) Crystal Maiden (6) Pass the Baton
2nd Race: (9) Tamil Tigress (7) Chief Whip (10) Mizzen Sail (1) Trip to The States
3rd Race: (5) Copper John (1) Pike Place (6) Breath of Magic (10) Cicadidae
4th Race: (1) Just Be Nice (5) Mabaneng (6) Key Element (3) Miss Shaivi
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.
SA punters swing on Hong Kong pools
Lyle Hewitson won the grade 2 LHKIR Umgeni Handicap on Pray For Rain, trained by his father Carl
Last Sunday’s Gold Cup meeting at Greyville had a distinctly international flavour that started with the naming of races in promotion of Hong Kong’s “Worldpool” theme and concluded with the Irish flag being draped around the 10th race winner, Pray For Rain.
SA punters were able to place their bets into the huge Hong Kong World Pool for which wins, places, exactas and the swinger bet qualified. The ninth race was named after SA’s Douglas Whyte, who has successfully made the transition to training thoroughbreds on the island after winning 13 Hong Kong championships as a jockey.
The mercurial Lyle Hewitson, who joined the elite band of jockeys in Hong Kong after having claimed two SA titles, jetted in for a few local rides and won the grade 2 listed LHKIR Umgeni Handicap on Pray For Rain, trained by his father, Carl Hewitson.
In May, this five-year-old gelding was offered on a Bloodstock SA online auction and secured for just R35,000 by Galway-based Michael Moroney’s Poet’s Corner Syndicate. Pray For Rain has won both his starts since being sold, earning R160,000.
An excited Moroney, who touched down in Durban just a few hours before the meeting on his first trip to SA, was in fine Irish form in the postrace interview. He promised a party of gargantuan proportions and let rip with a string of expletives to the amusement of most viewers, though the interview was later removed from the official race replay.
“It’s always good to see really passionate people having fun and letting their hair down,” The Sporting Post commented.
Hewitson will soon be back in Hong Kong to start the new season alongside another South African, Luke Ferraris. They will be joined by newly crowned SA champion jockey Keagan De Melo, who will be riding for the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) under licence until February 2024.
Hewitson finished in fifth on the HKJC log with 50 winners last season and said on Monday: “I’d like to better that and win a few feature races.”
Tuesday’s race meeting is on the classic track at the Vaal, where trainer Paul Matchett has strong contenders in Tamil Tigress (race 2) and Special Charm (race 5) and his former understudy Fanie Bronkhorst should win race 1 with Mount Etna.
SELECTIONS
1st Race: (7) Mount Etna (2) Zoom Lady (9) Crystal Maiden (6) Pass the Baton
2nd Race: (9) Tamil Tigress (7) Chief Whip (10) Mizzen Sail (1) Trip to The States
3rd Race: (5) Copper John (1) Pike Place (6) Breath of Magic (10) Cicadidae
4th Race: (1) Just Be Nice (5) Mabaneng (6) Key Element (3) Miss Shaivi
5th Race: (2) Bey Suyay (1) Running Rifles (8) Emporium (10) Elusive Swann
6th Race: (3) Special Charm (2) Ballroom Bliss (4) Princess Kesh (1) Kind Judy
7th Race: (6) Wings Of Nike (1) Rose For Trippi (5) Rosaria (3) Galla Vanting
8th Race: (1) Golden Sickle (2) On Cue (7) Mighty Goddess (6) Dancing Dora
9th Race: (8) Redcarpet Girl (1) Zoombomber (9) Della’s Sword (5) Mia Regina
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