Monday’s race meeting at Fairview in Gqeberha had to be abandoned after the running of the fourth race.
According to 4Racing’s Luciano Passerini, the jockeys protested due to the strong wind, with gusts of up to 50-70km/h resulting in dangerous racing conditions.
The meeting started with a victory for Kelly Mitchley and champion jockey Richard Fourie.
Fourie pounced at the top of the straight on Soqrat gelding Crimson Comet and went on to win the 2200m Conditional maiden by five lengths.
The next three races were all won by the Gavin Smith and Craig Zackey combination.
Zackey came from midfield in the second, a maiden over 1000m with just a five horse field, and his mount, the favourite Colonel Green (Gimmethegreenlight), slowly wore down the persistent pacemaker Serendipitous, who was returning from a six month layoff but was nevertheless backed into 2/1 second favourite.
Zackey came from off the pace in the third over 1100m on the filly Jambo Sana (The United States) and she won easily by 3,75 lengths. However, she appeared to hang in badly and might have been partly responsible for the Fourie-ridden My True Love being squeezed out when going for a rails run.
After the previous race Zackey had said in the winning interview, “The wind is really strong out there and as you turn for home the wind is blowing us straight to that inside rail.”
That would have expolained both Jambo Sana and second-placed MediterraneanGodess hanging inward.
However, Zackey showed his prowess in the conditions by leading from start to finish in the next race over 1300m on Cruzador (Crusade) to win by an easy 3,50 lengths.
The meeting was subsequently abandoned.
Smith went to 22 wins for the season and has done it at a strike rate of 10.84%.
However, he is nevertheless four wins behind reigning champion Alan Greeff in their perennial duel for the East Cape Trainers championship.
Kelly Mitchley has been threatening to join the race for that title, but she is 12 behind Greeff already this season on 14 winsat 9.66%.
Zackey is on 32 wins for the season at a strike rate of 16.33%.
That puts him in joint second place on the national log with Gavin Lerena. However, they are 17 wins behind the leader Muzi Yeni.
