Fortress Of Fire became a bit disappointing after a most impressive debut as a juvenile, but gelding looks to have done the trick and he has bounced back with a close third and two wins in three starts since the operation was done. At Friday’s Hollywoodbets Greyville turf meeting he gave Rachel Venniker the second leg of a four-timer and Michael Roberts the second leg of a treble (Candiese Lenferna Photography)
Wendy Whitehead scored a treble at the last meeting of 2025 in South Africa, a poly meeting at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Wednesday the 31st, and that saw her complete December with seven wins at a strike rate of 20.59%.
Two of them were ridden by Rachel Venniker and the latter started the New Year in devastating fashion by riding the first four-timer of her career at Hollywoodbets Greyville’s eight race Friday day/night turf meeting on January 2, three of them for her guv’nor Michael Roberts.
Whitehead’s three winners on Wednesday were Sun In My Pocket (Erupt), a hard knocker who got off the mark at the eleventh attempt having only missed the frame once in ten starts, Tee Dog (Act Of War); a big horse who finally fulfilled his potential when cruising in by 5,10 lengths when stepped up to 2000m to record a first career win in his 14th start; and Flying Reign Storm, who scored a third career win off a 62 merit rating in a fillies and mares handicap over 1600m.
Calvin Habib rode both Sun In My Pocket and Flying Reign Storm and Rachel Venniker was aboard Tee Dog.
Venniker’s other winner on Wednesday was aboard L’Ultimo (The United Staes) for Roberts and she thus joined Habib as the only double-scoring jockey at the meeting.
Habib scored another double at the New Year’s Day meeting at Turffontein Standside and national log leader Craig Zackey also scored a double there.
After Zackey, Richard Fourie and Muzi Yeni all scored a single winner each at today’s (Friday’s) Fairview poly meeting it was Zackey leading on 113 wins at 16.99% with Fourie in second on 99 wins at 23.08% and Yeni in fifth place on 65 wins at 11.23%
Callan Murray had a winner at the Wednesday poly meeting, a blank at Turffontein on Thursday and a winner at Friday’s Hollywoodbets Greyville turf meeting.
Habib had a blank at the Friday Greyville meeting.
That left Murray in third place on the national log on 69 wins at 14.78%.
Habib is fourth on 66 wins at 11.93%.
Venniker’s six wins in the last two KZN meetings puts her on 30 wins for the season at 11.07%.
Her winners were on the Roberts-trained Black Frost (What A Winter), the smart Roberts-trained Fortress Of Fire (Fire Away), the Garth Puller-trained Cardinal Chief (Erik The Red) and the Roberts-trained Siberian Winter (Rabada).
The KZN Trainers Championship is as intriguing as ever as the reigning champion Gareth van Zyl had a winner on Wednesday to close the gap on leader Alyson Wright to one win.
Wright is on 23 wins in KZN this season, with Van Zyl on 22, Dean Kannemeyer, Andre Nel and Stuart Ferrie are on 16 wins apiece and Mike and Mathew de Kock are on 15 wins.
Wendy Whitehead’s treble took her to 14 wins and she is going at a strike rate of 8.64%, while Roberts is now on 12 wins at 11.11%.
