The SA Apprentice Championship might develop into an intriguing tussle between leader Rachel Venniker and Kaidan Brewer.

In the meantime there are other apprentices showing promise including Siphesihle “Spare” Hlengwa, who has ridden five winners in 43 rides since making his debut on 31 August 2021 and those five, unusually, include two doubles.

Venniker might rue not accepting a request a while back to ride in Gqeberha because Brewer took the opportunity instead.

Brewer’s success in that centre has helped him close a once yawning gap to just ten winners.

Riding Master Nicky Roebuck said, “Montana Turner phoned asking if Rachel could ride a horse for her and she turned it down, so I asked Kaidan and he accepted. He got a ride for Gavin Smith at the same meeting and it won so he is now being supported by Smith.”

In fact Smith has given Brewer 14 of his 41 winners this season to date. 

Roebuck explained Brewer’s upturn in fortunes recently, “It is just a case of opportunity. He wasn’t being used in KZN but moved to the Highveld and has been getting a lot of support.”

He said Brewer’s style is reminiscent of Dennis Schwarz and he emphasised his good balance as his key asset.
  
Venniker has been stuck on 51 winners for more than a month, although suspensions have contributed to this drought.

One question on everybody’s lips will be whether she will become the first female to ever ride in the Durban July, now sponsored by Hollywoodbets.

The praise she has received from her main supporter Michael Roberts is well documented and Garth Puller agreed, saying this morning, “She’s very competent, she’s done very well. She had the added advantage of coming from a horse background and she’s tough, she’s as tough as any of the boys, she’s got a good work ethic and she’s strong. She’s probably stronger than most girls of her age that started riding so that’s why she’s seen it through. I think she’s a good rider. She just needs to keep her weight in control which won’t be easy because she’s quite tall. It gets tougher now losing her claims but I think she’s grown and she’s come along. If she keeps her work ethic going I think she will push through and be one of the only girls in SA who has made it to the end.”

Riding Master Nicky Roebuck was impressed with Siphesihle Hlengwa’s double on the Hollywoodbets Greyville poly on Monday and said, “I think he has a bright future. He is also being given rides and advice from Garth Puller which helps a lot.”

Roebuck said his nickname “Spare” was just a shortening of his name and an easier way of pronouncing it.  

Puller said about Hlengwa, “He’s hardworking and slowly learning how to do it. He lacks a bit of racing experience but it’s coming and he rode a nice race yesterday (Monday) for me, although he just showed a little bit of inexperience riding off the rail. For Alyson Wright’s winner (14/1 shot Top Me Up Holly (Master Of My Fate)) he was supposed to be up there but he rode a good race from behind. He lost his stick halfway up the straight but rode with hands and heels to get up from Keagan de Melo on Dean Kannemeyer’s horse Dawnofanewday.”

Siphesihle Hlengwa, without a whip, encourages Top Me Up Holly on the way to his double at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Monday. 

Hlengwa had earlier set the pace on Puller’s 10/1 charge Etiquette (Noble Tune) in the fourth race over 1800m and stole a march at the top of the straight before keeping the big horse going well.

Hlengwa had to sit out a lot of meetings after his debut because of Scottsville being sparsely used either due to weather or not being scheduled. 

An apprentice must have five “qualifying” rides down the straight before being allowed to ride around the turn.

Roebuck said the gap between Scottsville meetings was unfortunate because Hlengwa was one of the few whose first three rides all qualified.

Hlengwa was at track bright and early yesterday morning
 
There used to be rules limiting apprentices, for example not being allowed to ride first-timers.

However, these days they have seven qualifying rides around the turn, four from 800m to 1200m and the other three over further than 1200m, and once they have completed those successfully they are allowed to ride anything and in any race.  

Recently Gavin Smith phoned Roebuck asking for a 4kg claimer and after being given a choice the leading East Cape trainer opted for Malesela Keratile Katjedi, whose late father LJ Katjedi was a jockey.

Katjedi had four rides for Smith on the 8th of this month and won on one of them, which augurs well for his future.

The apprentices organise their own rides at track, but then bring their list to former July-winning jockey and now Academy riding master Paddy Wynne.

Wynne said, “Graham Bailey, (Academy headmaster) calls me an ‘apprentice liaison coach’! I look at their lists and then see if we can organise more rides, or sometimes they have double-booked. I liaise between the trainers and the apprentices. The Highveld apprentice races are the biggest nightmare. Every trainer wants the best apprentice and their are only 14 apprentices in the country.”

Main Picture: Kaidan Brewer scores on the Kumaran Naidoo-trained Aunty Lizzy (Crusade) at Hollywodbets Greyville yesterday, his 41st win of the season. (Candiese Lenferna).