Keagan de Melo has shot in to the lead in what will be an intriguing race for the National Jockey Championship this season.

 

De Melo won the first four races at Durbanville today, which was the first meeting of the Hollywoodbets Spring Country Series, and then won the sixth race too to make it five.

 

That took him to 28 winners for the season, four clear of second-placed Muzi Yeni.

 

De Melo has strong support in three centres, KZN, Johannesburg and Cape Town, and has ridden more winners this calendar year than any other jockey in the country.

 

He must now be the strong favourite for the title.

 

If Muzi Yeni becomes Paul Peter’s official first call rider he will be a threat.

 

Richard Fourie is already 22 wins behind De Melo, so it will be tough to make up the leeway even if he starts traveling. 

 

In the second race all eyes were on the Grade 3 Langerman winner, the big Justin Snaith-trained Light Speed (Gimmethegreenlight), in a competitive Graduation Plate event over 1600m.

 

Snaith confirmed before the race Light Speed is one of the yard’s best three-year-olds.

 

The plan was to take him to the front as he is a big galloper and Durbanville is on the tight side.

 

His wide draw allowed De Melo the time to get him to the front.

 

In the straight his big stride kept him clear of the closers, although the Piet Botha-trained Baratheon (Jackson) and the Vaughan Marshall-trained Scalini (Pomodoro) were making inroads late on.

 

Light Speed held on by 0,40 lengths. 

 

Snaith said he would now put him away for a bit before bringing him out for the big Summer Season features.   

 

It was a good performance from Baratheon, considering he was the only other horse besides the winner carrying topweight of 60kg. 

 

Scalini also caught the eye and should progress. 

 

The win gave Gimmethegreenlight a quick double as De Melo had got up in the first race over 1250m on the Candice Bass-Robinson-trained Gimme’s Lassie.

 

De Melo won the third over 1250m on the Snaith-trained Tough Terrain (Querari) and this horse was impressive. He apparently has a bit of a mouth issue but the powerfully built gelding led, cornered well and then drew further and further clear in the straight being ridden hands and heels. He was six lengths clear in the end and looks to be an exciting prospect.

 

In the fourth race over 1250m the unstoppable De Melo took the bull by the horns again and took the Greg Ennion-trained Wyag (What A Winter) to the font from a wide draw of nine. He held on to win by 0,75 lengths from Carriacou with the Snaith-trained favourite Aussenkehr third. Ennion confirmed this big horse was still a big baby and has plenty of scope for improvement.

 

In fifth place, running on well was Kingdom Of Heaven, a Drakenstein Stud-bred Snaith-trained Dynasty colt who is out of a Bernadini half-sister to former Equus Horse Of The Year Oh Susanna. He clearly has as much promise as his pedigree suggests.   

 

The next race was fittingly won by the Hollywood Syndicate-owned Metar (Soft Falling Rain). It is the first meeting since the course became known as Hollywoodbets Durbanville. The filly is trained by Brett Crawford and came from last under Luyolo Mxothwa.

 

The sixth saw the once promising Glen Kotzen-trained Jasmine (Futura) bouncing back to form with a powerful, winning finish under De Melo over 1600m.