Grant van Niekerk wins the 2021 Cape Derby on Linebacker (Picture: Chase Liebenberg)
The talented Grant van Niekerk needs a break to win back his status as a sought after jockey and riding Note To Self in the Gr 1 Lucky Fish Cape Derby gives him a good opportunity.
The ride became available when Richard Fourie jumped off Note To Self upon Wish List becoming available due to the sidelining of Andrew Fortune.
The Justin Snaith-trained trio of Wish List, Happy Verse and Note To Self are dominating the top of the betting boards.
Note To Self is officially way under sufferance, but he is unexposed and was hugely impressive when cruising to victory over 2000m on WSB Met day.
Van Niekerk has a strike rate of 17.48% this season, but he has had just 18 wins because he has only had 103 rides.
He and Des McLachlan have formed a good partnership and this included a treble on the 11th of this month and a double on the 22nd.
Van Niekerk was victorious in the 2021 Cape Derby on the Vaughan Marshall-trained Linebacker, who went on to also win the Gr 2 WSB Guineas and the Gr 1 Daily News 2000 before only just failing to win the July.
Note To Self, a big, long-striding Futura gelding has a tricky draw of five out of eight.
He will make a bold bid.
