Dean Smith’s six-timer on Friday 11 September put him top of the Lucky Fish Trainers Championship (Pauline Herman Photography)
*Championship statistics quoted were the ones on Monday 14 September
The Lucky Fish Championships’ are going to add interest to the racing season and this last weekend might well have proven how tight the competition is going to be at the top.
Dean Smith’s six-timer on the Fairview turf on Friday took him to 23 wins for the season and put him four clear of Justin Snaith in the Lucky Fish Trainers Championship, which carries R1 million in prizes for the first ten.
On Saturday Tony Peter had a treble at Turffontein Inside to join Snaith in second place.
Snaith then had a double at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on Sunday to close the gap on Smith to two.
Smith is five wins clear of arch rival Alan Greeff in the East Cape Trainers championship.
On Friday Craig Zackey rode a five-timer to go into joint-second place with Kabelo Matsunyane in the Lucky Fish Jockeys Championship, which also carries R1 million prize money for the first ten, and he was at that stage nine wins behind leader Keagan de Melo.
De Melo had a win on Friday night to go ten clear again and he had a double on Sunday.
However, Matsunyane rode all three of Peter’s winner on Saturday, meaning he remains nine wins behind De Melo and he is three in front of third-placed Zackey.
Callan Murray had a treble on Sunday and had also had a single win at Fairview on Friday, but he is only on 14 wins in total, 17 off the pace of 31 wins by De Melo.
The Apprentice Championships, which carried R200,000 in prize money for the first five, is being led jointly by Anaas Mosaheb and Dezahn Louw, who are both on ten wins with Blaine Marx-Jacobson and Damyan Pillay next best on six wins apiece and Divesh Ramkhalawon in fifth place on four wins.
All of the Championships look likely to be keenly fought.
