Turf Talk Newsletter – 30 July, 2025

Piere Strydom and Gavin Lerena share a moment at Striker’s last ever meeting at Turffontein on Saturday (JC Photos)  

 

Dave Mollett

As the curtain comes down on the 2024/25 season, these are memorable racing times for two of the sport’s favourite sons, Piere Strydom and Gavin Lerena.

Piere rode his first winner in 1982 which means I have been reporting on his outstanding career for three decades. What was his greatest ride? No doubt in my mind – his perfectly-timed finish on Lucky Houdalakis’ star, J J The Jet Plane, in Hong Kong. Wonderful day (and night!) with HK dollars bulging in my pockets.
A win for Royal Victory in Sunday’s HKJC Champions Cup would have been a fitting farewell. It wasn’t to be. Rather like cricket legend Donald Bradman getting a duck in his final innings.

Regular readers of Turf Talk will know editor, David Thiselton, has put together a fascinating series of articles on Piere’s career. It tells – in detail – the jockeys rise from a slow beginning to reach the top.

“Striker” – as he is affectionately known – has ridden many talented fillies in his career and recently he described Quid Pro Quo as “the best filly I’ve ever ridden.” Some statement given the many talented females he has partnered in his long career.

He will be sad to hear of the passing of that filly’s trainer, Barend Botes.

Like all sportsmen and sportswomen, there are good and bad times and there’s no doubt it’s been a turbulent season for Gavin Lerena but, happily, it has ended on a high note with the 39 year-old securing his second jockeys championship.

This time no last week drama like 2012 when Gavin was pipped by a single winner by Anton Marcus on the final day of the season.

Of course, the big talking point surrounding Gavin was his whipping of Jason Gates on the back during a race at Turffontein in January. It made the overseas media with the UK’s Daily Mail stating “Two rival jockeys – including a decorated star who has Group 1 victories to his name – are the talk of the sport after violently whipping each other mid-race.”

If there’s a similar event in another sport it is Zinedine Zedane’s losing it in a 2006 World Cup match against Italy when he head-butted an opponent and was sent off.

Gavin later commented on Instagram: “What took place is entirely inconsistent with my character and I deeply regret the incident.”

His wife, Vikki, who started riding at Yvette Bremner’s yard at the tender age of 13 and is now an on-course presenter in Gauteng, rushed to his defence saying “My husband is the most dedicated person I know. His love for the game and the horse has no boundaries.”

What has totally confused the majority of racing folk is the fact that Gavin hasn’t served any suspension for an incident that took place in January. In April, the Sporting Post reported that the jockey had appealed the 90-day ban (60 suspended) and fine handed down by the NHRA.

If you are suspended in top racing countries like France or Hong Kong, there’s no delay in them coming into effect. Personally it suited me having backed Gavin at 6-1 to win the title (I owe you a drink,Gav), but we need to get our act together in this regard.

Although he will be disappointed not to have been involved in the finish on Madison Valley in the Gold Cup, Gavin didn’t leave Hollywoodbets Greryville empty-handed as he captured the Gr 1 Mercury Sprint on Tony Peter’s three-year old, Buffalo Storm Cody.

Richard Fourie knew a fortnight ago that he wasn’t going to retain his title, but it’s been another big season for the talented rider and he notched a double on Sunday scoring on I Salute You and Alan Greeff’s sensational two year-old filly, Golden Palm.

Bought pretty cheaply for R260 000 by Peter Moor, Golden Palm was bred by Varsfontein Stud who are sending a strong draft of 20 youngsters to the forthcoming BSA Two Year-Old Sale on August 21 and 22.

Now that draft just happens to include a half-sister (by Gimmethegreenlight) to Golden Palm. Couldn’t have been better timing for Varsfontein.

The big plus for the successful operation run by Carl and Amanda de Vos is that they name their horses so well. Golden Palm’s half-sister is no exception and is called Lightscameraaction. There is likely to be plenty of that when the filly enters the sales ring and – if Mr Moor is keen on her – he will face plenty of opposition this time.

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We are just three weeks away from a racing event which – in 2024 – was officially designated as “The Best Race In The World.” It is the Gr Juddmonte Stakes scheduled for York on August 20.

I haven’t missed many of this famous York meeting and – as usual – will get early to my vantage point in the County Stand to make sure I catch the big race action from start to finish.

Despite his shock defeat in the Sussex Stakes, York officials will be keeping their fingers crossed that the Gosden star, Field Of Gold, is in the final line-up.

John Gosden’s post-race comment at Goodwood: “They ignored the pacemaker and paid the price.”

The Juddmonte field could also include Delacroix and Ombudsman and possibly a runner from Japan which would make it truly “international.”

It is 13 years since I witnessed Frankel’s win in the Juddmonte – the horse who won 14 races in an illustrious career (including 10 Gr 1’s) accelerating in a matter of strides to put seven lengths between himself and his nearest pursuer.

Frankel’s career has prompted many glowing tributes but the one I like best was written by UK journo, Nick Lightfoot.

He wrote: “Frankel was box office. He put bums on seats, emptied bars and captured the heart and imagination like no other. There are no stains on his record. No off-days. No hard luck stories. Just pure perfection.”

Qirat keeps going and is now an unlikely Gr 1 winner (Picture: Sky Sports Racing)

Qirat became the first 150-1 winner of a Group 1 in Britain after an enterprising ride from the front in the Qatar Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood on Wednesday. He was in the race as a pacemaker for 1-3 favourite Field Of Gold but, as that rival disappointed, he stormed clear under Richard Kingscote.

Click here to read the full article

Heritage Ridge finally got off the mark on Tuesday under Chad Little (Picture: Wayne Marks) 

The Paul Reeves-trained Querari filly Heritage Ridge got off the mark on Tuesday at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth at the 13th time of asking, but that does not tell the full story as she has not enjoyed much luck and she looks to be coming into her own, so could become a consistent handicapper off a merit rating that remained on 73 after the win.

Turf Talk-sponsored jockey Chad Little rode her and she was the first leg of a double for Querari, who also had a trifecta on the day in the sixth race.

Cape Breeders compiled the below story about Querari’s success on the day:

Maine Chance Farms’ inform sire Querari has had a great season in 2024-2025 and he ended it in style when responsible for a double at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Tuesday.

Remarkably, Querari sons Afrique, King’s Quest and My Bestie finished 1-2-3 in the sixth race at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth.

Querari struck first on Tuesday when his daughter Heritage Ridge won the Race Coast Maiden Plate (1000m). The three-year-old stayed on gamely, under Chad Little, to break her maiden by just under half a length.

Bred by Wilgerbosdrift & Mauritzfontein, Heritage Ridge races for the Turf Talk Syndicate.

Querari looks to have a progressive sort to his name in the form of Afrique. The latter romped home to claim Tuesday’s www.hollywoodbets.net Class 4 (1600m) by three and three quarter lengths.

Trained by Lucinda Woodruff, three-year-old Afrique was ridden on Tuesday by JP Van Der Merwe.

Bred by Normandy Stud, Afrique has won two of his last three starts.

Owned by Greg Bortz, Mukund Gudjadhur and Gina Goldsmith, Afrique is out of the Kabool mare Quetta.

His sire Querari also enjoyed big-race success at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Sunday when his top-class daughter Rainbow Lorikeet won the G2 Bet With The World Gold Bracelet for Candace Bass-Robinson and Aldo Domeyer. Bred by Wilgerbosdrift & Mauritzfontein, the Yuppie Syndicate owned Rainbow Lorikeet is now a three time graded stakes winner and has earned R1 139 275.

South Africa’s Leading Sire of two-year-olds in 2018-2019, Querari has seven lots on offer at the August Two Year Old Sale.

Eight on Eighteen at the Hollywoodbets Durban July gallops (Candiese Lenferna Photography)

The term “bargain buy” usually refers to cheap horses who make it, but should really refer to the ones that yield the biggest percentage returns and head and shoulders the leader in that regard this season is the Justin Snaith-trained Drakenstein Stud-bred Lancaster Bomber colt Eight On Eighteen.

The Nick Jonsson and Johann Rupert-owned colt was comfortably the leading earner this season on R6,556,875, well clear of the Alec Laird-trained Atticus Finch on R3,631,250 , the Dean Kanemeyer-trained The Real Prince on R3,539,844, the Vaughan Marshall-trained One Stripe on R3,291,325 and the Stuart Ferrie-trained Gladatorian on R1,994,838.

Eight On Eighteen is probably worth tens of millions considering his stud value, so the R700,000 he was purchased for at the BSA Nationals looks a tuppence now.

His late sire Lancaster Bomber only ever produced  two crops and illustrating what a loss he was is that he finished in fourth place on the national log, despite having only had 115 runners.

Lancaster Bomber has to date had eleven stakes winners, including five Gr 1 winners.

His Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas winner Snow Pilot has stallion potential, but is not quite as exciting a stallion prospect as the three-time Gr 1-winning Eight On Eighteen.

Of the other highest earning racehorses of the season One Stripe could have challenged Eight On Eighteen as leading earner if he had not departed for overseas and this One World colt also has exciting stallion potential.

It should be noted that One Stripe was the most expensive horse at his Sale, the Cape Racing Sales Ready To Run And Unbroken Two-year-old Sale, where he fetched R1.4 million. He has also proved to be a bargain buy.

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Trois Trois Quatre makes it career win number six (Candiese Lenferna Photogaphy) 

Andrew Harrison (Race Coast)

Records are made to be broken but former champion jockey Anthony Delpech would have thought that his record of 334 winners in a season was fairly safe. Richard Fourie put paid to that last season but the aptly named Trois Trois Quatre will have been in the forefront of his mind at Hollywoodbets Scottsville yesterday.

French for 334, Sean Veale rode a confident race on the son of Rafeef, coming from off the pace to motor past the filly Plum Pudding in the Gallop TV Class 3 that headlined the meeting.

Often a tardy starter, Veale had his mount out in a flash and although at the back of the field for most of the race, the gelding quickened up smartly up the inside under minimum effort from Veale. “If I haven’t pulled my stick at the 200 you know that I have plenty of horse under me,” quipped the rider, always good for a quote or three.

It was Hollywood Racing’s 693rd winner since registering their colours.

It is seldom that we have two objections in a day but the first came in the first when Chad Little, runner-up on Lucinda Woodruff’s filly Ebisu, protested against Nathan Kotzen’s charge Fascination and apprentice Dezahn Louw on the grounds of interference in the latter stages. It was a case of six-of-one and six-of-the-other and the result remained unchanged not to anyone’s surprise.

It is seldom these days to have the stipendiary stewards lodging an objection and when that sirens goes off the result is almost always a foregone conclusion. While Trois Trois Quatre and Plum Pudding were fighting it out for top honours, Royal Invitation and Arverni King were having a ding-dong over third place, with Arverni King the one missing out.

Apprentice Damyan Pillay continues to impress and in spite of a lengthy break from riding through injury he has come back without fear. He got the well-backed Jet Legacy home for Alyson Wright in the second although his Academy colleague Mxolisi Mbuto came in for plenty of criticism for his handling of second-placed Major Tommie as he allowed his mount to shift right across the hindquarters of the winner to only get beaten a neck.

Every trainer dreads the positive tests for NCO2 whether they are guilty of not and it was visibly upset Lucinda Woodruff who dragged her saddle back from the saddling enclosure after favourite Sohot Sowhat failed the test and was withdrawn from the first leg of the Pick 6 leaving five runners to contest the race.

Captain’s Christie looked to have the race in the bag before Russian Doll arrived late. Out of racing for nearly a year, Michael Roberts had his filly in good order and Siphesihle Hlengwa got the best out of her.

Duncan Howells has his stable in good order of late and Promise Of Fire made the required improvement to land the fourth and shed her maiden. Always handy under Kabelo Matsunyane, the daughter of Fire Away kept rolling to hold off Dee Day with Harpa a distant third.

Tristan Godden set a pedestrian pace on Lucky Dollar in the fifth and was not for the catching as he kept rolling to comfortably keep French Trip at bay.

Lucky Dollar is co-owned by Bruce Campbell who enjoyed his finest hour as a breeder along with Jane and Rodney Trotter and Rob Alexander with the Master Of My Fate colt Jan van Goyen winning the Gr1 World Pool Moment of the Day Champion Stakes at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Sunday, a win that could well earn Mike and Mathew de Kock’s colt an Equus Award.

Donovan Dillon pictured after a winning ride at the Wellington Race Club in New South Wales on Tuesday

Donovan Dillon should make a breakthrough next season in Australia, considering his first ride as a permanent resident was only on January 2 this year and he has accumulated 29 wins in the seven months that were remaining of the season and has done it at a decent strike rate of 12% and has a place strike rate of 34%.

Donovan previously rode exclusively for the small racing yard at the famous Arrowfield stud farm where he was based and rides were few and far between and he was also out for a long time with a serious thigh injury.

He can now look forward to a full season and will be hoping to draw the attention of the Metropolitan yards.

His 29 wins put him in 229th position on the Australian log.

However, if he doubles that in a full season of riding he would be on the second page of the log between 85th and 90th on the log.

He said a couple of years ago he believed he could make it to the top in Australia and he is going about it in the right way.

On the same page as Donovan are some other names who will be known to South African fans:

It is heartwarming to see Heavelon van der Hoven doing well with 31 wins at a strike rate of 11.6%. He was battling in Cape Town at one stage, although he did take home one of the biggest riding cheques in South African history when winning the 2016 CTS Million Dollar on the Glen Puller-trained Illuminator having got the ride only on the morning of the race thanks to a sore back causing Weichong to book off. Heavelon earned a cheque of about R630,000 for the chance ride.

Brandon Lerena has had 31 wins at 13%.

Karl Zechner has had 30 wins at a strike rate of 8.3%.

Jaden Lloyd, son of legendary South African jockey Jeff Lloyd, has had 27 wins at 11.7%.

Jeff’s sensational younger son Zac is in 21st position on the Austrakian log with 97 wins at 1.3% and earnings of $14,566,360.

Summer Winter, pictured winning her maiden by 6,50 lengths, will provide a last ever professional ride for the legendary Piere Strydom (via youtube)

Legendary jockey Piere “Striker Strydom has his last ever professional ride at the Vaal Classic track’s nine race meeting on Thursday and he could well go out with a bang as he will be aboard the hard-knocking favourite, the Mike and Adam Azzie-trained What A Winter filly Summer Winter.

The MR 72 Handicap race for fillies and mares over 1000m will be contested by nine horses and three-year-old Summer Winter has to carry topweight of 61kg off a 79 merit rating and also possibly against her will be a draw of four over a course and distance in which high draws are often favoured. A positive is that as Piere is a heavyweight rider she will not be carrying much deadweight. Summer Winter won her maiden in her penultimate start over 1000m at Turffontein Standside by 6,50 lengths and in the three races over that same trip on the day hers was the fastest. Her first run out of the maidens was on Hollywoodbets Durban July day over 1000m on the poly, a day in which the fields are always strong, and she ran a cracking 1,40 length third. The form has worked out well with a winner and a second having come out of the race. The main danger could be the British-bred Deal Maker, who finished a 5,20 length second on debut and the form has not worked out badly. She should improve and she has a nice high draw too. Gaelic Dancer is in good form and should be thereabouts. Time For Charity is capable of popping up into the places. Predatrice could also be in the shake up if repeating her last start.

The highest rated race of the day is the 6th, a MR 97 handicap for fillies and mares over 1450m. Hong Kong has always been highly regarded and improved last time when stepped up to 1600m. She should also enjoy 1450m from draw two. Exceedingly Glam might have a slight stamina doubt, but she has gone close over this course and distance before and from a fair draw in the fast winter conditions she could make an impact. In The Beginning showed a lot of early promise and shoud be cherry ripe, so could bounce back over a suitable trip off a reduced merit rating. Andi’s Girl has plenty of ability and could bounce back to form under Lerena, although she has a tricky draw of six. Destiny Of Fire has some class and might enjoy the step down in trip as he did have some decent form over this distance category last year.

In he first leg of the Pick 6 over 1600m Radio Star has been knocking on the door and finished 2,70 lengths behind Jan van Goyen last time and the latter franked the form by winning a two-year-old Gr 1 with ease on Sunday. Luwak made a fair debut and the form has been franked by the second-placed horse winning next time out, but Luwak was beaten five lengths by that horse so will need to improve. Matroosberg improved last time and could earn again with a repeat. Sergeant Soqrat has shown some ability and could earn here. Balerion is by Wings Of Desire and is a half-brother to the like of Herodotus (Trippi), who was a Gr 2 runner up over 1800m.

In the fifth race over 1600m Asiah’s Tiara has a good opportunity to get off the mark from a middle draw and just needs to repeat her penultimate start over 1500m. Nkwenkwezi is knocking hard and should be right there under Strydom, who will have to overcome a wide draw. Bella Boop Boop is capable of being involved in the finish here. Witching Hour has a good draw with Lerena up and should be in the shake up too. Mattiazo should be in the shake up from a good draw.

In the seventh over 1450m Way To Burn was right there last time and would have gone close had the apprentice jockey kept the whip in the correct hand under the circumstances instead of the wrong hand which caused the horse to hang out. Off a one point lower mark she should make a bold bid. Too Late My Mate was close to a couple of fair sorts last time, Busstopinhounslow and Guy Gibson, and is also a big runner here. Messaline can earn if repeating her last start. Whirlybird is never far off and can earn again. Sunshine Day is capable of earning here if able to overcome a wide draw.

In the eighth race over 1450m Palace Prince has run two good races out the maidens and is the one to beat under Gavin Lerena, although a wide draw will make it tough. After Hours goes well for Striker and from pole position he should be charging late. Crescendo is a lot better than his last run and this is a suitable trip, so he could bounce back from a fair draw.

In the first leg of the Bipot over 1200m Blushing Bloom finished a 2,10 length second to the promising Romilly last time over this trip and he is drawn in pole under Lerena so can go close with a repeat.

In the first leg of the PA Xenophon is knocking on the door and gives Strydom a good chance although the draw is tricky. Power Of Pearls debut form has worked out well and if close to her peak after a six montih layoff she should be right there. Siver Longword showed some improvement last time out and has a plum draw. Gavius Maximus looks capable of improvement on his moderate debut and has Lerena up, albeit from a tough draw. Parabellum has his third run after a rest and has the ability to earn.

In the first race over 1600m The Last Duke won easily second time out over 1160m and should prefer this trip but does have a tricky draw and Singleton Sam will be a big threat.

Which Brisbane jockey held a Brisbane premiership record of 87 wins in a season for forty years before broken by Mick Dittman

The subject is pictured above