Craig Zackey, Gavin Lerena, and Richard Fourie are embroiled in a titanic three-way fight for the 2024-25 National Champion Jockeys’ title and their hunt for honours is one of several fascinating sub-plots in the final months of the current campaign.
Current log-leader Zackey, and leading Highveld rider Lerena, booted home two winners apiece at the midweek meeting in Gauteng at Turffontein last Thursday. Their dominance could spill over to the 10-race Vaal Classic track fixture on Thursday 15 May.
Both riders have multiple winning chances on the day, though Lerena could have the edge with a potential three-timer as opposed to Zackey’s likely double on the card.
With Race 1 being a Work Riders’ race, the title rivals square off for the first time on the day in Race 2 over 1600m and their mounts will likely fight it the finish. However, it is worth noting that Lerena rides Candice Dawson-trained Chronicle King instead of Fire Starter, who he steered to a very encouraging third on debut, so it could pay to follow the progress of the former whose debut second has been franked by subsequent winners from the same race.
Lerena also has a good winning chance aboard St John Gray’s hard-knocker Gamer, whose consistency may well be rewarded with an overdue victory in Race 6 over 2000m. This Potala Palace-colt has held his form at a higher level recently after back-to-back seconds and drops in class off a slightly reduced mark.
Ideal World filly Dimako’s Jet was a winner the last time Lerena sat on her back and the Weichong Marwing-trained filly is reunited with the in-form rider in Race 8 over 2000m.
She won a stronger race in her most recent start at her first outing over the distance and a resultant three-point penalty isn’t likely to prevent the progressive four-year-old from following up.
Elsewhere on the card, Zackey should find the target in Race 2 aboard Matcha Mint for trainer Paul Matchett and in Race 5 on Tyrone Zackey-trained Chieftain’s Shield.
Clive Robinson
