The relationship between a jockey and a trainer is akin to a well-choreographed dance, as both have a critical role in maximizing a horse’s potential and ultimately, its chances of success on the racetrack. Analysing jockey-trainer statistics often helps bettors gain insight into the partnership’s effectiveness.
The consistency and chemistry between the two horsemen can greatly influence a horse’s performance, and a successful partnership often leads to more favourable results on the racetrack.
At the eight-race Vaal Classic track meeting on Thursday 5 September, there are two jockey-trainer combinations to follow. Both are well-established partnerships with a similar winners-to-runners ratio.
Jockey Calvin Habib has forged a formidable partnership with the Tony Peter stable, and they have teamed up to great success with 58 winners – including some at the highest (Grade 1) level – from 275 associations at a respectable strike-rate of 21%. They team up in four races on the day and should win with two of those runners.
Bellissivar is good value to break her duck in Race 2 over 1000m, the same course and distance as her most recent outing in which she finished a close-up second on 20 August. On that occasion, the three-year-old Var filly was fitted with first-time blinkers and Peter’s decision to retain the headgear bodes well for Habib’s mount.
Stablemate Gimmeachoice has finished second in back-to-back recent starts, both over 1600m. The latest of those was under Habib on the Vaal straight course 15 days ago when beaten 0.50 lengths by frontrunning Archimides, who re-opposes in Race 6 over the same distance.
The Peter-trained Gimmethegreenlight colt is 1.5kg better off with his familiar foe, so is weighted to turn the tables in his first outing on the Classic track from gate No 7.
Trainer Fabian Habib and jockey S’manga Khumalo have a win percentage nigh on 21% with nine wins from their 43 associations, and they should better those statistics by teaming up to land a double of their own.
Habib-trained What A Winter gelding What A Tiger had won and finished second in consecutive 1000m appearances on Turffontein’s Standside track before his no-show last time out. However, there were legitimate excuses for that disappointing display – he was bumped leaving the stalls, overraced before tiring quickly – and it could pay to give him another chance in Race 3 over 1000m with Khumalo taking over the reins.
It is probably worth noting What A Tiger finished second in a similar contest in his penultimate start with Khumalo aboard.
Miss Hannigan, a progressive four-year-old filly, has thrived since joining Habib’s yard in mid-February. She has not finished worse than fourth in five starts for the stable, winning three, including her most recent outing over 1600m with Khumalo in the saddle.
This daughter of Canford Cliffs has, as a matter of fact, only once been beaten in four starts under the popular ‘Bling’.
Habib’s charge won a 1600m Pinnacle Stakes on the Standside track at Turffontein in early August, beating Solider’s Eye (3.10 lengths) and Gimme A Shot (3.10 lengths) with whom she renews rivalry in Race 4, a Pinnacle Stakes event over 1450m.
Miss Hannigan races off a career-high mark, owing to the six-point penalty earned for her last-start win, and is 1.5kg worse off with those two familiar foes although that isn’t likely to prevent her from adding to her tally, and that of the jockey-trainer combination.
Clive Robinson
