Veteran jockey Piere Strydom is at the top of his game and continues to boot home winners regularly at Highveld meetings, despite limited opportunities.
Striker, as he is affectionately known, boasts the best win ratio (27%) of the current Top 10 on the National Jockeys standings after a double at last week’s Vaal meeting.
The action returns to the Vereeniging-based circuit for an eight-race card on Thursday 17 October and Strydom’s good form is likely to continue as three of his five rides on the day are attractive betting propositions.
Strydom is good value to better his exploits of seven days ago by riding a race-to-race-to-race treble on the first half of the programme in races 2-4.
Pursuit Of Fame has improved since relocating to the Highveld from Mike Miller’s KwaZulu-Natal base after a poor three-start juvenile campaign in which he finished unplaced and was soundly beaten in all three appearances before joining Jaap Visser’s stable in mid-July. The Oratorio gelding has improved in seven outings since and filled the runners-up second on three occasions, including his latest start over 1000m on the Vaal’s Classic track a fortnight ago.
Visser’s charge needs only to repeat a similar performance to go one better and the booking of in-form Strydom bodes well for the chances of Pursuit Of Fame in Race 2 over 1200m.
Striker has forged a formidable partnership with trainer Johan Janse van Vuuren – his eight rides for the stable yielding three wins, two seconds and two fourth-place finishes. He partners So Seductive in Race 3 over 1100m and the Van Vuuren-trained filly ought to make the most of a drop in class to recapture the winning thread.
She won at a higher level over 1200m on Turffontein’s Inside track last month and acquitted herself well under a three-point penalty (her current mark) to finish third over that course and distance 26 days ago.
So Seductive shoulders 61kg eased in grade but, with Strydom in the irons, she will be hard to beat.
The Strydom factor could make all the difference for Kobus Roux-trained Lacewing in Race 3 over 1700m. This well-bred Danon Platina filly has finished second in three consecutive starts, including both starts over 1600m. However, she will be ridden for the first time by the experienced Striker and the extra 100m will also be more to her liking.
Lightly raced His Lordship returned from a five-month absence, during which he was gelded, to shed his maiden tag five weeks ago and the form of that victory was franked by two subsequent winners from that race. The well-bred four-year-old son of What A Winter returns to the scene (course and distance) of that maiden success in Race 8 over 1200m and it should pay to follow the progress of the Dianne Stenger-trained gelding who will benefit from his rider’s 4kg apprentice allowance.
Clive Robinson
