It’s no secret that South Africa has a dwindling pool of jockeys of decent caliber, and the Summer Bowl Non-Black Type, won by Double Grand Slam, served as a glaring example of this issue.

The race was tailor-made for a front-running effort from Rascova from draw 2, who was the horse to beat on paper—if ridden properly. Unfortunately, the ride she received from Denis Schwartz was a disappointing display of race pacing.

In contrast, the top-class tactician Richard Fourie seized the opportunity, delivering a masterful ride to claim victory on Double Grand Slam.

Schwartz’s pace work on the Grade 2 winning filly was less than required to get her over the line. The known front runner needs a particular ride to get the best out of her. He took Rascova to the front and forced her into an unsustainable gallop when he should have eased her into the lead and controlled the tempo. That strategy would have positioned her for a winning effort, forcing her competitors to scramble to keep up at the business end of the race. Instead, he pushed her too hard, too soon, and expected the talented filly to sustain the pace—a strategy doomed to fail, much to the frustration of punters who backed her.

The resulting chaos flipped the race form on its head, allowing Double Grand Slam to capitalize. In stark contrast to Schwartz’s ride, Fourie bided his time, expertly managing the pace before pouncing late—a testament to his status as one of the few pace masters left in South Africa.

The arrival of 4 time British Champion Jockey Oisin Murphy for the Summer Cup, brought in by international connections, underscores the importance of consistent, high-quality rides. At the elite level, where big money and stud careers are at stake, there’s no room for substandard performances. It will come as no surprise for big owners to start using overseas riders more often in South African feature races rather than use the riders left in South Africa. 

South African jockeys, as a whole, need to improve drastically to keep pace. Punters, trainers, owners, and fans deserve better.

Image: Cape Racing