CHAMPION RETURNS TO RIDE ON BIG DAY

One of South African racing’s favourite sons will return to our shores to ride at the season climax World Pool Gold Cup racemeeting at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Sunday 30 July.

Multiple South African champion Lyle Hewitson told the Sporting Post on Tuesday that he was looking forward to returning to the land of his birth for three weeks, and was keen to ride a few winners at one of the biggest racemeetings of the season.

“Our Hong Kong season ends at Sha Tin on Sunday 16 July and I felt it appropriate that I participate in a racemeeting sponsored by the Hong Kong World Pool. It will be great to rekindle relationships and catch up with familiar faces and people that were there when I started out. I’m very excited and looking forward to it,” added the man who is currently on 48 wins with two meetings left of the current Hong Kong term.

Crowned South African Champion Jockey in the 2017/18, 2018/19 and 2020/21 seasons, the 25 year old was also South African Champion Apprentice in the 2016/17 and 2017/18 seasons.

The records show that Lyle’s last ride on African soil was at Turffontein on 30 October 2021, when finishing second on Nebraas in an MR 103 Handicap. Three months earlier he had won the Gold Cup on the Tarry galloper, beating Richard Fourie on Silver Host.

Nebraas, now a 6yo, recently ran midfield in the Gr3 SplashOut 2200 on Hollywoodbets Durban July day, and the son of Vercingetorix will strip fit when Lyle renews his association with him on World Pool Gold Cup day as they attempt to land our premier staying race in partnership for a second time.

Nebraas looks to be the Tarry stable second choice this year in the 3200m marathon behind Future Pearl, a three-year-old Futura gelding who will be ridden once again by Richard Fourie.

Gold Circle report that Future Pearl will be out to land the unofficial Stayers Triple Crown.

He was a 3,25 length winner of the Gr 3 WSB Gold Bowl over 3200m at Turffontein Standside and an easy 2,80 length winner of the Gr 3 DSTV Gold Vase over 2400m on Hollywoodbets Durban July day.

If he lands the third ‘Gold’ stayers race he would have equalled the 2017 feat of the Weiho Marwing-trained Hermoso Mundo. Sean Tarry deliberately avoided the Gr 3 Track And Ball Derby in favour of the Gold Vase because the latter race has a condition that the winner cannot be raised more than six points.

Future Pearl, a big staying type who relished soft ground in both of his Gr 3 wins, thus comes in nicely weighted carrying 55kg, which is just 1kg above the bottom weight for the race of 54kg.

Future Pearl was raised from a 106 to a 112 for his Gold Vase win and would have got more than six points considering he was being eased up a long way from the line.

That can be contrasted with the Dean Kannemeyer-trained Runaway Song, who copped a 24 point raise for winning the Track & Ball Derby to go to 116. Runaway Song, a four-year-old Legislate gelding, had to carry topweight in the Gold Vase and was beaten 10,90 lengths. He will only be 1kg better off with Future Pearl in the Gold Cup.

The bottom weight for the big race was raised from 52kg to 54kg last year.

Future Pearl has drawn well in four out of the 22 entries and Nebraas’s nine draw will also see him jumping from a fair barrier position in the 3200m marathon event.

Tarry told Gold Circle about Future Pearl, “He is a big horse, big action, I always knew he wanted the ground. The races just didn’t line up for him early on, but at the same time I just kept him a little bit back just to let him strengthen up. He’s furnished and he’s doing well at the moment.”

Future Pearl ran in the Gr 3 Lonsdale Stirrup Cup over 2400m in between his wins in the Gold Bowl and Gold Vase and finished an unlucky 6th .

Tarry said, “He couldn’t get a run, they went slow and he was baulked and got boxed in. He ran on a bit at the end of the race but it was a slow run race and wasn’t run to suit him.” Tarry said about Nebraas, who was unplaced in the Gr 2 Splashout 2200: “To be fair that July consolation race was quite a slow run race, it was hard for the horses to quicken up.”

Nebraas carries 59kg in the Gold Cup meaning he gets 1kg from last year’s winner Shangani and he only has to give 4kg to Future Pearl. “I think he’s got a reasonable weight. He’s had a decent prep, so I definitely wouldn’t write him off,” concluded Tarry.