Ride Of The Month: Richard Fourie

The fifth in our series of the most eye-catching ride by a Cape-based jockey each month. We ask former Cape Town Met-winning rider and renowned jockey MJ Byleveld, now a member of Cape Racing’s on-course commentary team, for his verdict.

Ride Of The Month (October): Richard Fourie – King Viserys

As I’m writing this I’m getting ready for the second meeting of this summer at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth, although Monday’s weather had us all diving into the cupboard for a jersey and some wet-weather gear. Today the sun’s out!

Enough of that though. If I’ve learnt one thing about being in the Cape it’s that Capetonians love talking about the weather.

On to the more serious business of discussing rides that caught my eye at Hollywoodbets Durbanville in October.

It was quite a busy month, certainly given by what we experienced in the region in the first quarter of the season.

The first meeting for the month was on the 5th and from a jockeys’ perspective there were some fine performances. I’ll go through those on that card which really impressed me, and I’ll go through these in racecard order.

In the second race Bagatelle Flash was battling on in the straight and Athandiwe Mgudlwa really had to get stuck into him. He had to work hard and got up late to beat Cork Bay.

Then, in the fourth race, Anthony Andrews was on the highest-rated maiden in the race, Sir Korski, and he went to the front in this 1250m sprint, but had to fight all the way to hold off Zeitz by a short head. There was another short-head finish in the fifth race where Devin Ashby rode the rank outsider Garden Of Eden for Grant Knowles’ Turf Talk Syndicate. The filly was quite green but Devin held it all together and got up late to beat Tuscan Romance. Despite being

125-1, Garden Of Eden looks one to follow.

Devin made it a quick double when he went to the front in the sixth race on Im The Buss and he had to work hard to hold off What A Fortune in another close finish.

The meeting itself produced some exciting racing and in the seventh race we saw Corne Orffer ride a cracking race on Boundless Energy, who is obviously a decent horse. Despite being green, Boundless Energy was held together and Corne gave him a cracking ride.

On the 8th October, Craig Bantam opened up by winning on Swiatek who was green, and was the second 125-1 winner in two meetings! Craig held her together and got up late to beat Miraculous. 

Also catching my eye that day was Father Wright on Flight Display, a nice tactical ride from the front, and Ashton Arries who was very patient when he couldn’t get a gap on Lovers Lane before coming late.

My ride of the month though goes to Richard Fourie. It could easily have been for taking a clearly far-from-fully-fit Snow Pilot to the front over the 1400m on the 12th. He let his mount stride out and it was brave to do so after the long layoff, and he kept going well. 

But his win on King Viserys on the 26th showed why Richard is King Richard. Drawn eight out of eight over the 1250m, he wanted to get across early on, but the field had bunched up and weren’t going all that quickly. So, he decided to commit and round them all and go to the front. At the top of the straight he went for home and caught everyone napping. It was a brilliant ride.

MJ’s past rides of the month

June: Oswald Noach – Little Miss Pink

July: Craig Zackey – Green Isle

August: Corne Orffer – Master Redoute September: Oswald Noach – Princess Of Bayeux