The home team won three races and the visitors managed one victory in the jockeys’ challenge at Turffontein on Sunday. Turffontein is in Johannesburd, South Africa. 

Individual honours went to Frankie Dettori who had the best in-the-money finishes. Gavin Lerena, the rising star in South Africa, rode a double. His winning mounts were Winter Cruise and Jet Flyer. Anton Marcus won aboard Muamba for the home team. Richard Hughes helped the visitors avoid a shutout. He steered Jack Sparrow to victory.

Winter Cruise made a late move with jockey Lerena as Dettori kicked for home aboard Roman Times. As Dettori was being hailed a winner, jockey Lerena conjured up a magic run from his mount to edge ahead in the waning yards. In a gesture of appreciation, Frankie Dettori high fived Lerena soon after the winning post.

Jockey Gavin Lerena expressed his thrill. “For a youngster like me to ride with Frankie Dettori and all these greats, it is awesome.”

Seb Sanders, Jimmy Fortune and Mick Kinane were the other members of the international team.

Here is news from Goldikova’s camp. Trainer Freddie Head has confirmed that the Anabaa filly will be in training in 2010. The key target will be the Breeders’ Cup Mile Turf, a Grade I event that Goldikova has won in 2008 and 2009. The 2010 Breeders’ Cup races will be held at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Goldikova will be freshened and will begin training in early spring. William Hill makes Goldikova a 3-1 chance to accomplish the unprecedented feat of winning three BC races.  Goldikova has seven Group I wins to her credit.

Conduit is the 11-4 favourite to land the Japan Cup (turf) at Tokyo Racecourse. The 2400-metre 3.68 million-pound race will be run on Sunday. The race will be run about 11 30 AM Sunday Indian time. Tokyo is a left-handed course. Conduit faces strong opposition. Vodka, Japan’s premier distaffer, is in the field. Christophe Lemire will be aboard. Screen Hero, the 2008 winner, is back to defend the title. Logi Universe, the Japanese Derby winner this year, will take his chances.  Two accomplished Canadian contenders, Just As Well and Marsh Side, are in the fray. The Sir Michael Stoute-trained Conduit will qualify for a 900,000-pound bonus if successful in the Japan Cup, the second richest race in the world after the Dubai World Cup.  The total prize money is 3.68 million British pounds.

In 28 runnings of the Japan Cup, the visitors have 14 times. It is an even split. Blue Square, the British bookmaking company, offers 4/6 on the home team and the overseas team is at 11/10.

Do you remember Darren Williams? He served a suspension and applied to the British Horseracing Authority for reinstatement. His application was rejected. Jockey Williams, 31, now says that he has abandoned his plan to appeal. The cost of the appeal will approximately be 8,000 pounds and Williams has said that he cannot get hold of the funds at the moment. He will apply again in the spring of 2010.

Garrett Gomez was in a spill on Saturday at Hollywood Park. The 37 year-old Gomez was on the lead with Bonnie Brown Eyes in a freshman filly maiden claiming sprint. The filly, making her second career start, broke down with 150 metres left and had a length and a half lead at that point.  It was found that she had shattered her right front ankle. She fell, broke her neck and died. Gomez rolled under the rail and escaped being struck by trailing horses. He was taken to the hospital. Gomez is the Eclipse Award winning jockey in 2007 and 2008.

Gomez was off his mounts on Sunday. He was sent home. Ron Anderson, Gomez’s agent, sent out a text message. “He is sore after the spill. He’s all right. Nothing broken, “Anderson wrote.

There is a new world record for 1,200 metres. At Turf Paradise, a track in Arizona, on Saturday, Twin Sparks ran 1,200 metres (on a dirt track) in 1 06.49 seconds. The six year-old won the Caballos Del Sol Handicap by eleven and one quarter lengths. His odds were 9-1. Luis Medina was the winning rider. Twin Sparks carried 114 pounds. The dirt mark for the 1200-metre sprint was held by G Malleah who clocked 1 06.60 at Turf Paradise in April 1995. At Santa Anita, on the cushion surface, Bob Black Jack ran 1,200 metres in 1 06.53 in the Sunshine Millions Sprint in 2008. 

Karl Myers, Twin Sparks’ trainer, commented. “He is a nice old horse who has had a few problems. I guess he is doing a lot better today.”

Quality Road is getting gate practice in New York. The Todd Pletcher trainee held up the start of the Breeders’ Cup Classic. He refused to enter the stall. He was sent by van to New York. Quality Road went through a ‘gate test’ and the Blood Horse site has reported that Quality Road came through with flying colours. He was loaded six times without incident. Loading was done with John Velasquez up and without him. The Hill N’ Dale Cigar Mile is Quality Road’s next race. It is on November 28.

There was a Grade I race in Japan on Sunday. It was the (turf) Mile Championship at the right-handed Kyoto Racecourse. There was light rain when the race was run. Company, an eight year-old and the 13/10 favourite, justified the favouritism. Meiner Falke was the bridesmaid. Sahpresa was a fast-finishing third. Eighteen went postward. The total prize money was 2,366,000 US dollars.

H Otonashi trains Company. N Yokoyama rode. The time was 1 33.2 seconds. Company, held up until the home turn, ran on determinedly to win by a length and a quarter. A neck separated second and third. Company, by Miracle Admire out of Brilliant Very by Northern Taste, is being retired to stud. Company is the only eight year-old to have won a G I race. In fact, the Mile Championship was the second G I win for Company this year who came off a resounding win in the 2000-metre Tennosho Autumn over three weeks ago.

On Sunday at Sha Tin in Hong Kong, the unfancied Fellowship beat some better-accomplished rivals in the Cathay Pacific International Mile (turf) Trial. Ridden by Zac Purton, Fellowship lay in mid division and used a deadly stretch charge to win by three parts of a length. Sha Tin is a right-handed course. Sight Winner took the runner-up berth. Good Ba Ba, the multiple Grade I-winning horse, salvaged third. Eagle Mountain, the 2008 Hong Kong Cup winner, finished ninth. He was racing after a long layoff.

Winning trainer Paul Sullivan spoke. “He (Fellowship) has been a very honest performer and has competed at the top level for a season and a half. He has often found one or two too good for him on the big day. Today, though, he got a nice run under Zac, the pace was good and he deserved it. He was getting five pounds today. On December 13, the weight advantage won’t be there but he has earned his place in the field.”

On Sunday, December 13, four G I (all turf) races will be run at Sha Tin. These races attract strong fields. I will keep you posted as and when information is available.

Here is news from Australia. Damien Oliver is one of Australia’s top jockeys. Oliver’s urine sample turned out positive on October 31. There were traces of Ephedrine, a prohibited substance. Ephedrine, a stimulant, is used in appetite-suppressing drugs. Oliver pleaded guilty to the charge and was slapped with a month-long ban.

Jockey Oliver has stated that he has used a herbal supplement and there have been no issues since 2000. The supplement, according to Oliver, may be the culprit. In any case, Oliver has said that his penalty is ‘highly excessive’ given penalties imposed in prior cases. He is appealing. The suspension begins on Wednesday after the meeting at Sandown where Oliver has three rides. If Oliver’s appeal fails, he will miss the ride on Apache Cat in the Hong Kong Sprint on December 13. He can return to riding on December 26. Oliver rides primarily in Victoria and has been a perennial leader there.

The Irish racing season ends on November 27. Dundalk, the all weather facility, has a three-day meeting that ends on Saturday. John Murtagh is on his way to winning the riding title.

All the action in England is on all weather surfaces. ‘Jumps’ racing is the order of the day in both England and Ireland.

In America, we have come to the final phase of the 2009 season. Grass races are held only in warmer climates. Aqueduct is racing in New York. Hawthorne runs in Chicago until end of December. Hollywood Park is in action in California. Hialeah will race in Florida. Fair Grounds is racing in Louisiana.

I have less than three weeks left for my trip to India. This is a trip I make every year but the excitement never diminishes. I have made a lot of friends in recent years. I look forward to seeing them. Racing fans (referred to as punters in India) are the same everywhere. The language is different from place to place. There are handicapping theories and then, there are more handicapping theories. There are conspiracy angles. The bookmakers add to the mix. When you bet at the Tote, it is like eating idlis without chilli powder.

Results of The 26th Mile Championship Grade-I (JPA) Click Here