ANTONMarcus will ride work this week and will make a decision on Thursday whether he will ride in the Vodacom Durban July or not.
The reigning champion jockey snapped a tendon in his thumb earlier this year and had to have a pin inserted.
He is booked to ride the Vaughan Marshall-trained Hill Fifty Four in the July and said, “The thumb is still pretty sore and I will stretch it this week and assess whether I can handle the pain or not. I would like to ride in the July but if I feel that I won’t be able to do a proper job, I won’t ride.”
Marcus hasn’t ridden in any races since bringing home the Equus Horse Of The Year Variety Club in the Grade 1 Gold Challenge over 1 600m at Clairwood on June 8.
The pin will come out next week (the week after the July) and the thumb will then require at least a two week recovery period.
Marcus said that after the removal of the pin he would have a period of rest, but hoped he would make it back for the Gold Cup on Super Saturday.
In related news, Hill Fifty Four and Whiteline Fever could have their weights in Saturday’s Vodacom Durban July reduced as their current merit ratings are subject to appeal.
Derek Brugman, racing manager for owners Markus and Ingrid Jooste, said: “The appeals effectively concern, not just these two horses, but every horse in the race because if we are successful - and I believe we will be - the chances of all the horses will be affected. Whiteline Fever will carry 1,5kg less and Hill Fifty Four one kilo less.”
Whiteline Fever was put up by this amount for his fourth to Variety Club in the Rising Sun Gold Challenge and Hill Fifty Four’s rating was left unchanged after finishing sixth.
On the day before the weights were published Brugman notified the NHA that he intended to appeal and two days later he lodged two separate appeals, saying that the wrong line horse had been used, that Whiteline Fever’s rating should not have been changed and that Hill Fifty Four should have been dropped by a kilo.
An NHA spokesperson said: “We have been struggling to put a panel together but we will endeavour to hold the appeal hearing before Saturday.”
Sean Tarry, the trainer of Whiteline Fever, said yesterday on behalf of this horse’s connections, “We need a definite yes or no answer by tomorrow so that we know how to react and whether to take it further.”
Tarry said that the reason for the appeals was that Whiteline Fever should have been used as the line horse and not third-placed Pomodoro, who was having his second run after a rest. “Whiteline Fever was a fit horse going into the race and Pomodoro was only about 85% fit,” said Tarry.
He continued, “Beach Beauty only ran to about 108 when winning the Drill Hall. Variety Club and Pomodoro only ran to roundabout 105 in their previous race at Greyville and to expect them to have improved ten pounds two weeks later is unrealistic.” - Gold Circle
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