Jack Milner
Mike de Kock dominated the outcome of the Grade 2 Topbet Joburg Spring F&M Challenge at Turffontein on Saturday with his two runners fighting out the finish of this 1450m race on the Inside track.
Unfortunately for most punters it was 33-1 Humdinger, ridden by JP van der Merwe, who kept going to hold off 9-4 second favourite Desert Miracle, with S'manga Khumalo up, by 0.20 lengths. Third place went to Gimme A Shot, who finished a further 1.50 length back with Mercury Rising in fourth.
Van der Merwe wasted no time taking his mount to the front while at the other end of the field Khumalo and Desert Miracle were slightly slow out of the stalls and the filly dropped to the back of the field.
Halfway up the straight Humdinger was challenged by 2-1 favourite Big Burn who actually went on by for a few strides as well as three-year-old Gimme a Shot. However, Humdinger was not done and came back into the lead only to find his stablemate moving up swiftly on his inside.
But Van der Merwe is not an easy jockey to get past, even with Khumalo on the opposition, and Humdinger kept on well enough to cause the upset.