Gold Circle Pty (Ltd)

Today's Racing :

There’s good value about Equiparada

David Thiselton
The Champions Season is in full swing and is particularly interesting this year due to the wealth of good horses around.
The Vodacom Durban July will off course be a month later than usual this year giving punters more time to decide upon their bets. For those looking around for value, one that makes plenty of appeal is the Mike de Kock-trained Equiparada, currently at 200-1. She fits a number of the credentials necessary when looking for a placed horse.
This century virtually every single horse placed in the July has come from a big yard. The only ones to break the trend have been Big Brass from the St. John Gray yard in 2001, Key Of Destiny from the Colin Lee yard in 2002 and Red Badge from the Stan Elley yard in 2003 and 2004.
So Equiparada fits that factor more than adequately.
De Kock has also done well with fillies in this race over the last decade, winning with Ipi Tombe and placing second from the widest draw of all with Zirconeum last year.
Equiparada proved in the recent SA Oaks that she has enough stamina, finishing a close third in very testing conditions over 2 450m. Furthermore she looks to be a very relaxed sort indeed and travelled beautifully in the Oaks without a hint of keenness despite lying wide of the rail without cover.
She is also a big filly and is not likely to be pushed around in the July, which is often the biggest obstacle for fillies in this notoriously rough race.
The fact that she is Argentinian-bred, a country that is known to breed big, tough sorts, adds further credence to this factor. She has won at Greyville, drawing clear effortlessly in her third career start in a handicap over 1 900m. Lastly she has only had four starts, so there is likely improvement to come.
The downside is that she still has a lot to do to qualify and might have to win the Woolavington, which is her likely target.
However, those wanting to get those inviting 200-1 odds should do so sooner rather than later.

Ante-post betting for the Grade 1 Vodacom Durban July to be run on Saturday July 31: (Opening price)
4-1 Noordhoek Flyer (7-1); 8-1 Bravura, Irish Flame (25-1), Pocket Power; 12-1 Fort Vogue, 14-1 Gibraltar Blue, Aslan, River Jetez, Mother Russia (10-1), Rudra (12-1); 20-1 Big City Life, 25-1 Regal Ransom (33-1); 40-1 Galileo’s Galaxy (25-1), Dan De Lago, Fabiani; 50-1 Ancestral Fore (100-1), Bold Silvano
(33-1), Bulsara, (40-1), Havasha (100-1), Oracy (20-1), Red Rake, Russian Sage, 66-1 Imperious Star (33-1), Captain Scott, Love Is In The Air (100-1), Top Mark, Queens Bay; 100-1 Call To Combat (300-1), Buy And Sell, Forest Path, Here To Win, Orbison (300-1), Service Ace, Sidera (50-1); 150-1 Absolute Heretic (100-1), Alderry (66-1), Galanthus, Golden Chariot, Superfederation; 200-1 Equiparada, Echohawk, Conquered Dream (33-1), Flirtation (150-1), Goat (300-1), Sangria Girl (300-1), Vertical Takeoff (150-1); 250-1 upwards the others

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