Everybody in South African racing wants to have a runner in the Vodacom Durban July and for Harold Crawford the dream could finally become a reality after 42 years as a trainer.
Perovskia is among the 250-1 longshots at the moment but the much-improved four-year-old has won his last three including the Jet Master, Crawford’s first feature success since Native King landed the 1993 Langerman and followed up in a Port Elizabeth Listed race the following year.
Perovskia (Chase Liebenberg)
Crawford, 65, has had to fight his way for most of his career and he is realistic (“at the moment I don’t think he will get in unless he runs well in another feature”) but he is determined to go down the right path – “I’m running him in the (Independent on Saturday) Drill Hall on May 6 even though that is not the right race for him and then maybe the Cup Trial on June 9.”
African Night Sky heads the market at 7-1 now that World Sports Betting has opened its book on the great race – some of the early operators had him at 6-1 last week – with Oh Susanna second favourite on 10-1.
The connections of the Sun Met winner have been careful not to say that the filly is going to run but, if she wins the Woolavington on June 2, the temptation to do so could well become irresistible as she is so favoured by the conditions.
She is the highest rated horse in the race (on 121) but the conditions stipulate that, as a three-year-old filly, she cannot carry more than 56kg. The top weight is 60kg and, with the weight-for-age allowance for three-year-olds being only 2kg over the trip in July, she could end up with quite a bit in hand.
- After Glow, many punters’ idea of a stand-out at Kenilworth on Wednesday, will not now run.
Adam Marcus said on Saturday: “She has come on a lot and she worked beautifully this morning. I thought ‘This is it.’ But then, when she walked away, I noticed that she wasn’t striding out quite right behind. We think a lot of her so I am not going to risk her. She will wait for another 1 400m race next month.”
By Michael Clower
