African Night Sky is back at the head of the Vodacom Durban July market following his eye-catching return in the Pinnacle at Greyville on Saturday.

The Justin Snaith four-year-old drifted out to 8-1 in the fortnight after stable companion Do It Again won the Daisy Guineas but the pair are now 5-1 joint favourites with Betting World which has Met winner Oh Susanna next on 8-1 with Pack Leader 10-1 and WSB 1900 hero Elusive Silva on 14-1.

African Night Sky is 5-1 clear favourite with World Sports Betting which goes 6-1 Do It Again, 9-1 Oh Susanna, 12-1 Pack Leader, 15-1 Elusive Silva and 20-1 bar.

Do It Again (Candiese Marnewick)

Suggestions that Snaith Racing may call on Jeff Lloyd for one of its July runners are wide of the mark according to Jono Snaith who said on Saturday that Grant van Niekerk, Anton Marcus and Callan Murray are the stable’s booked jockeys for the race. There is also Bernard Fayd’Herbe who won last year’s July on Marinaresco and scored on both Star Express and Elusive Silva. But the stable believes that Coral Fever will run and so keep the weights of its contenders below Fayd’Herbe’s minimum.

Magical Wonderland, 7-2 favourite with WSB for the SA Fillies Sprint, is reported in good heart for Saturday’s Scottsville Grade 1.

Candice Bass-Robinson, who also runs 15-1 shot Live Life, said: “Magical Wonderland is doing well and looking good. She has come on since her last run and Aldo Domeyer was up at Summerveld last week to ride her work.”

Brett Crawford reports Tsogo Sun Sprint favourite Bold Respect in similarly good shape, saying: “He is very well in himself, in good form and spot on for the race.”

Crawford is also particularly keen on Traces in the Gold Medallion even though at 8-1 there are four above him in the market.

Joey Ramsden will declare Computaform Sprint winner Attenborough (Fayd’Herbe) for the Tsogo Sun and has booked Keagan de Melo for Speedpoint who was third in the Turffontein race but has been raised a whopping 11 points.

Significantly Richard Fourie, who won on Attenborough last time, has elected to stay in Cape Town to keep his partnership with the exciting Rainbow Bridge in the Highlands Stud Winter Classic.

Ramsden looks like having one of the biggest hands in this 1 800m Grade 3 and will run three- Ancestry, Morning Catch and the filly Fresnaye. Candice Bass-Robinson also plans to be three handed with July supplementary Rocket Countdown, Ben-hur and Pacific Chestnut. Snaith, who has won three of the last six runnings, has declared Callan Murray for Doublemint and Robert Khathi for Love Happens.

By Michael Clower

Featured Image: African Night Sky (Liesl King)