Eyes Wide Open has come tumbling down the betting.  In mid-May you could get 75-1 about him but he is now as short as 12-1 with only four horses – Hawwaam, Do It Again, Rainbow Bridge and Barahin – considered to have a better chance in Saturday’s Vodacom Durban July.

“Do the maths,” says Glen Kotzen. “In last year’s Cape Derby he beat Do It Again by a length and three-quarters at levels and now he is 7kg better.”

In fact Eyes Wide Open was to have gone for last year’s July – he was the early favourite – until Kotzen saw signs of a chip when the horse’s fetlock was x-rayed. He had it removed and gave him the necessary rest. That patience has been rewarded with the World Sports Betting 1900 and a close second in the Cup Trial.

“Eyes Wide Open is back to his best, back to when he won the Cape Derby,” the Woodhill trainer enthuses. “He put up a fantastic gallop last Thursday and the jockey battled to pull him up.”

An 18 draw briefly took the wind out of his sails but Kotzen is blessed with a supremely optimistic outlook on life that owners find both encouraging and infectious. It didn’t take long before he was back looking on the bright side. “I won’t say that we were not worried about that draw but we were dealt it and we are going to deal with it.

“In fact it might be a blessing in disguise and maybe it will keep him out of trouble. We just have to pray that Warren Kennedy finds a nice clear passage and doesn’t end up running wide.”

Kotzen has been following the progress of the favourite with particular interest because of the parallels he sees with Big City Life ten years ago. “He has had a not dissimilar prep to Big City Life who won the Cape Derby, the KRA Guineas and the Daily News.

“The one real difference is that the conditions of the July have changed and, whereas Big City Life came in off 51kg, Hawwaam has to carry 56kg. He is the best three-year-old in South Africa but it is going to be tough for him.

“My horse is absolutely flying and he is making it all so exciting for us. All we need now is to have luck in running.”

As if to gather that luck around him Kotzen looks back to ten years ago. “It was the most amazing thing – the horse was on a roll and we were on a roll. You just couldn’t stop us and with every race that went by we got more and more confident. In fact I was so confident about the July that I felt almost invincible.

“The only time I got butterflies in my stomach was when I saw that Big City Life was cruising and Pocket Power was some seven or eight lengths behind him. I thought: “Oh my God, I am going to win this!”

By Michael Clower

Probably the most popular bet on Vodacom Durban July day is the quartet on the main race where punters need to forecast the first four horses past the post in the correct order.

The pool on Saturday is expected to top R16 million so if you catch it right you will earn enough to buy more than just a pie and coke.

Justin Snaith, who saddled the first three past the post last year, saddles last year’s winner DO IT AGAIN (5/1). Although he shoulders top weight his form is impeccable and from a good draw he should be right there. He is second favourite in the ante-post betting and Justin Snaith is supremely confident. Mike de Kock saddles two runners, ruling ante-post favourite Hawaamm and BARAHIN (7/1). The latter is off the minimum mark for a three-year-old colt and is probably still under the radar as far as the handicappers are concerned. He came from a long way back to win the Jubilee Handicap and he has won at Hollywoodbets Greyville.

RAINBOW BRIDGE (7/1) has had the ideal preparation and this race has been his specific target since the day he was bought by Mike Rattray after the winning the Sun Met. He has done everything right for Eric Sands and a win will not be out of turn. MADE TO CONQUER (20/1), another Snaith runner, was second last year and carries the same weight this year. He has been catching the eye of late and jockey Mark Khan is confident of a big showing. EYES WIDE OPEN (14/1) has come to hand of late and beat Do It Again in the Cape Derby last season. Here he is very well weighted in comparison to Do It Again but a lot of water has passed under the bridge since their meeting in the Derby.

HAWWAAM (22/10) is all the rage and beaten only once in his career. There is no doubt that he is a top contender and is well in at the weights with a good draw. One concern is his temperament. He can be difficult in the preliminaries and a big crowd could upset him. He also has an inside draw in what is invariably a rough race which could set him off. That said, he was perfectly behaved when winning the Daily News 2000. LADY IN BLACK (75/1) is a smart filly who is well in at the weights. Trainer Dennis Drier is supremely confident that she will run a big race. “I’m not sure if she can beat the boys but she will be right there,” he said at the gallops. “She’s been crying out for this trip.” TWIST OF FATE (16/1) was runner up to Hawaamm in the KRA Guineas and is now 2kg better off with the ruling favourite. Trainer Joey Ramsden won this race with The Conglomerate from 20 draw so knows what it takes to win this race.

For my money the bulk of the quartet will come from the top seven in the betting with HEAD HONCHO (28/1), LADY IN BLACK (75/1), MADE TO CONQUER (20/1), LEGAL EAGLE (33/1) and DOUBLEMINT (33/1) runners that could make the first four.

Remember that you can always take a percentage should your combinations exceed your budget.

To take a bet go to www.tabgold.co.za or www.trackandball.co.za

By Andrew Harrison

Summerveld trainer Frank Robinson pointed out form was a big factor going into any Vodacom Durban July, whether it be the jockey, horse or trainer, so is pleased to have Marco van Rensburg aboard his charge Roy Had Enough.

Highveld-based Van Rensburg has won the Listed Sledgehammer on Orpheus, the Grade 2 Post Merchants on La Bella Mia and the KZN Breeders Million Mile on Morning Catch on three of his rare raids to Greyville this season. 

Roy Had Enough snuck into the July after winning the Grade 3 Track And Ball Derby over 2400m at Scottsville two weeks ago.

However, he is the biggest outsider in the race and Track and Ball have him at 100/1.

However, Robinson is not concerned and recalled when working as assistant trainer to Herman Brown how Sleek Machine just failed to catch the favourite London News in the 1996 July despite being one of the biggest outsiders.

Robinson said, “Roy Had Enough is as good as Sleek Machine and is not far off Orbison (third in 2010).”

He continued, “If you watch the Sledgehammer, Roy Had Enough runs away from Eyes Wide Open, who probably needed it but so did our horse, so why is one of them 12/1 and the other 100/1?”

He said, “His last race was only two weeks ago but that is not a concern, he is a very tough horse and is such a good eater, he never leaves anything. Nine out of ten good horses are very good eaters, they have good constitutions and that is why they are top horses. At the July gallops it was clear to see how well Roy Had Enough was.”

Robinson added, “The July is often won by a horse who can win over 2400m because they usually go a cracking pace.”

Roy Had Enough is drawn 15. 

He said, “I’ve been watching past Julys and the wider drawn horses stay out of trouble. As long as you have something in front of you. Do It Again won from draw 15 last year and if he had been stuck on the fence he would not have been able to build up the same momentum coming into the straight.”

Roy Had Enough has a good turn of foot and can maintain a strong finishing run, so is suited to the tight Greyville track. 

He is being underestimated by the bookmakers.

Robinson said he had freshened up his Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes runner Roy’s Riviera and pointed out she had not lost any weight from before her run in the Track And Ball Oaks to now. 

He said, “I think there will be a good pace which will suit her. I think she is definitely up to this class. Her draws and the way her races have panned out this season have been against her yet she still won one of them and was close up in others. She is a beautiful horse. She must be the fittest horse in the race too.”

Roy’s Riviera possesses an exceptional turn of foot and from draw five under Van Rensburg should be in the shake up.

Robinson has particular respect for the Justin Snaith pair Oh Susanna and Snowdance, especially as they have been built up in distance coming into the race.

He concluded, “Johnny Nicholson, who I used to work for and who won the July with Beau Art in 1980, came to my yard the other day and was so impressed with both horses. He looked at them and said, ‘These two are top horses.’

Robinson runs Shogun in the 12^th over 1400m on the poly and said he had been “jumping out of his skin.” He believed he only had Red Shift to beat.

By David Thiselton

Mike de Kock has a high regard for his Vodacom Durban July favourite Hawwaam but said his general price of around 2/1 was ridiculous and was based purely on hype.

He added, “For anybody to even make a comparison to Horse Chestnut right now is completely ridiculous and out of order and not forgetting that I have had other good horses since (the like of Ipi Tombe, Vercingetorix, Igugu, Variety Club etc.). There are also two horses in the July field, Do It Again and Rainbow Bridge, who have achieved more than he has”.

However, he did agree that Hawwaam was still unexposed and nobody truly knew just how good he was yet.

He said, “I don’t think he knows how good he is himself. Nothing went right for him last time in the Daily News 2000 and he still won. Before that he won very well in a weight for age Grade 1 against older horses albeit against a field I thought was pretty ordinary.”

He continued, “This is the first time he will race in a big field.”

It is a top quality field too and there is sure to be some hustle and bustle out there.

De Kock said, “It is the first time he is going to have to get involved with so many horses and I think that is going to test his mettle.”

He continued, “He does like to win though and he is versatile, he has won from handy positions and coming from off the pace. He is volatile, but he is certainly not a mad horse at all. He is just a manly horse, he is a boytjie. He has never done anything stupid before. That time at the SA Derby meeting he reacted like that simply because he was alone in the ring. He just loves being around other horses. He has always been sociable and bonds quickly with any horse we stable next to him.”

De Kock has good regard for the Daily News 2000 runner up Twist Of Fate and reckoned the 2kg swing in the weights for a 1,60 length beating would put them closer.

De Kock also believes Hawwaam’s stablemate Barahin will finish close to Hawwaam.

He said, “I think Barahin is fitter than he has ever been and he has only been beaten two or three lengths by Hawwaam so at the weights he has got be right on top of him. Barahin has a completely different style of running, he relaxes well in the running and takes time to unwind and the further he goes the better he gets. I like Barahin over ten furlongs and further, so this trip will be right down his alley.”

De Kock was impressed with Barahin’s win in the Grade 3 Jubilee Handicap over 1800m at Turffontein last time.

He said, “He gave weight away and ran past older horses like they were looking for parking.” 

Hawwaam is to be ridden by Anton Marcus from draw four and Barahin will be ridden by Muzi Yeni from draw six.

De Kock would have preferred a wider draw for Hawwaam, away from the hustle and bustle, but he added, “It is what it is, I’m certainly not complaining and would prefer this good draw to a bad one.”

De Kock runs the David Ferraris part-owned Soft Falling Rain colt Aqua Delta in the Grade 2 Durban Golden Horseshoe over 1400m. He scratched Frosted Gold because of his wide draw and kept Aqua Delta after attaining a reasonable draw of ten.

He said, “He is unexposed and is a nice type, I like what I see. We will see how good he is against tougher company and if he does well he might be sent over to Hong Kong.”

He runs Soft Falling Rain filly Mawsool in the Grade 2 Zulu Kingdom Explorer Golden Slipper over 1400m and said, “Again, she was the one who drew best of my entries. I’m not quite sure she is this league yet, but I’m running her to expose her.”

He runs The Dazzler in the Grade 3 Betting World 2200 and said, “He had a training gallop on Saturday thanks to Muzi not riding to instruction, they hacked around, the race was a joke. So we are running him again here. He is fit and well and will be competitive.”

By David Thiselton

Wadi Rum looks good value at 7-1 when he returns to Kenilworth today for the Tabonline.co.za Maiden.

The Mike Robinson-trained gelding put up two good performances over 1 250m at the country course, going under by only three-quarters of a length each time, but he flopped when upped to 1 400m at Kenilworth a week ago.

The going had turned yielding – and he is likely to encounter ground every bit as soft this afternoon – and the start was delayed by his tongue tie having to be refitted, but Robinson (on the mark with Fateful in the last on Saturday) is convinced that the gelding simply didn’t get the trip.

“It was too far. He was given every chance but he didn’t see out that the last 200m,” says the Philippi trainer. “He shows a lot of pace at home, he is fit and well so I thought I would bring him back to 1 000m here.”

Joint favourite at 16-10 is the Justin Snaith Trippi newcomer Tambora but he is drawn on the outside and, as Snaith has often said himself, this course is not easy for first-timers. Winter Oasis (also 16-10) has had a run and it was here so he, together with the Brett Crawford 9-2 shot Golden Tippy, could prove the main threats to the selection.

Lyle Hewitson, now odds-on to retain his championship, flies down for six rides. Four are for Joey Ramsden and two for Brett Crawford, and the most obvious prospect is Capkuta in the Play Soccer 6 Juvenile (race two). The consistent Ramsden gelding has been either third or fourth in the last five of his six starts and ran well in good to soft to take third to Optimum at Kenilworth a week ago.

He is favourite at 11-10 and could have most to fear from Grey Ferrari who is running for the eighth time. This one has shown some useful form but has also run some disappointing races. What is significant on this occasion, though, is that he is blinkered for the first time. Craig Zackey’s mount is quoted at 9-2 and I prefer his chance to Richard Fourie’s mount Vivant (4-1) who ran a moderate race here last time. But Capkuta is the selection Fourie and Snaith have much better prospects with Honey Pie in the Betting World Maiden Juvenile Fillies (race four). She has eased from 18-10 to 22-10 as there has been a bit of money for Lady Of The Lake (Yeni’s only mount of the day) but a line through Linda Loves Lace suggests Honey Pie will beat her.

By Michael Clower

There are plenty of opportunities for exotic bet punters come Saturday with the running of the Vodacom Durban July and 11 other races on the card at Hollywoodbets Greyville. Apart from the usual Place Accumulator (PA) and Pick 6 there are two Bi-Pots and two Jackpots.

The PA start as usual on race 3 through to 9. The Pick 6 races 4 to 9. The first Bi-Pot covers races 2 to 7 and the second, races 7 to 12.   The first Jackpot covers races 5 to 8 and the second Jackpot races 9 to 12.

The Place Accumulator pool is expected to top R3 million, the Pick 6 pool 15 million and the quartet pool on the Vodacom Durban July a whopping R16 million.

Often the key to winning the Pick 6, where punters have to find the winner of the six designated races, 4 through to 9, is finding a ‘banker’. Not only does it cut down on spend but it also narrows the bet down to five legs or less if you fancy more bankers.

In Saturday’s opening leg, top weight Strathdon could get punters off on a winning note. Not only does he stay every metre of the 3000m race but his form has been consistent and he looks cherry-ripe. But races over a marathon trip often throw up surprise results so If Strathdon is not for you, Walter Smoothie, and the fillies Sunshine Silk, Dynasty’s Blossom and Flichity By Farr make most appeal.

The Zulu Kingdom Explorer Golden Slipper looks a tricky affair. Miss Florida is unbeaten but there were a few hard-luck stories behind her in the Alan Robertson and it may pay to fill up this leg with the likes of Cavivar, Cockney Pride, Gabor, Mawsool, Royal Lily and Victoria Paige.

Tsogo Sun Medallion winner Eden Roc will be a popular choice in the Durban Golden Horseshoe and this leg could possibly be narrowed down to Eden Roc and the highly rated Invidia.

The Vodacom Durban July will be up to each person’s fancy but I fancy that the winner will come from one of the first seven in the betting.

The Engen Performance Stakes is a nightmare and it may pay to include as many as finances allow. Thanksgiving, Infamous Fox, Tristful and Crown Towers are at the top of my list.

In the Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes, Oh Susanna will be at the top of many lists as their banker after her recent end-to-end victory. Under the condition of the race she is well weighted and has a plum draw. Stable companion Snow Dance, last year’s runner-up, has it all to do from14 draw while Front And Centre and Celtic Sea look pick of the younger brigade.

Remember that you can always take a percentage should your combinations exceed your budget.

To take a bet go to www.tabgold.co.za or www.trackandball.co.za

By Andrew Harrison

Kenilworth Wednesday Tips and Race Previews by Warren Lenferna

Race 1
Preview: ELUSIVE JAID (2) is well bred and could do well on debut. 3 FLEECED (3) is a daughter of Querari that could make her presence felt on debut and LADY WYLIE (5) gets the services of a top rider. (Warren Lenferna 2-3-5)

Race 2
Preview: CAPKUTA (2) is knocking at the door and should win. GREY FERRARI (4) is better this trip and should go close and YANKEE FORCE (7) could run into the money on debut. He is by Byword. (Warren Lenferna 2-4-7)

Race 3
Preview: GOLDEN TIPPY (1) came from far back last time to finish fourth and can get a lot closer today. WADI RUM (2) is taking his time but has a place chance here and should win soon. WINTER OASIS (7) made a good debut and more than likely has a lot more to come. (Warren Lenferna 1-2-7)

Race 4
Preview: HONEY PIE (6) is bred to enjoy the extra and should go close to winning. LADY OF THE LAKE (7) is improving with racing and should not be a maiden for too much longer – big runner. BAD HABIT (2) is better than her last run and has a bright place chance here. (Warren Lenferna 6-7-2)

Race 5
Preview: BERNIE (1) came from off the pace last time and should once again be involved here – he is the winning choice. RED RASCAL (4) is way better than his last effort and comes into the race with solid each way claims and GIMMETHERAIN (2) is a must for the trifecta. (Warren Lenferna 1-4-2)

Race 6
Preview: DREAM BABY DREAM (1) is down in class now and should go very close to winning. STAR OF SILVER (3) is much better than her last run and looks to be the stable elect – big runner and ALMOST CAPTURED (4) can get into the first four here – she went close last time. (Warren Lenferna 1-3-4)

Race 7
Preview: FEE FI FOE FUM (1) finished second last time and can go one better. MANINGI INDABA (5) can improve with the blinkers – he will have to, to feature and CRIMEA (2) should be right there at the finish. (Warren Lenferna 1-5-2)

Race 8
Preview: EARL OF WARWICK (2) might have needed his last run and can now do a lot better – he has ability and is one for the shortlist. SILVER LEAGUE (3) and HIGH KEY (4) have the form to be concerned in the finish and must be included in most bets. (Warren Lenferna 2-3-4)

One of the country’s former leading lightweight jockeys Duncan Alexander passed away on Sunday morning and ironically it happened almost 50 years to the day of his ride on the 1969 Durban July joint-second favourite Coast Guard.

South Africa’s Hall Of Famer jockey Michael Roberts summed up Alexander, “He was a great jockey. Of course my memories of him are from when I was still a kid at the Academy. I used to ride a good horse he was the regular jockey for, Chichester. He was an absolute gentleman and was always immaculately dressed. My condolences to the Alexanders, a special family, special people.”

Chichester went one better than Coast Guard by finishing second in the 1970 July.

Duncan was one of the top lightweight jockeys of his era.

He had his first July ride in 1954 and then, as a mark of the esteem in which he was held, he rode in 13 consecutive Julys from 1959 to 1971. His 15^th and final July ride was in 1973. The weights of his other July mounts ranged from 44,5kg to 49,5kg with the exception of Chichester who carried 52kg in 1970.

Duncan was father of trainers Gary and Dean and of Tellytrack presenter and racing personality Julie.

Gary repeated the feat of his father by saddling the Vodacom Durban July runner up Pierre Jourdan in 2011.

Duncan had been battling ill health for a number of years.

Jack Milner wrote the following tribute on Tabnews.

Duncan was born in London on 5 April 1932 and once in South Africa, was one of the country’s leading lightweight jockeys. He was associated with many top horses, one of the best of these being sprinter Montesano.   

Alexander won many of the country’s top races, including the Summer Cup at Turffontein and the Met at Kenilworth.   

When he reached the end of his illustrious riding career in the late 1970s, Alexander took out his trainer’s licence. His stable yard was just 800m from Turffontein Racecourse, next to the Turffontein Post Office in Stanton Road.

In 1980, the Alexander yard moved to the newly built stables at the racecourse. Gary was the assistant trainer to his dad but in 1982, took out his own licence.

However, Duncan still played in integral part in the stable as an advisor to both Gary and Dean, and to the some jockeys who rode their horses. 

Duncan is survived by his wife, Marge, as well as his three children, Gary, Dean and Julie.  

His funeral will take place on Thursday at 11am at Our Lady of Cedars Maronite Catholic Church. 118 Western Service Road Woodmead.

By David Thiselton

Image: Gary Alexander son of the late Duncan Alexander