David Thiselton
Isivivane has been raised four points to 108 for his win in the Gr 3 WSB 1900, while the second and third-place horses, Regulation and Trust, have both been raised one point apiece to 106 and 111 respectively.
Fourth-placed The Ultimate King was the line horse and remains on 117.
The Ultimate King faced Isivivane on half-a-kilogram terms better than he would have in a handicap and was beaten 0,85 lengths.
Regulation and Trust faced The Ultimate King on the same terms as they would have in a handicap and beat him by a quarter of a length and a neck respectively.
The only other change from the race was made to last year’s Hollywoodbets Durban July sixth-placed Native Ruler, who was dropped two point from 123 to 121.
He faced The Ultimate King on 1kg better terms than he would have in a handicap and he was beaten by him by 1,10 lengths.
In the other relevant race on Sunday, a conditions plate over 1600m won by Okavango with July entries Eight On Eighteen, Note To Self and Mocha Blend running behind him in that order, the merit ratings of the runners were all untouched.
In Johannesburg Jan Van Goyen’s merit rating of 118 remained untouched after his second placed finish in a Pinnacle event over 1800m, but the winner of that race Pressonregardless, who is not a July entry, was raised two points from 113 to 115, and the last-placed runner in that six-horse field, Wild Intent, was dropped one point from 110 to 109.
The favourite for the Hollywoodbets Durban July is still See It Again which is somewhat surprising considering the big weight of 62kg he will carry as things stand and he will thus be giving the bottom weights 10kg.
Isivivane will be one of the bottom weights on 52kg and in fact as things stand he will be 1kg under sufferance.
Trust will also carry 52kg and will actually be 1,5kg under sufferance as things stand, considering the 2kg weight for age allowance there is for three-year-olds running over 2200m at the beginning of July.
Considering he was a narrow runner up in the Gr 1 HKJC World Pool SA Classic over 1800m, it won’t be easy for See It Again to give 10kg to a horse of that calibre or to the SA Classic winner Grand Empire, who is also rated 111.
Eight On Eighteen is rated 129, so will get half-a-kilogram from See It Again.
An interesting comparison will be to compare the weight turnaround from last year of Eight On Eighteen and Native Ruler.
Eight On Eighteen carried 3kg more than Native Ruler last year and beat him by 3,70 lengths.
This year Eight On Eighteen will be giving Native Ruler only 4kg and considering he had a weight for age allowance of 2kg last year as a three-year-old, it means Eight On Eighteen is actually effectively 1kg better off than he was last year with Native Ruler. So considering Eight On Eighteen beat Native Ruler easily in last year’s race, the latter has very little chance of beating Eight On Eighteen in this year’s big race.
On the other hand Native Ruler did beat Eight On Eighteen in this year’s WSB Met, but the latter had an interrupted preparation into that race.
Star Major impressed when winning the Gr 2 WSB Guineas and was raised to 118, the same mark as both Jan Van Goyen and Note To Self.
They will all be carrying 54kg as things stand which should be manageable.
Wish List will also have a nice galloping weight of 53,5kg and she only looks to be getting better. She could be the fifth filly to win the big race this millennium.
