Anton Marcus has been provisionally booked for African Night Sky in the Vodacom Durban July and the four-time champion will ride the big race favourite for the first time in the Betting World 1900 at Greyville on May 19.

Jonathan Snaith said yesterday: “African Night Sky will go on from the 1900 to the Cup Trial on June 9 before running in the July and, assuming all goes well with the horse and that Anton is happy with him, he will ride him in all three races.”

Marcus is one of four jockeys who have won the great race four times (on Dancing Duel in 1993, El Picha in 2000, Dunford five years later and Hunting Tower in 2007. Tiger Wright, Piere Strydom and Anthony Delpech have also won it four times.

African Night Sky, the first since Pocket Power to win Cape Town’s Winter Series, has shortened from better than 6-1 to 11-2 in the last few days.

By Michael Clower

Featured Image: African Night Sky (Liesl King)