Sean Tarry is leaning towards Legal Eagle as his stable elect for the Vodacom Durban July on Saturday but he said it had not been an open and shut case.

Tarry also runs the G-Bets Summer Cup winner Tilbury Fort and dual Grade 1 winner Return Flight.

He said, “Legal Eagle is certainly the best handicapped of my trio and has had a good prep. He is in a good space. Lyle (Hewitson) does get on well with Tilbury Fort but he also gets on well with Legal and this is the first time he has had a good draw with Legal.”

Some have questioned Legal Eagle’s chances after his last run when finishing 8,75 lengths back in a Pinnacle.

However, while the finishing position was disappointing Tarry pointed out, “Bearing in mind he was drawn poorly carrying 61,5kg there was no choice but to drop him to the back. We expected a good pace to be set by two of our runners, but the pace was a mess. Despite that he still ran a very good last 400m. The time over the last 400m was the same as his win in the sprint at the beginning of the season. So once again he was doing his best work late.”

Tarry was thrilled when Tilbury Fort landed pole position. He said, “He needs a draw because he needs a smooth run, if you go forward with him and try and slot in it doesn’t work, he needs to find a position immediately and then sit.”

Tilbury Fort was in the same Pinnacle 1400m as Legal Eagle and also finished strongly.

In the Premier’s Champions Challenge Legal Eagle caught the eye finishing strongly for a 5,20 length fourth. Tilbury Fort was 16 lengths back that day but a line can be drawn through the run because he was widely drawn and became unsettled when hunting for a position. He was also cut into.

Raymond Danielson is aboard Tilbury Fort and Tarry said, “He has ridden him a few times and gets a reasonable tune out of him. He has had a good prep.”

Tarry said about the Grade 1 SA Fillies Classic and Grade 2 SA Oaks winner Return Flight, “Besides being crossed at the 300m and pulling a shoe, it wasn’t quite her run for some reason. The two fillies she had beaten in Johannesburg both ran in front of her and she did pull up with a little bit of dry mucus. So she might not have been quite right on the day. However, she has done well since then and has had a perfect prep. Her good draw of two will help. We are not going to be hunting to make the pace but if she does end up in the front that’s fine. If she doesn’t the 2200m is hard enough for her to be coming home strongly. Ryan Munger rode a big race for Yvette Bremner on National Park, he’s a good strong rider and has had a lot of winners this season.”

Legal Eagle carries 55kg, Tilbury Fort is officially half-a-kilogram under sufferance carrying 53kg and three-year-old Return Flight is officially 2kg under sufferance carrying 52kg.

In the Grade 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes Tarry has two runners and said, “Celtic Sea is a big runner although I have healthy respect for Oh Susanna and Front And Centre.”

Tarry said a line could be drawn through Celtic Sea’s KRA Fillies Guineas run. Looking at her easy win over 1400m on the tough Turffontein Standside course in March he believed she would get the mile although he admitted it might stretch her.

He added, “Desert Rhythm ran a nice race in the Tibouchina so it’s worth taking a chance.”

Tarry believes his strongest race on the day is the Grade 2 Durban Golden Horseshoe over 1400m.

He said, “The extra 200m is definitely in Eden Roc’s favour, he has a good shout. Put On The Red Light is not out of it either, he found trouble over this trip last time and should have been closer. He will appreciate the Grade 1 mile at the end of this month, but I’m not worried about 1400m. Rock The Globe will also run a big race.”

In the Grade 2 Zulu Kingdom Explorer Golden Slipper over 1400m he also has two runners and said, “They both have poor draws. Cavivar will enjoy the trip and Lyle will ride the race as it unfolds. It might be a bit short for Victoria Paige but I hope she runs on in the straight.”

He said about the WSB 2200, “Zillzaal has a good shout. I would like to see him lying about three or four lengths back from his good draw. I think Shenanigans will run well, he’s had a nice prep and a lot is in his favour. Captain And Master ran well last time when stepped up to 1800m so we are giving him a chance. Silver God is 3,5kg under sufferance but was also under sufferance when running well in the WSB 1900 and Cup Trial. He can’t be judged on his last race which was on the poly.”

In the Grade 3 DSTv Gold Vase he runs Wonderous Climber and said his dip in form could have been expected as it was hard to keep a horse on the boil for so long. He expected a better showing but wondered whether 2400m was his better trip.

He expected Social Order to be a big runner, a nice “roughie” for the day, in the eighth over 1600m, an ideal course and distance.

He has always rated Mythical Bolt, who runs in the 11^th over 1200m, but said this might be his last run before gelding.

By David Thiselton

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