Totalisator betting for the 12 races being run at the 2019 Vodacom Durban July race meeting on Saturday, 6 July opens at all Tabgold outlets – and on all Tabgold online platforms – tomorrow, Monday 1 July,  and racing fans have many huge exotic pools to look forward to on the big day.

The Pick 6, which starts with Race 4, kicks off with a carry-over of R5-million and the pool is expected to reach a mammoth R15-million before the 1^st Leg jumps at 13:35 on Saturday. Finding Pick 6 bankers in a very competitive environment is not easy but the Justin Snaith trained pair of Strathdon (Leg 1) and last season’s horse of the year Oh Susanna in the final leg, will be popular options.

The Quartet Pool on the Vodacom Durban July, Race 7 on the programme due off at 16:20, is expected to reach R16-million. The Quartet requires punters to pick the first four runners past the post and in the Vodacom Durban July most will be relying on the three leading contenders Do It Again, Rainbow Bridge and ruling favourite Hawwaam to help solve the puzzle. Over the years many an outsider has boosted the pay-out by finding its way into the Quartet and notable runners in this category include Twist of Fate, Doublemint, Eyes Wide Open and last year’s runner-up Made to Conquer. But, the Pick 6 and main race Quartet apart, there are many different bet types available – catering for both the seasoned punter and the “once-a-year” racegoer. Gold Circle is expecting turnover for the day to top the R60-million mark as “July Fever” kicks into top gear over the final week.

Prolific owner Hugo Hattingh is the type of racing personality this country needs more of as he loves horses and has a desire to grow the sport. Few would begrudge him and his family a win with the Glen Kotzen-trained Eyes Wide Open in the Vodacom Durban July on Saturday.

Hugo regards Eyes Wide Open as the best horse he has ever owned, better even than the like of Light The Lights and Gold Standard, although he admits to possibly being a touch biased.

The family race under the name Chrigor Stud and the Kotzen-trained Gold Standard was their first July runner last year.

Hugo said, “He also drew on the outside, but Eyes is suited to Greyville and Gold was probably not.”

Eyes Wide Open has run five times on the Greyville turf, including a win in the Grade 1 Premier’s Champion Stakes over 1600m as a two-year-old, a third in the Grade 1 Champions Cup as a three-year-old last year, and this season he has won the Grade 2 WSB 1900 and finished second in the Grade 3 Cup Trial. 

Kotzen was philosophical after he drew wide in barrier 18 and said at least he would be able to stay out of trouble, while there also looked to be a lot of pace around him.    

The Dynasty colt will sport the most colourful silks in the July.

Hattingh used to race under the name Triple H Trust, whose colours were royal blue with a yellow band and red sleeves and cap.

These three colours were the company colours of a business he owned called Anchorpharm.

Later when forming a set of silks for his wife Suzanne he used the same three colours but because of her love of diamonds the body is now alternate blue and yellow diamonds, the sleeves and cap are red and there is a blue diamond on the cap.

These are now the colours of Chrigor Stud. 

Hugo formed the name of the stud operation during a flight overseas by combining the names of his daughter Christil and son Gordon.

Hugo grew up on a farm in the Hartebeespoort area and hence his love of horses. His first experience of horseracing was as a jockey in bush meetings, where they raced on dirt tracks. That was in the 1960s and he said, “Very pleasant … those were the days!”

When he became too heavy he switched to gymkhana events and later took part in dressage.

He ventured into thoroughbred racehorse ownership in the late 1980s and said, “The breeding part to me has always been attractive, the bloodlines, the stallions and the broodmares and that’s also why we’ve registered Chrigor Stud now. I think we have more fillies and mares now than colts and geldings. At one stage Glen said we should call it Chrigor stallions but I don’t think that’s the drive going forward. At the end of the day it’s all about passion. We are trying to get the horseracing industry to grow and this is why I have my children very excited and involved.”

Christil is 27-years-old and Gordon 25. The enthusiasm of young racegoers like themselves has a knock on effect which will be vital for the future of the sport.

Suzanne has also become an avid horseracing fan.

Hugo and Suzanne live in Pretoria but Gordon lives in the Cape and that’s where the family keeps their horses.

He said, “I believe the Cape develops stronger horses through the South-Easter wind (the Cape Doctor), which cleans the air. The KZN season is also very close to our hearts. The pinnacle, as I see it, is the Cape and KZN seasons combined. I have the odd horse in Jo’burg with our first trainer Alec Laird, but obviously we have come a long way with Glen. Funnily enough Glen won the July ten years ago with Big City Life in 2009 and we met that year at a pre-J&B Met function. His Woodhill Racing Estate farm is a very relaxed environment and with me growing up on a farm the penny dropped.”

As an indication of the Hattingh family’s love of horses they departed the game for about five years due to the trauma they experienced when one of their best horses The Eiger Sanction broke a leg a week before the Gold Cup in 2004.

However, they have had many highs since their comeback. 

He continued “To win a big race is the pinnacle but a big motivation behind our operation is to breed a Group 1 winner. I think that is even more of a challenge.”

Gold Standard, who stands at Drakenstein Stud, became the Hattingh’s first stallion. Chrigor Stud has a ten percent share in him,

He added, “Obviously we would like Eyes to go to stud, but we are going to race him another year because he’s come so well.”

Hugo was on a hunting trip when Eyes Wide Open won the WSB 1900 and watching on TV recalls saying to his colleagues, “This is the first time in a very long time I have seen him go down so well.”

Eyes Wide Open is a big horse who takes a lot of racing, so will be at his peak on Saturday having had one more run in the Cup Trial and then rounding off his preparation with a fine July gallop last Thursday.

The former Cape Derby winner will be attempting to add a third Grade 1 to his CV and a July win will obviously increase his stud value.

He has a realistic chance under top jockey Warren Kennedy and if he does pull it off there are sure to be many joyous family embraces in the winner’s enclosure. 

By David Thiselton

The Turffontein Standside course has a low key eight race meeting and the highlight will be the appearance of the promising Al Mutakawel is the fifth over 1600m.

This full brother to the SA Derby winner Al Sahem has impressed in two starts over 1200m and 1400m and will be hard to beat over a step up in trip he will very much appreciate. The wide draw of six out of seven should not pose a problem as he will likely be dropped out. In a small field and with plenty of time to unwind in to his big action down the long Turffontein straight he should mow them down. Apache Too is progressive and can fight out second place with The Rising Legend, who is usually dropped out and is capable of producing a resolute finish from off the pace.

The first race over 1160m is competitive but El Patron has good pace and the ability to stay on and his experience will count in his favour too.

Arabian Air is given the nod in the second over 1600m as he is having his third run on the Highveld so should have come on from his good win over 1450m last time. Approach Control is the best weighted horse and also has talent so it should be a humdinger.

The first leg of the P6 over 1400m is tough. Full Force should relish the step up in trip but a few will have to be included.

The first leg of the Jackpot could fall to the hard-knocking Captain Flynt, although his wide draw means one or two others might have to be considered.

The sixth over 1000m could be fought by Tripod and Brigtnumberten.

The consistent Kings Cup and the improving Lemon Drop Shot are the main protagonists in the seventh as both will enjoy the 2000m trip.

Final Occasion will enjoy the step up to 2000m in the eighth but he has a very wide draw so the professional maiden Smart Deal can be included from a good draw and Mr Cuddles is course and distance suited to.

Image: Lyle Hewitson rides Al Mutakawel at Turffontein this Sunday.

By David Thiselton

The progressive St Vladimir can give Brett Crawford and Corne Orffer their first Winter Derby successes at Kenilworth tomorrow.

The Fort Wood colt won the East Cape Derby in convincing style and could well be going into this as the winner of five races on the bounce had he not been badly hampered when starting favourite at Durbanville.

The two concerns are his rating and the ground. He is officially 5kg inferior to Majestic Mozart and 4.5kg behind Herodotus who have both raced in better company. It was good to soft here on Tuesday and 3mm of rain was forecast for last night and today. The selection’s only run on anything softer than good was last August when he finished halfway down the field on yielding going – but it was his debut.

He was second favourite yesterday at around 3-1 with Majestic Mozart heading the market at 28-10. The latter is ridden by Bernard Fayd’Herbe who has won two of the last four runnings of this race while the favourite has won three of the last four.

Justin Snaith has won the last three – with horses of the calibre of Elusive Silver, African Night Sky and Doublemint. Nexus (11-2) has not been further than a mile yet the stable had no hesitation about nominating him for this race after his win 11 days ago.

Herodotus (33-10) was third in the Cape Derby and, as the betting suggests, is quite close with Majestic Mozart. Retro Effect is the only one of the 11 runners to have won on ground softer than good but he is rated 10kg behind the selection. At 16-1, though, he might be worth considering for a place.

Helen’s Ideal looks good to complete the fillies’ winter series in the Winter Oaks and is an understandable 17-10 favourite. She carries plenty of stable confidence with Paul Reeves reporting: “I don’t think I could have her any better and I don’t have a problem with the trip – she is bred for it, and in any case I don’t think they are going to go that fast because none of the others has been this far before.”

Star Fighter is the obvious danger at 22-10 as she was only a neck behind in the Stormsvlei Mile but Silver Operator stands out in the Langerman and he is one for whom there are no going concerns. It was yielding when he made that immensely impressive debut over the 1 400m trip three weeks ago.

By Michael Clower

Sean Tarry is a valued customer when it comes to KZN-bred horses and he often reaps the rewards on KZN Breeder’s day where his runners generally excel. Tarry targets this day of inflated stakes and won six of the nine races, including the Million Mile with Matador Man, back in 2017.

Matador Man is back over his favourite course and distance at Hollywoodbets Greyville tomorrow in an effort to regain his crown, and along with stable companion Africa Rising, gives Tarry a strong hand in the race.

With Do It Again playing up in the start of the Gr1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge, Matador Man was forced to stand in his gate for some time, Tarry commenting along the lines, “That will do for Matador Man. He will be slow to go.”

They were prophetic words as Matador Man ‘walked’ out of the gate and was never in the hunt.

The Million Mile field does not stack up to the strength of the Gold Challenge field and with Lyle Hewitson back in the irons, a reproduction of his penultimate start when comfortably accounting for Vodacom Durban July hopeful Head Honcho in a Pinnacle Stakes, he should take some beating.

Africa Rising comes off a tremendous effort behind stable companion Chimichuri Run in the Gr1 Tsogo Sun Sprint where he was beaten less than a length. The majority of his recent form has been over sprints but from a good draw he will give Matador Man a run for his money.

Camphoratus, was first reserve for next week’s Vodacom Durban July and with the scratching of Magnificent Seven, she has made it into the 18-horse field. As a result Robbie Hill has been given permission to scratch from the Mile.

Of the balance, evergreen Unagi pops up on occasion and with Marcus in the saddle must be respected along with Wynkelder who is an accomplished sprinter stepping up to a mile for just the second time.

Given the nature of the meeting, many of the runners are under sufferance in the handicap that should give punters an edge over the ‘Olde enemy’.

The first of the plums could come in the fourth, opening lg of the Pick 6 where top weight Vision To Kill should have the wood on her rivals. Paul Gadsby’s mare does not have the best of legs but she can get along a bit. She was a good third in the Gr1 SA Fillies Sprint behind Celtic Sea and Snowdance, either of which would be odds-on should they have been in this line-up.

Cumulus and Hard To Play are weighted to fight out the fifth, Hard To Play is marginally better off at the handicap but Cumulus is in receipt of 6kg from his rival and goes very well over course and distance. Hard To Play has earned his weight with some consistent form in useful company. These two look set to fight it out.

By Andrew Harrison

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