Roy Had Enough’s win in Saturday’s Track And Ball Derby has made barely a ripple in the Vodacom Durban July market. Track And Ball themselves cut the winner from 250-1 to 150-1 but left favourite Hawwaam unchanged on 18-10.

Indeed the firm made no changes to any of the other leading contenders, going 3.85-1 Do It Again, 11-2 Rainbow Bridge, 7-1 Barahin, 16-1 Eyes Wide Open, Twist Of Fate, 22-1 Head Honcho, 25-1 Magnificent Seven, 28-1 and upwards others.

Runner-up Charles has been marked out from 100-1 to 150-1 and most expert opinion is that he is unlikely to make the cut. Brett Crawford said: “Maybe he could run in the Betting World 2200 consolation or I might bring him home – he is still a young horse.”

Declarations for the Johnsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes are tomorrow but Track And Ball already has Oh Susanna favourite at 13-10 and goes 4.2-1 Front And Centre, 13-2 Santa Clara, Snowdance, 17-2 Fresnaye, 12-1 and upwards others.

Majestic Mozart is 2.55-1 favourite for the Winter Derby at Kenilworth on Saturday with Brett Crawford’s East Cape Derby winner St Vladimir on 2.9-1 and Herodotus next on 3.05-1.  The unbeaten Captain Of Stealth is odds-on for the Langerman at 0.55-1.

By Michael Clower

The Vodacom Durban July final field panellists often face a nightmare but this year they look to have a relatively easy task if the last July log and recent results are the guideline.

The final field of 18 and two reserves as well as the draws will be announced at a function at Gateway tomorrow (Tuesday).

The last July log was published on June 3.

Subsequent events have not complicated matters.

Roy Had Enough won the Grade 3 Track And Ball Derby at Scottsville on Saturday so deserves to be given the place vacated in the top 18 by the scratching of Hero’s Honour.

The result of the Grade 3 Cup Trial run on June 8 did not cause any headaches.

The winner Kampala Campari is not a July entry, the runner up Eyes Wide Open had already earned his place by winning the Grade 2 WSB 1900. The third and fourth-placed horses Doublemint and Made To Conquer ran well enough not to be dropped from their positions of 11^th and 17^th respectively on the last log.

The Grade 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge did not cause any problems either as all of the July entries in that race had already earned their berths.

The traditional Johannesburg July pointer, the Grade 3 Jubilee Handicap, was won by Barahin, who had already earned his berth. July entries Shenanigans and Dazzler finished second and fourth respectively but they are both merit rated in the 90s and did not do enough to warrant inclusion.

Miyabi Gold, winner of the Grade 2 Gold Bracelet over 2000m last year and the Listed Scarlet Lady over 1750m this year, was 18^th on the last July log and Fresnaye was 16^th. The latter won the Grade 3 Victress Stakes over 1800m in December and in the SA Champions Season she has finished a close fourth in the WSB 1900 on favourable weight terms and then won a Pinnacle Stakes race over 1600m.

These two fillies might come under pressure for their incumbent positions.

Their competition for a place will likely be Bunker Hunt, who caught the eye running on strongly for third in the strongly contested Grade 2 KRA Guineas, Charles, who has finished runner up in both the Grade 1 Cape Derby and Grade 3 Track And Ball Derby, log 20^th placed Zillzaal, who placed in all three legs of the SA Triple Crown including finishing second in the Grade 1 SA Derby, log 19^th-placed Camphoratus, who won the Grade 1 Empress Club Stakes, and possibly Elusive Silva, who finished third in the July last year.   

So the final field as it stands and barring further scratchings will likely be Do It Again, Rainbow Bridge, Hawwaam, Return Flight, Head Honcho, Twist Of Fate, Lady In Black, Legal Eagle, Tilbury Fort, Eyes Wide Open, Made To Conquer, Magnificent Seven, Divine Odyssey, Barahin, Roy Had Enough, Doublemint and then any two of Fresnaye, Bunker Hunt, Charles, Camphoratus, Zillzaal, Elusive Silva and Miyabi Gold.

By David Thiselton

Had there been racing 2 000 years ago the Good Lord might well have changed his famous ‘camel through the eye of a needle’ analogy to it being harder for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven than for a trainer starting from scratch to get off the ground.

Yet ex-jockey and coffee machine businessman Piet Botha looks like making it. The Ossie Noach-ridden Tiger Roll at Kenilworth on Saturday was Botha’s second winner in as many meetings and his fourth since his first runner in September, and his numbers have increased from ten to 18.

“I own half of them so it is not that good,” he said modestly. “But people want to see results and things are now expanding a bit.”

Peter Wrensch, who took over the late Ronnie Sheehan’s horses ( there weren’t many) and had his first runners six months ago, is still at the nervous nought stage but half the racecourse was willing him on as Over Again headed for the line in the Interbet.co.za Handicap. Just when it looked as if he was going to hang on, the Richard Fourie-ridden Spirit Festival came with a wet sail to kick the legs from under the celebration table and the trainer in the teeth. Hopefully “Lester” won’t have to wait much longer for consolation.

The winner was the second leg of a quick Justin Snaith-Fourie double with Frank Lloyd Wright’s victory in the Tellytrack.com Handicap coming too late for Qatar Racing. There were big hopes for this horse and the encouragement that he would give the rulers of the oil-rich country to increase its investment in South African racing. But Qatar Racing is no longer involved and Etienne Braun now shares ownership with the gelding’s breeder Drakenstein.

Chris Snaith said: “The handicapper was brutal with this horse and he lost his form totally. He has now got to the stage where he is competitive again (he has come down 20 points) but it has taken a long, long time.”

More than an inch of rain turned the going to officially good-to-soft (“soft but even, ie soft throughout” was the opinion of the jockeys.). However it played havoc with the form and punters were left feeling like investors in the South Sea Bubble. Six favourites floundered and half the winners started at prices varying from 18-1 to 36-1.

The Candice Bass-Robinson-trained newcomer Arctic Drift was the rank outsider in the Tabonline Maiden Juvenile – “A great surprise,” said Mark Bass. “We chucked him into the race for a gallop.”

Anthony Andrews, who rode the gelding, was fined R1 500 for using his whip more than the permitted dozen – it was his third offence – and Bernard Fayd’Herbe paid the same penalty for the same thing when scoring on the Glen Kotzen-trained Miraculously Ours.

Randall Simons, who came down from Johannesburg at the request of Adam Marcus, doubled his Cape Town score with victories on two-year-old newcomers Late At Night and Templeton (Dean Kannemeyer).

The former carries the colours of Tony Millard patron Robert Ng and so has Hong Kong as his eventual destination. “I was pleasantly surprised even though he has done so well in the last four to six weeks,” said Brett Crawford. “He is going to keep progressing.”

Jabu Jacobs impressed when making all on the Andre Nel-trained Suite Francaise at 28-1 in the last. It was the apprentice’s second winner.

By Michael Clower

Stradivarius (IRE) is the reigning Stayer of the Year in the UK and after back to back victories in the £500,000 G1 Gold Cup (4014m) on soft ground at Royal Ascot last Thursday, he seems unlikely to relinquish his crown any time soon. The dramatic victory by the five-year-old Sea The Stars (IRE) entire, trained by John Gosden, was also the fourth consecutive victory on the card for jockey Frankie Dettori, who famously won all seven races on the card at Ascot in September 1996.

On the rain-soaked course, Dettori chose the shortest way home, keeping Stradivarius on the rail and tucked in behind front runners Dee Ex Bee (GB) and Master Of Reality (IRE). In the home straight it appeared as if Dettori had made a costly mistake with Donnacha O’Brien on Capri and Cross Counter under James Doyle moving up on his outside, effectively shutting the door on the even money favourite. Dettori however, who has now ridden 66 winners at the Royal meeting, was unperturbed and when a small gap opened during the closing stages, he was quick to send Stradivarius through and after the leaders.  

The horse, who apparently “loves getting into a fight” according to Dettori, wasted no time in catching and passing the longtime leaders, to win by a length with Dee Ex Bee in second and Master Of Reality back in third. It was Stradivarius’s seventh straight victory for owner/breeder Bjorn Nielsen, who was on hand to collect the Gold Cup trophy from Her Majesty The Queen. Nielsen admitted that he was a bit concerned after Dettori’s victory in the first three on the card. “I did not believe he could win four races in a row, but he’s riding so confidently, and he rode Stradivarius confidently.  He’s such a good stayer, he has a huge heart, and his mind is so relaxed. I hope it can continue for a while.”

A delighted Dettori, who launched himself skywards in his famous flying dismount, was full of praise for the gutsy stayer. “Stradivarius does not know how to lose. All I have to do is get him amongst other horses and he does the rest – what a horse.  Everyone loves him, including me.  Every time he runs, he delivers, he is unbelievable.  I wasn’t worried about the trouble in the home straight as I just had to wait for the split. It got tight, but when I got the split, it was all over.”

Interestingly, the dam of Stradivarius, Private Life (FR) only produced one filly before her untimely death and that filly, an Oratorio daughter named Magical Eve (IRE), resides at Ridgemont Highlands Stud in Robertson. According to the Stud, Magical Eve currently has a lovely weanling filly by Silvano (GER).

By Liesl King

The selection panel for the Vodacom Durban July will need to do some head-scratching this morning given the result of Saturday’s Gr3 Track And Ball Derby. It is an unenviable job as there will always be disappointed connections and political finger-pointing.

The question at the top of their list will be whether Roy Had Enough did enough to warrant inclusion in the final field of 18 or alternatively make it onto the two-berth reserve bench.

When the final VDJ log was released, Roy Had Enough was amongst the ‘also rans’ and his unplaced run in the Cup Trial would have ruled him out although things did not go his way.

The Cup Trial field was arguably stronger than the one that Roy Had Enough beat on Saturday but there were mitigating factors. The Cup Trial was run at a muddling pace that did not suit Roy Had Enough as he struggled to quicken even with a fresh tailwind helping the runners’ home.

On Saturday, Roy Had Enough came from a long way last in the straight to win rather comfortably ahead of another VDJ hopeful, Charles. On the face of it, it was an impressive performance but Charles didn’t appear to genuinely see out the 2400m trip and the quality of the opposition could be a deciding factor.

It will be a difficult decision for the selection panel but the connections are fairly certain that they will get a run in two weeks’ time.

Their chances will be enhanced with the scratching of Hero’s Honour which would move the filly Camphorates into 18^th place so one can reasonably assume that Roy Had Enough would at least make the reserves along with Zillzaal.

While the final log may pretty much spell out what the final line-up will be, another runner whose place may be in jeopardy is veteran galloper Legal Eagle in spite of his eighth place on the log. He does not appear to be half the horse that he was in his heyday borne out by his drop in the merit ratings. On top of that his last run in a Pinnacle Stakes on the same afternoon as the Jubilee Handicap, was disappointing.

On the flip side, Sean Tarry is a master with older horses and if Legal Eagle does run and find form, he will be a major threat to the more fancied runners with only 55kg to shoulder.

Final acceptances are due by 11am this morning with the field and the draws to be announced at a public function at Gateway Shopping Mall around noon on Tuesday.

The public gallops will take place at Greyville on Thursday, the first gallop off at 7am. The traditional coffee and sticky buns will be served. Those hungrier and looking for a slap-up breakfast, can book for the Durban View Restaurant.

By Andrew Harrison

Vodacom Durban July ante-post betting provided by Track And Ball.

Hawwaam 18-10
Do It Again 3.85-1
Rainbow Bridge 5.5-1
Barahin 7-1
Eyes Wide Open,Twist Of Fate 16-1
Head Honcho 22-1
Magnificent Seven 25-1
Doublemint 28-1
Made To Conquer 36-1
Bunker Hunt 40-1
Legal Eagle, Tilbury Fort 50-1
Divine Odyssey 66-1
Fresnaye 70-1
Lady In Black, Return Flight 80-1
Zillzaal 90-1
Elusive Silva, Roy Had Enough, Insignis, Charles 150-1
Miyabi Gold, Roy’s Riviera, Camphoratus, Dark Moon Rising, The Dazzler 250-1
Banner Hill, Secret Potion, Top Classman 300-1.

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