Glen Kotzen had originally planned to go straight into the Vodacom Durban July with Eyes Wide Open after the latter’s win in the Grade 2 WSB 1900, but he has changed his mind and the Dynasty colt will line up in Saturday’s Grade 3 Cup Trial over 1800m at Greyville.

Kotzen said, “He is a big horse and he is quite a lazy horse. I had to give him two gallops in between and he does just enough and I thought it might not be enough to bring him to peak fitness. So we decided to supplement him for the Cup Trial to see how he drew and he drew well. So he will run there and will then do the public gallop and should then be cherry ripe. But he is absolutely flying. They didn’t move his merit rating, so he is weighted to win.”

Eyes Wide Open carries joint top weight of 60kg in the handicap event and is drawn four with Warren Kennedy retaining the ride.

The yard run Elusive Heart in the Grade 2 Tibouchina over 1400m and Kennedy is also aboard in this race.

Kotzen said, “She is deadly over 1400m. She missed the break in the SA Fillies Sprint, so a line can be put through that race. We jumped her through the pens recently and she jumped five lengths clear of the stable companion.”

She won the Grade 3 Prix du Cap over this trip as a three-year-old last season and then finished third in three starts at Greyville, in the Grade 3 Umzimkhulu Stakes over 1400m, in the Grade 2 Daisy Fillies Guineas over 1600m and in the Grade 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes over 1600m. 

She must be in with a shout from draw seven out of eleven.

By David Thiselton

The Grade 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge defending champion Undercover Agent has been doing very well at Summerveld and the Brett Crawford yard make him the one to beat on Saturday, despite it being one of the strongest fields in the races history.

Assistant trainer Peter Muscutt said, “He has come through his very encouraging run in the Tsogo Sun Sprint in fine order. He will go in to the Gold Challenge third up, it should be his peak run, and from the optimum one draw he is the horse to beat.”

Muscutt admitted it to be a very competitive race with the like of Do It Again, Rainbow Bridge and Soqrat in the field, not to mention Cirillo and Matador Man, but added, “They have got to come and get him.”

Asked on what made him think the big Captain Al colt could reverse L’Ormarin’s Queen’s Plate form with the first three mentioned above, Muscutt said, “I think he is better on a right hand track and Greyville is far more suitable for him as a forward going horse than Kenilworth.”

Undercover Agent has run five times at Greyville starting with an easy win in the Grade 3 Byerley Turk over 1400m last season as a three-year-old, a long head second in the Grade 2 Drill Hall Stakes over 1400m, a win in the Grade 1 weight for age Rising Sun Gold Challenge over 1600m, a two length second in the Grade 1 Champions Cup over 1800m and a win in the Drill Hall Stakes in his pipe opening start to this season’s SA Champions Season.

Regular pilot Corne Orffer will be aboard on Saturday.

The field has cut up to eight runners but is sure to be the strongest line up in the SA Champions Season and it will be a race to savour for the purists.

By David Thiselton

There were a couple of well fancied runners in the maiden race where Prince Of Persia made his debut and he ran a cracker first up behind Cartel Captain and High Voltage who subsequently both ran in the Gr1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion.

Glen Kotzen’s runner showed good pace on debut and tried hard over the final furlong. With that experience and a drop to 1000m he could prove difficult to beat in the second at Scottsville this afternoon where racing around the turn makes a rare trip on the outside track due to the preparations for the finish of the Comrades Marathon this coming Sunday – the race ending on the inside track.

Quant Master was only run out of it late by Candy Apple on debut and looks a threat while Paul Gadsby’s filly Talia Al Ghul comes out tops in all Computaform ratings and although she takes on males, her pedigree suggests that seven furlongs and further would make her a better proposition.

Work riders are back in action in KZN for the first time in a long while and although the first race is hardly a betting proposition, it should prove something of a spectacle.

Jockeys are supreme athletes when it comes to fitness and even seasoned observers are unaware of the level of fitness it takes to ride a thoroughbred at a full gallop for 1000m let alone anything further.

Riding work is one thing, riding in a race is quite another and a few of these riders will be coming up for air long before the finishing line.

Mike de Kock’s charge, What A Captain, with Aron Xabendlini aboard, is a short-priced favourite but the likes of Great Stohvanen, Callum Dixon riding for his father Mark, and Kom Naidoo’s Peace Train with Tristan Mustard in the irons – his grandfather Leslie successful on Lightning Shot in the 1977 July – both show good pace.

Not a race to plunge in!

Krishnies Jet has earned his owner over R100k in stakes, having finished in the money in more than half of his starts, but he may have to be content with another finish in the shallow end of the purse in the third as Garth Puller’s gelding takes on some fast-improving juveniles, two months off turning three.

Duncan Howells saddles a trio of runners, best of which could be All The Way Up, who caught the eye on debut when finishing just off Toro Bravo. He can do better down the Scottsville straight and looks fair value at around 7-2. Second favourite is Poinciana at 5-2 with Krishnies Jet a little short at 22-10.

Silva’s Fling and Knight Warrior are vying for favouritism in the Natal Property Consultants Maiden, Silva’s Fling having his third outing since being gelded and the blinkers coming off.

The year younger Knight Warrior has been close-up in all three of his starts and will have his supporters while Brilliant Disguise is set to make big improvement on his debut effort over what looks to be a more suitable trip. This trio are the only runners quoted in single figures.

From here on things get progressively more difficult, punters faced with a succession of well-filled handicaps.

It’s 9-2 the field in the fifth with Golden Chance and Dame Kelly topping the boards but there is a lot to like about the chances of the lightly raced Elegant Royal who ran a cracking race behind course specialist High Altar last time out when trying to make all the running. With racing on the outside track, her 13 draw should not affect her chances and 11-1 look fair odds.

Petra was a little disappointing in the KRA Guineas when down the field behind Santa Clara after showing signs that she was back to the promise that she showed earlier in her career. Back in weaker company she can notch a long overdue second win in the sixth.

But it will not be easy, Sunshine Mint is lightly raced and comes off some useful Cape form while Ancient Spirit trialled well and sure to be a factor here.

Ruling the ante-post market is Procrastination who was a recent Durbanville maiden winner when landing short odds but 9-2 does not inspire much confidence about the favourite.

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By Andrew Harrison

Mike de Kock confirmed on Saturday after the Daily News 2000 that it was his intention to run Hawwaam in the Vodacom Durban July so the colt was still among the 32 horses left at the second declaration stage yesterday.

Also issued by Gold Circle yesterday was the final Vodacom Durban July log headed by last year’s winner Do It Again, ahead of Rainbow Bridge and Hawwaam.

Under the radar at this stage is Legal Eagle, who made his one and only appearance in KZN in the 2015 Vodacom Durban July.

One high profile casualty from the original log is Oh Susanna, Justin Snaith rather aiming her at the Gr3 Tibouchina Stakes this coming Saturday and then either the Gr1 Garden Province Stakes on July day or the Gr2 Gold Bracelet at the end of July.

Also out is Gr1 Cape Derby winner Atyaab who suffered a nose bleed in the Daily News on Saturday.

Eyes Wide Open, showing a welcome return to form, jumped from borderline to 10 on the log after his victory in the World Sports Betting 1900.

The log is only a guide to what the selection panel is thinking and there may still be changes given this Saturday’s Rising Sun meeting that has a host of borderline cases. However, the log reflects very much what the panel is thinking and barring any further withdrawals the field is close to settled.

The Gr1 R3.5 million Vodacom Durban July will be run over 2200m at Greyville on Saturday, July 6.

By Andrew Harrison

Sun Met winner Rainbow Bridge was yesterday reported very much on song for Saturday’s Rising Sun Gold Challenge and by the time you read this he will have done a vital piece of pacework at Summerveld.

Eric Sands said: “He was in the position where I wanted him, from the point of view of wellbeing and fitness, when he ran second in the Drill Hall. As it was his first run back he would have been a little bit above himself and racing a bit on nervous energy.

“He has definitely come on since, he now knows Greyville and he strips fitter. Indeed the stepping stones towards the big one are going well. He does a bit of pacework in the morning and he will have a sprint-up on Thursday.”

Anton Marcus’s mount has seven opponents including last year’s Vodacom Durban July winner Do It Again who was three-quarters of a length second in the Met and has not raced since.

A bullish Justin Snaith said yesterday: “Do It Again is doing very well, he looks amazing and everything has gone to plan. His gallop was franked when Made To Conquer came out and ran third in the WSB 1900 so everything seems spot on and he will be ready come Saturday.”

Rainbow Bridge, with his race fitness advantage, is favourite at 22-10 with Track And Ball with Do It Again on 5-2 and Soqrat 9-2. Undercover Agent is a 5.25-1 chance to become the first dual winner since Variety Club in 2013 and then it’s 8-1 Cirillo, 12-1 Matador Man, 13-1 Lady In Black and 25-1 New Caledonia.

Favourites have had a poor record in recent seasons. Snowdance, second 12 months ago, was the first to even finish in the first three in five years.

Bunker Hunt, 40-1 for the July and the subject of some encouraging comments from his trainer after being forced to miss last Saturday’s Daily News – he was lame on his left hind – was due to be checked out by the vets yesterday.

Snaith said: “It would have been very hard to beat Hawwaam but I think he would have been a big runner and that he could have been in the first three. He kicked a wall and, although it’s not a train smash, I need to see the extent of the damage.”

And the all important question: will he make the July? “I think he should,” replied his trainer. “But I need to wait and make sure he is 100% right.”

Silvano’s Pride, Snaith’s fourth Woolavington winner in six years, looks like missing a clash with her elders in the Garden Province on July day. “She has already had three races in the Durban season and they have all been tough races,” reasoned her trainer. “In the Garden Province she would be taking on older fillies, tough nuts to crack, so I might put her away and bring her back in the Gold Bracelet at the end of the season.”

By Michael Clower

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