The Vodacom Durban July as I saw it: Anton Marcus

“Down at the start, when it was delayed, one or two of the other horses were getting a bit warm but Do It Again was nice and relaxed.

“I didn’t have a game plan as such going into the race but I was concerned that it was going to be devoid of pace and I was towards the rear early on. However, when African Night Sky started over-racing everything just fell into place. I had a trouble-free passage and a trouble-free run in transit, and this probably made the difference to the horse. I was able to keep him balanced and keep him in a rhythm, and for me that was the most important thing. Indeed on this course it was paramount and it meant I was able to keep him out of trouble.

“Going into the final turn I wanted to get him mobile so I started riding. I thought he would take a while to unwind – I knew he wasn’t going to come home in 22 seconds!  When I joined Made To Conquer I was slightly concerned because he is a fighter but when we passed him I knew we had put it to bed.”

By Michael Clower

They went in fully loaded with a team of five and emerged the victors in the annual racing spectacle at Greyville in Durban where they filled the first three places in the R4.25-million Vodacom Durban July.

It was mission accomplished for the powerful and very popular Justin Snaith racing team from the Cape that planned it’s July racing season in KwaZulu-Natal around Africa’s greatest racing event where jockey Anton Marcus partnered the three-year-old Twice Over gelding Do It Again that led the Snaith attack across the line ahead of Made To Conquer and Elusive Silva with race favourite African Night Sky filling fifth place.

It was a result reminiscent of the halcyon days of Terrance Millard who twice saddled the July trifecta back in the 1980’s. It was a result that confirmed the strength of the Snaith stable with Justin confirming his status as South African champion trainer elect for the current season.

It was also a result that thwarted veteran jockey Jeff Lloyd from finally adding the famous race to his portfolio. Lloyd had travelled back to South Africa from his new home in Australia for a final bid to win the race which had eluded him all his riding career. Lloyd has indicated he could be retiring at the end of the year.

But “The Guv” gave everything he had on the Dynasty gelding Made To Conquer and almost pulled it off until Marcus brought Do It Again down the outside of the field with a sustained finishing burst to snatch the glory. Speaking after the race Marcus said he had a trouble-free run throughout and saw the favourite African Night Sky “over racing” at the head of the field which gave him confidence. Lloyd had Made To Conquer right up with the pace and the four-year-old kept going strongly to the line.

For former Highveld Triple Crown winner Abashiri, however, it could be the end of the road. He was pulled out of the race early in the home straight by jockey Piere Strydom after the five-year-old suffered a near-fore tendon injury.

The July result was an outstanding performance for the Snaith stable but the day was not without its disappointments. Their boom filly Snowdance that had been touted by the yard as virtually unbeatable in the Grade 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes, was beaten a whisker on the line, ironically by the Western Winter filly Redberry Lane from the stable of outgoing champion trainer Sean Tarry ridden by champion jockey elect, apprentice Lyle Hewitson.

The beautiful daughter of Captain Al suffered her third defeat since arriving in KwaZulu-Natal but was not disgraced and will undoubtedly prove she is the star they believe her to be in the future.

The disappointment will have slightly dampened the euphoria of the Vodacom Durban July success but they will be pleased with the quality of their racing stock and will be looking for the festival of racing on eLAN Gold Cup Day at Greyville at the end of the month.

Earlier in the day, jockey Keagan de Melo got the Querari gelding Head Honcho from the Andre Nel stable first across the line in the Grade 3 Betting World 2200, the race that traditionally hosts many runners that were not included in the premier event. The fancied Captain Al colt Crowd Pleaser had set the pace with Head Honcho in close attendance but in the final battle to the line Head Honcho just got the result.

The five-year-old Dynasty gelding It’s My Turn completed the stayers double when he stormed home under Anton Marcus to win the Grade 3 Dstv Gold Vase over 3 000m with Marcus saying afterwards that his only concern before the race was that there would not be a good pace and it would not be a true test of stamina.

Trainer Dean Kannemeyer said the five-year-old had a “touch of class” about him and had won very well.

The two Grade 2 juvenile races, the Samsung Golden Slipper for fillies and the Durban Golden Horseshoe were both won by fancied runners, the Slipper by the Sean Tarry-trained daughter of Captain Al, Celtic Sea, and the Horseshoe by the Gimmethegreenlight colt Barahin from the Mike de Kock yard.

Barahin, bred by the South African Wilgerbosdrift & Mauritzfontein operation just got the better of his more fancied stable companion Soqrat that was bred in Australia. They are both owned by Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid al Maktoum and were described by De Kock as “two very good horses”. As young horses with great potential, they have bright futures and could well be sent to campaign overseas at the end of this season.

With bright sunshine and a massive crowd, Vodacom Durban July Day 2018 proved another major success with the betting turnovers on major bets reaching expected levels in spite of the current quieter economic conditions.

By Richard McMillan

The July in Jozi meeting at the Turffontein Standside track is an exciting one to attend and starts off with some good class juvenile events over 1400m.

In the first of them Green Haze could upset two more high profile horses in Bold Eagle and Cirillo.

Green Haze was stepped up to this 1400m trip last time in the Listed Gatecrasher Stakes at Greyville. He took a while to get going in the straight but at the finish was running on in eyecatching style for a 3,25 length second to the exciting R2,6 million Gimmethegreenlight colt Barahin, who is the second favourite for the Grade 2 Golden Horseshoe over this trip at Greyville. Green Haze runs at level weights with Cirillo and receives 4kg from Bold Eagle. He has a tricky draw of six in the seven horse field but can be dropped out before staying on.

Bold Eagle can be forgiven his last disappointing 1,7 length fourth in the SA Nursery when starting 16/10 favourite. He missed his intended next start, the Grade 1 Gold Medallion, so there was clearly something amiss. He is laid back type who possesses a good turn of foot and he is bred to go this trip and more so can bounce back from a fair draw. Cirillo beat Bold Eagle in the Nursery but before that was beaten by him over 1100m despite receiving 5kg. He beat a maiden field easily last time over 1160m and the form has been franked. He should enjoy this trip being by Pomodoro. It looks to lie between those three and should be an exciting tussle.

In the next race the exciting Return Flight takes on some good fillies and has to give them all 2kg. She has put a combined margin of 19,5 lengths between herself and the opposition in her last two starts and has done it pretty effortlessly. She is a front-running sort so has an ideal pole position draw for her style and she can make it a hattrick. Railtrip has caught the eye as a progressive sort and she was extending when thrashing them by 4.5 lengths in a maiden when stepped up to this 1400m last time. She has plenty of scope for improvement and looks to be a lively threat. Dagmar can also make her presence felt, having run a good fifth in the Grade 1 Allan Robertson last time. She has pace but should stay this trip on pedigree so in the fast conditions could attempt to run then off their feet. Saints Alive won easily last time in the maidens and could earn. La Lucia won well on debut and is another contender, although she has a tough draw. Storm Destiny can’t be ignored either after a good win on debut.

Johannesburg fans could be cheering after the big one as Majestic Mambo is topped to use his electric turn of foot from behind and mow them down. Do It Again was a bit flat last time out in the Daily News and looks the main danger. African Night Sky is well weighted on his Met run and has enjoyed a fine preparation. White River has improved with gelding, especially temperamentally and should be right there. Made To Conquer is a laid back classy type who has more to come and has Greyville expert Jeff Lloyd up, Dark Moon Rising is tipped to also fill one of the first six places and Matador man and Coral Fever should be included in the wider exotic plays.

It should be a fun filled day so make your way to Turffontein.

By David Thiselton

It’s been seven years since last a three-year-old filly won the Vodacom Durban July and only two have been victorious this century. Both Igugu in 2011 and Ipi Tombe in 2002 were trained by Mike de Kock and went on to race successfully on the international stage, an indication of their class. Prior to that the last sophomore filly to win was Migraine in 1957. So the Duncan Howells-trained Fiorella has a lot of history against her when she lines up at Greyville tomorrow.

In her favour is that she is backed by solid form in a field that offers opportunity. A glance at bookmaker’s prices sees an 18-horse field sandwiched between 26-10 and 40-1 which gives an indication that this is anyone’s race.

Fiorella has had a perfect build-up and has been the surprise package in Champions Season. She started her run with a close-up fourth in the SA Fillies Classic at Turffontein and Howells is on record saying that she was not at her peak that day and still had improvement in her.

That assessment proved to be on the mark when she up-staged hot favourite Snowdance in the Gr2 Daisy Fillies Guineas. There were excuses for Snowdance that day but she followed up with an arguably unlucky second in the Gr1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge which franked Fiorella’s Fillies Guineas form.

Next up for Fiorella was the Gr1 Woolavington 2000 where Gr1 Sun Met winner Oh Susanna was all the rage. Oh Susanna was the first three-year-old filly to win the Met in over a century and was expected to doddle the race.

With a furlong to run, Fiorella had her under serious pressure and the line came just in time for the Met winner.  Behind Oh Susanna in the Met was tomorrow’s ruling ante-post favourite African Night Sky and although Fiorella will only be getting 4kg as opposed to the 8kg Oh Susanna was receiving in the Met, it is five months down the line.

This will be Fiorella’s first venture into open company but if Oh Susanna’s Met form holds any water then she must rate as a big runner.

“She is fit and well and has improved with every run,” said Howells and Mark Khan was suitable impressed after her Greyville gallop last week. “She gave me a really good feel. I think she will have a big chance,” was his opinion.

African Night Sky, winner of all three legs of the Cape Winter series last season, will be attempting to emulate the mighty Pocket Power who also landed the winter Triple Crown before going on to win the July the following season.

Justin Snaith’s runner has always been near the top of the boards since betting opened for tomorrow’s race but it was his smashing performance in the Cup Trial that catapulted African Night Sky clear in the market.

Pace, or the lack of it, plays a major role in any race, horse or otherwise, and without any recognised front runners in the line-up there could be a fair bit of congestion in the early exchanges and a rough race is on the cards where luck in running could play a major part and horses who like to come from behind off a strong pace will be disadvantaged.

African Night Sky is a runner that does his best when allowed to bide his time but can turn up the wick in an instant. However, if the field hits the home stretch tripping over each other, big race rider Grant van Niekerk will need to read what is in front of him and be wide awake to any gap.

He got it wrong in the Pinnacle Stakes where he was caught in traffic and just failed to catch stable companion Star Express. That was a costly mistake as Snaith was then forced to run the gelding in the Cup Trial to make sure of his July participation. The Cup Trial proved to be little more than a walk in the park as African Night Sky accelerated through the field to win as he liked.

It was a seriously good showing but as feared, it earned him some extra pudding for the July. It also put paid to the chances of Crowd Pleaser and Platinum Prince making the July field as they were clearly no match on the day.

With five runners in the race, Snaith could hatch a plan and send out a hare in the form of Made To Conquer. Jeff Lloyd has been doing some work on him since arriving from Australia and said his mount felt like an out-and-out stayer, a “Gold Cup type horse”.

Made To Conquer has certainly come into his own recently and comes off a four-race winning streak, most recently getting the better of a bumping match with stable companion Strathdon in the Lonsdale Stirrup Cup over 2400m.

He has also won of 2500m in Cape Town so with a master tactician in the irons and no stamina limitations, Lloyd could have his rivals sweating come the last furlong.

Another trainer who will also be looking for a strong gallop is Paul Peter. Majestic Mambo came from the clouds when touched off by Surcharge in the Daily News 2000 and he certainly will not be suited to slow early fractions.

Given his style of racing, his wide draw should not be too much of a handicap and he does come into the race off a handy galloping weight.

One can make out a case for almost all of the runners but Fiorella has proven form in a year where the fillies have dominated and is taken to up-stage African Night Sky.

By Andrew Harrison

A threat to the Saturday’s Vodacom Durban July was averted yesterday when striking grooms agreed to a wage increase offered to them by trainers.

A large contingent of grooms blockaded the entrance to Summerveld early yesterday morning but there was no threat of violence and by the afternoon it was business as usual.

There was also a meeting between trainers and groom’s representatives at the Ashburton training centre near Pietermaritzburg.

The two parties have still to come to an agreement but according to sources negotiations will resume on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, a rumour regarding the well-being of July favourite African Night Sky was quashed when the Justin Snaith yard released a video showing him to be in fine fettle.

The rumours are possibly one of the main reasons why African Night Sky has drifted in the betting and yesterday there was as much as 3-1 available.

But after yesterday’s gallop on the beach (sand) track at Summerveld, Snaith said the horse looked absolutely amazing. “Anthandiwe (Magudlwa) rode him right now and said he’s never felt this horse feel any better. I don’t know what the rumours are? Maybe because I cantered in the gallop! We’ve just worked him and I hung onto him all the way back as best I could as he is so fresh. Obviously the (striking) grooms screaming upset him but this is going to be one of the big runners in the July come this weekend,” concluded Snaith.

By Andrew Harrison