Justin Snaith was thrilled to have drawn barrier position ten for the Vodacom Durban July’s hot favourite African Night Sky. He will come into position nine if the second reserve runner Crowd Pleaser, who drew pole position, comes out and Snaith believed that was the perfect draw for the July. He explained he would then likely end up with an option of going outward in the straight. Three of his other runners, Elusive Silva, Do It Again and Made To Conquer, drew double figure barrier positions, while his filly Star Express drew nine. However, he was pleased with this outcome and said. “I don’t like being on the inside in the July with all the jostling, I’ve been there and done that, my horses prefer being away from the trouble.”

Fiorella (Candiese Marewick)

Glen Kotzen has one runner in the field proper, Gold Standard, as well as the first reserve Pack Leader and they drew six and 17 respectively. Hugo Hattingh part-owns Gold Standard and owns Pack Leader. Kotzen said, “Hugo did a good thing by drawing six for Gold Standard. Gold Standard has come right back to his best and when he is at his best he is as good as any and certainly better than this field.”

Paul Lafferty’s Dark Moon Rising drew well in three and he said, “I am only concerned about there being no pace. I think he is the horse to beat. If you look at the two favourites, African Night Sky and Do It Again, they have both flopped when running in Grade 1s.”

Robert Fayd’Herbe said about Rocket Countdown’s draw of five, “You can’t not be pleased with that draw. It is not the strongest field and he stays well. The Cape Town three-year-olds are always finishing on top of each other so he is not badly weighted and has a chance.”

Duncan Howells was “over the moon” with Fiorella’s draw of eight. He said, “I think with a faster pace she could have done even better (than a half-a-length second) in the Woolavington 2000 and Muzi also felt if he had gone earlier she could have done better. Everything is on song, she is exceptionally well, and will give a very good account of herself.”

Brett Crawford said about White River’s draw of 13, “I would have preferred lower but it’s ok.” Asked whether the three-year-old by Trippi had improved with gelding, he replied, “He has certainly shown that he has improved in his work at home, so we will see how he goes in his gallop on Thursday. I think he has as good a chance as Edict Of Nantes had last year.” The latter finished a 0,35 length third last year.

By David Thiselton

A MR 80 Handicap over 1600m heads a low key card on the Vaal Classic track tomorrow.

Lord Silverio is a talented sort and had too much ground to make up last time over 1800m. The step down in trip is probably not ideal but from a much better draw he is likely to be closer to the pace and can mow them down.

Lord Silverio (JC Photographics)

Alssakhra met Mambo Symphony over this trip on the Turffontein Inside track on May 20 and was beaten 2,3 lengths by him. He is now only 1kg better off and if apprentice claims are included is 7kg worse off. A 4kg apprentice rode him that day and the same claimer is now on Mambo Symphony. However, Alssakhra is now being ridden by the maestro Piere Strydom. Strydom is a known good judge of pace and is tailor made for front-running types like Alssakhra. Furthermore, he has a good draw of three and the prevailing fast going should also be suitable. The Seventh Rock gelding is coming off a good performance in a Graduation Plate where he was beaten 2,55 lengths by the 101 merit rated Royal Crusade. He was receiving 3kg that day but is back in a handicap off an 85, so if he repeats that run he should be right there. The downside is he has had quite a tough campaign, which included a trip down to Durban to be pacemaker for stablemate Majestic Mambo in the Grade 1 Daily News 2000.

Mambo Symphony was caught wide without cover for most the way last time over this distance on the Turffontein Inside course. He now has a 4kg claimer up, so will make his presence felt if it pans out better from a draw of seven out of 12.

Bush Pilot is drawn in pole and is ideally distance suited. He can earn again if repeating his penultimate start.

Miss Bulsara is a full-sister to the Graded winner Bulsara and ran a good race over 2000m last time. This is likely a touch sharp but she is improving in the typical style of a four-year-old Silvano filly and could make her presence felt with a 4kg claimer up.

Querari Viking is 4kg better off with Mambo Symphony for a 4,1 length beating on their meeting on May 1 over this trip, but the latter will have improved further being still a three-year-old so Querari Viking has a tough task from draw ten.

In the last race over 1800m Dawn Flight showed she is competitively handicapped at present when going close over this trip on the Vaal Inside track 16 days ago. She now has a plum draw and runs off the same mark so should get it right under a jockey she runs well for, S’Manga Khumalo. Empress Valley beat her last time by 0,2 lengths despite casting a shoe so will have a fine chance again from pole position, despite being 1kg worse off. The dark horse in this race is White Out, despite her having been well beaten by the aforementioned pair last time. She did not have much luck in that race but is capable of a strong finish and gets on well with Karl Zechner, so if it pans out well from a wide draw she should be charging home late.

By David Thiselton

There were the usual aggrieved parties after the announcement of the Vodacom Durban July field in the Classic Room at Greyville yesterday and this time it centred around the omission of Pack Leader, who was chosen instead as first reserve.

Trainer Glen Kotzen pointed out Pack Leader had Grade 1 form, having run in four Grade 1s in his career, including two third places, the latest one being in the Investec Cape Derby when finishing two lengths behind July second favourite Do It Again, from whom he receives 1kg in the July.

Pack Leader

Owner Hugo Hattingh said Pack Leader had just been “coming into himself”. He revealed, in order “to put it into perspective”, huge money had been offered for Eyes Wide Open from an overseas party after his Cape Derby victory and the same amount had been offered for Pack Leader at the same time. Both offers were turned down. Monetary concerns are of no concern of the final field panelists and in their defence, Pack Leader’s disappointing sixth place finish in the Grade 1 Daily News was always going to put him under pressure for a July spot. He was unlucky in that race but luck should not be a factor either. Matador Man’s unlucky run in the WSB 1900 should also not have been of concern and he finished a 2,75 length third in that Grade 2 event. It was deemed better form than Pack Leader’s 3,75 length third in the Cape Derby and his 3,5 length sixth in the Daily News. Matador Man also has a stamina doubt, so his excellent form at Greyville was probably what counted in his favour.

Kotzen did make the valid point that in the Listed Sledgehammer, when having a preparation run and beaten a short-head, Pack Leader had beaten Dark Moon Rising by 0,75 length when giving him 1,5kg and he was now due to face him at level weights, not to mention that if weight for age changes were taken into account Pack Leader would in effect be 3kg better off in the July.

However, Paul Lafferty, trainer of Dark Moon Rising, responded by pointing out the Sledgehammer was only a Listed event and had just been a preparation run for his charge. He also pointed out he had been finishing like a train and added, “If Pack Leader does get in to the July we will race him for a car.” Lafferty did not specify what make of car it would be.

Dark Moon Rising (Candiese Marnewick)

Dark Moon Rising is certainly a progressive sort, like most progeny of Ideal World, and he will relish the step up in trip. His eye-catching finishes in both the Sledgehammer and WSB 1900 came behind unsuitably slow paces. He only failed by half-a-length in the 1900, a Grade 2 event. Lafferty makes Dark Moon Rising the horse to beat in the July and his only concern is the perceived lack of pace.

Another question raised was how two horses from the Jubilee Handicap formline, Yakeen and Tilbury Fort, had made it into the final field despite being under sufferance in the weights. The winner of that race, Yakeen, is 2,5kg under sufferance and Tilbury Fort is half-a-kilogram under sufferance.

“I remember winning the Jubilee with a horse who had won four out of six and he didn’t get into the July,” grumbled one trainer. Indeed last year’s Jubilee Handicap winner Coral Fever did not get into the July.

However, in the panellists’ defence Coral Fever has proven them mightily wrong this season as he is this season’s July topweight. Furthermore, Yakeen is a progressive three-year-old who is improving all the time and once he was included it was tough to leave Tilbury Fort out, considering the latter ran to the same rating and is better weighted in the July.

Pack Leader will need a horse to be scratched before 8:15 a.m. next Friday in order to get in and the connections of second reserve Crowd Pleaser will be hoping for two scratchings.

By David Thiselton

july final field

One of the most competitive Vodacom Durban July fields for some years, that will go to battle over 2 200m at Greyville in Durban on July 7, was unveiled at the special function at Greyville yesterday.

While the winners of the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate and the Sun Met – Legal Eagle and Oh Susanna – will not be in action as a matter of choice by their connections, the field to face the starter on the day contains many top performers in the country’s important races including the winner’s of the Premier’s Champion Challenge, the Sansui Summer Cup, the Cup Trial, World Sports Betting 1900, the Daisy Guineas and Daisy Fillies Guineas, the Jubilee Handicap, Lonsdale Stirrup Cup and South African Oaks.

In many cases the runners-up in those races will also be in action which will ensure a high-quality group of the country’s thoroughbreds and a race that could be a lot more open than the short price odds on offer on favourite African Night Sky might suggest.

As expected, Cape trainer Justin Snaith will have a busy day with five runners to saddle and his Highveld counterpart, Sean Tarry, will be kept busy preparing three runners for the race. But only one of the eight runners from the two stables, the Snaith-trained Silvano mare Star Express, has drawn a pen inside barrier 10 with stable companion and big race favourite, African Night Sky, filling the 10 berth.

The draws for the other Snaith runners are Elusive Silver (14), Do It Again (16) and Made To Conquer (12).

The Tarry runners did not fare well at all in the draw with Sansui Summer Cup winner Liege drawing at 18, Matador Man at 15 and Tilbury Fort at 20.

With second reserve runner Crowd Pleaser drawing on the rail, the former Highveld Triple Crown winner Abashiri from the Mike Azzie stable got the best draw at two and is likely to jump from the inside berth on the day with trainer Paul Lafferty drawing the number three berth for his Ideal World gelding, Dark Moon Rising.

There were no surprise exclusions from the field which basically fell in line with the betting on the race. Of the top 23 in the betting, the only runners excluded were Platinum Prince, 22-1, and Royal Crusade at 33-1.

With the announcement of the final field and the draws, the betting for the race could well change considerably, particularly when the names of the seven missing jockeys, including that for favourite African Night Sky, are announced.

The official and compulsory public gallops at Greyville for the Vodacom Durban July runners will take place from 7am on Thursday with horses still stabled out of the area having to complete a filmed and timed gallop in the area they are stabled which can be aired on Tellytrack on Thursday.

The gallops will be followed by a panel discussion on the gallops and views of the panelists on how they see the big race panning out on July 7.

By Richard McMillan

Featured Image: Coral Fever (JC Photographics)

The ability to act in soft ground could be crucial at Durbanville tomorrow when ten millimetres of rain are forecast for the morning – and this puts a question mark over Celestial Storm in the TAB Telebet Maiden.

Greg Cheyne’s mount is the type of speedy horse that is made for the country course, the sort that can shoot straight into the lead, skim round the turns and sprint for home. But what happened at Philippi last week has filled Riaan van Reeenen with doubt.

Greg Cheyne

“She is a decent filly and normally her sand work is good,” he relates. “She was going well the other day but there was a wet patch and she faltered when she went across it so I am a bit hesitant.”

What happened is not conclusive but it’s a useful hint and suggests that Celestial Storm is short enough at 28-10. In the circumstances the vote goes to Winter Five who opened at 5-2 with World Sports Betting and has finished second in soft ground on her last two starts. She is out of an Irish mare by Rock Of Gibraltar who won a Group I when it was almost unraceable. Vodka Lime, who has also run well in soft ground, is an obvious danger at 7-2.

The Candice Bass-Robinson pair Go Snow Girl and Happy Girl dominate the market for the opening Fillies Maiden Juvenile and dispute favouritism at 5-2. It is surely significant that Aldo Domeyer partners the former, a six length-third to runaway winner Helen’s Ideal who runs in the Irridescence on Saturday. Mulan and Marmalade Sky were miles behind. Worth noting is 5-1 shot Creme De Menthe as she was not disgraced in decent company last time yet Grant Behr came in reporting that he felt there was something not right.

The connections of Black Indy were toying with the idea of going for Saturday’s Langeman so that is a tip in itself in the Tabonline Maiden Juvenile and there is a line of form that puts the 5-2 favourite in front of Sacred Night (28-10). The latter is badly drawn but is clearly on the upgrade and gets a tentative vote. Riding arrangements also point to the chance of Carlas Mambo here.

Blue Roller, second on all three starts, is odds-on to go one better in the Betting World Maiden but gets the vote only because 2-1 shot Black Sail is drawn wide. This one met with interference last time and had Giant Flag and Captainofthesea well behind.

By Michael Clower