The top sire Dynasty will have a fine chance of landing the Vodacom Durban July this year as he could well have four runners in the final field, including the hot favourite African Night Sky.

Dynasty won the July himself in 2003 and his son Legislate won it in 2014. However, he has never had a progeny of his cross the line first in the big race as Legislate won on objection.

Legislate’s trainer Justin Snaith is a twice July winner but has never had a horse of his cross the line in front, because his other July victory was with the 2008 dead-heater Dancer’s Daughter.

Legislate

Snaith trains African Night Sky so will attempt to bury that anomaly.

Dynasty’s other likely runners in this year’s race are the Sansui Summer Cup winner Liege, Track and Ball Derby winner It’s My Turn and the Snaith-trained Made To Conquer. He is also the sire of borderline horse Sabina’s Dynasty

The twice South African champion sire Silvano is a record-breaking July sire and will be well represented this year again. Four of his progeny have won the race, a record. They are Bold Silvano (2010), Heavy Metal (2013), Power King (2015) and Marinaresco (2017). In 2015 Silvano’s progeny filled the trifecta, another record if not a world record for a major race. Silvano will represented this year by Elusive Silva and by any one or more of the borderline horses Star Express, Platinum Prince, Royal Crusade and Strathdon.

The final field is being announced today at Greyville and the competition for places is tighter than ever.

In Betting World’s final ante-post market African Night Sky was the firm 18/10 favourite with Do It Again next best on 13/2 and Majestic Mambo was the only other one on single figures at 9/1.

By David Thiselton

Candice Bass-Robinson will run 40% of the field in Saturday’s Highlands Stud Winter Derby in a bid to extend her stable’s historically high success rate in the Kenilworth Grade 3. Her father Mike won the race five times in 16 years.

Candice Bass-Robinson hamishnivenphotography

But it is the Justin Snaith-trained Doublemint who looks most likely to start favourite. The Politician winner has to concede a kilo all round but he had five of Saturday’s ten runners behind when third to the unbeaten Rainbow Bridge and Durban July candidate Rocket Countdown in last month’s Winter Classic. Grant van Niekerk takes over from Callan Murray.

Bernard Fayd’Herbe, bidding for his fourth Winter Derby win, rides Ancestry for Joey Ramsden who has decided against pitting the high class filly Fresnaye against male opponents and instead runs her in the Winter Oaks.

Ramsden has pretty much made the Langerman his own and runs four in his attempt to win the race for the tenth time in 18 seasons but, on paper at any rate, the one that stands out in the 1 500m test is the unbeaten One World, representing Vaughan Marshall and M.J. Byleveld who were successful 12 months ago with the subsequent Cape Guineas winner Tap O’Noth.

In the Irridescence Paul Reeves takes on the might of the Bass-Robinson two-year-old filly powerhouse with highly regarded runaway debut winner Helen’s Ideal (Donovan Dillon).

By Michael Clower

The Vaal Outside track meeting tomorrow is low key but there could be one or two good opportunities for punters.

Dress For Success

In race 5 over 1400m Pachanga looks set to get off the mark. She cracked bad draws in her first four starts on the Highveld but has gone close in her last three starts over this sort of trip. She took well to blinkers last time and was a touch unlucky as she had to take evasive action when a horse went amiss. She is no great shakes but faces an uninspiring field here and it is down the straight so she shouldn’t be inconvenienced by her middle draw. The two first-timers, Bel Canto Chorus by Philanthropist and Oona by Duke Of Marmalade were both relatively cheap purchases but the betting should be monitored as there is not much to beat in this field. Our Biscuit has run some fair races but would probably prefer a bit further. Elangeni has run two fair races in her last two over 1500m and 1400m respectively but has made breathing noises in the past.

In the first leg if the Pick 6 over 1400m Seventh Rule could run them off their feet in the expected fast conditions. He has never raced beyond 1160m so there is a stamina doubt but he stands out in terms of ability. Camel Walk has been disappointing in his last two starts but on debut over 1600m got going late so he should enjoy this trip and he has the ability to upset. Money Matters is improving and has Strydom up over a trip he should enjoy as he has not been finding a lot from handy positions over 1600m.

A fillies and mare MR 84 handicap is the highest rated race and Braxton should relish the step up in trip. She is in good form, having gone close over 1400m last time. Noceur has always struck as one with ability and she was not at all disgraced last time against the useful Emily Jay. She has a low draw which used to be unfavourable on this track but these days it is difficult to predict where the going will be. Teenage Dream has shown tremendous improvement this season and ran in features in her last two starts. Before that she finished just two lengths behind Al Danza over 1500m and the latter went on to finish a close second in the Grade 1 Empress Club Stakes.

Make Me Happy looked at one stage to be on her way to better things but her last start was most disappointing. If bouncing back to her best she will be a big runner. Zulu Dawn improved with blinkers last time and comfortably reversed previous form with Make Me Happy. She was unlucky in her only start over this trip and has claims. Hafla disappointed in that same race but was found to be coughing. She is capable of running on well and could earn. Comme-Ci-Comme-Ca’s last two wins have been when held up over 1400m and running on strongly and she might be ready to step up to this trip.

By David Thiselton

It’s My Turn has been slashed from 75-1 to 33-1 for the Vodacom Durban July following his timely win in Saturday’s Track And Ball Derby and in advance of tomorrow’s announcement of the final field.

Some observers had expected Betting World to react even more sharply given Dean Kannemeyer’s record in the great race. He is bidding for his fourth win following Dynasty in 2003, Eyeofthetiger (2006) and Power King three years ago.

Do It Again (Candiese Marnewick)

The country’s biggest bookmaker has left African Night Sky an unchanged 18-10 favourite with stable companion Do It Again on 13-2, Majestic Mambo 9-1 and Made To Conquer 12-1.

It’s My Turn has come down from 100-1 to 35-1 with World Sports Betting which has African Night Sky on 2-1 and Do It Again shaved half a point from 7-1 to 13-2. Track And Ball, which goes 19-10 about African Night Sky, has cut It’s My Turn to 33-1.

Perovskia has been marked out from 75-1 to as big as 125-1 in the last few days but Harold Crawford is now much more confident about his Drill Hall winner being ready in time to become his first July runner in 42 years as a trainer. Indeed the four-year-old seems to have made a remarkable recovery from the injury he picked up in the Cup Trial.

Crawford said: “The wound is healing up nicely and the horse is doing well. He is 100% sound and working good.”

Horizon, beaten little more than half a length when sixth in last year’s July and at R5.2 million the country’s highest-priced yearling until Silver Coin and Charles came along, has been on the missing list since finishing not striding out in the Sun Met.

Candice Bass-Robinson reports that he had a successful knee-chip operation and will be back for the Cape summer season.

Justin Snaith, bidding for his third consecutive Winter Derby on Saturday, is putting Grant van Niekerk on top weight Doublemint while Richard Fourie has been booked for Love Happens in the Highlands Stud-sponsored 2 400m test.

The capable Brandon May, who hurt his hip in a car crash earlier in the month, hopes to resume riding work this morning.

By Michael Clower

Racing at Kenilworth on Saturday lasted no longer than shortly after the second race when the jockeys lodged what is officially known as a protest, a complete misnomer if ever there was one.

No angry scenes or waving of placards, just two riders going into the boardroom to explain why they felt they should not continue.

Grant Van Niekerk

Grant van Niekerk, who won the Liquidity Services Maiden Juvenile on the Justin Snaith-trained 8-1 shot Kawakami and was fined R1 500 for using his whip with excessive frequency, said: “The track is very heavy and coming into the straight I couldn’t see anything. My goggles were covered in mud.”

Donovan Dillon, caught close home on 17-10 favourite Sparkeling Fire after trying to make all the running, added: “The ground is becoming false and that is the real problem.”

Fifteen minutes after the race had been run the meeting was abandoned. “The trainers weren’t happy either. It was a unanimous decision,” said stipe Nick Shearer who was presumably referring to the two trainers co-opted onto the decision-making panel. Some of those on the other side of the weighing room counter would have preferred the meeting to continue.

Apparently it was the ground on the bend from the back straight into the straight that was the major cause for concern but for Quarllo in the opening 1 000m Data Simplified Maiden Plate the testing going was manna from heaven.

This Glen Puller-trained gelding was running for the 22^nd time and, despite rising six, had never once finished in front. Little wonder that none of the punters wanted to know and allowed him to drift from 8-1 to 36-1 outsider of the seven runners.

Piet Botha had him well placed throughout and gained the advantage in the final furlong to score by three-quarters of a length.

Botha said: “Quarllo has a lot of niggles and so he enjoyed this ground. It was nice and heavy and they were going in quite deep.”

Just a pity that none of the punters could do the same.

By Michael Clower