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

Dean Kannemeyer had an important 10 o’clock phone call yesterday morning with Fred Crabbia, owner of It’s My Turn, and the latter instructed him to run the five-year-old Dynasty gelding in the Vodacom Durban July.

This was bad news for the borderline horses as It’s My Turn won Saturday’s Grade 3 Track and Ball Derby in good fashion and panellists will have to seriously consider him for the July final field.

Dean Kannemeyer

He finished a 2,35 length fourth in the July as a three-year-old and a 1,4 length eight last year, both times carrying 55,5kg, so those results will count in his favour as he only carries 55kg this year.

The one statistic which will count against him was the strength of the field on Saturday, as he was well in at the weights.

On the other hand he won comfortably by 2,25 lengths. Kannemeyer said It’s My Turn had pulled up well. The competition for places in this year’s July is tighter than ever.

The horses who have certainly booked their places are African Night Sky, Do It Again, Majestic Mambo, Elusive Silva and Coral Fever, while those who have likely booked a place are Fiorella, Made To Conquer, Abashiri, Secret Potion and Liege. That leaves eight places to be fought out by 28 horses who, in ante-post betting order, are Tilbury Fort, Dark Moon Rising, White River, Pack Leader, Platinum Prince, Yakeen, Royal Crusade, It’s My Turn, Cascapedia, Gold Standard, Crowd Pleaser, Star Express, Matador Man, Rocket Countdown, Ngaga, Social Order, Head Honcho, Sabina’s Dynasty, Perovskia, Strathdon, Flichity By Farr, The Slade, Glider Pilot, Mambo Mime, Girl On The Run, Roy Had Enough, Deo Juvente and Roy’s Riviera.

The easiest of those to eliminate are Glider Pilot, The Slade, Roy’s Riviera, Girl On The Run, Mambo Mime and Deo Juvente. Those whose last runs made them logical targets for elimination include Perovskia and Flichity By Farr.

Social Order’s fourth place in the Jubilee and Head Honcho’s fourth in the Cup Trial would have dented their chances, while Matador Man’s third in the WSB 1900 might not be good enough, despite him having been unlucky. Platinum Prince could also be eliminated on those grounds as he was beaten by Social Order in the King’s Cup, by Matador Man in the WSB 1900 and his subsequent third in the Cup Trial might not have been enough.

It’s My Turn (Liesl King)

That leaves 16 fighting it out for eight places.

The chief difficulty for the panellists will be assessing class versus good handicap performance, because after all the race is a handicap of sorts.

Those who have performed well in Grade 1 events during the season are White River, Star Express, Pack Leader, Gold Standard, Royal Crusade and Roy Had Enough. Some of these have not been placed in those events, but did perform to a high rating.

Among the above’s final sixteen Yakeen, Star Express (Grade 3 Victress Stakes), It’s My Turn,  Sabina’s Dynasty (Grade 2 Gerald Rosenberg Stakes) and Cascapedia (Garde 3 London News Stakes) have won Graded events this season. Yakeen won the traditional July qualifying race, the Jubilee Handicap, but last year the winner of that race was left out of the July. If Yakeen does get in it will be difficult to leave Tilbury Fort out, who finished a shorthead behind him and ran to the same rating.

Dark Moon Rising finished second in the Grade 2 WSB 1900 and Crowd Pleaser was second in the Grade 3 Cup Trial, both traditional July pointers, Rocket Countdown finished second in the first two legs of the Cape Winter series and Strathdon finished a narrow second in the Grade 3 Lonsdale Stirrup Cup.

The prediction for the final 18 in weight order is: Coral Fever, Abashiri, African Night Sky, Elusive Silva, Liege, Cascapedia, Star Express, It’s My Turn, Do It Again, Majestic Mambo, Fiorella, White River, Pack Leader, Tilbury Fort, Yakeen, Dark Moon Rising, Made To Conquer and Secret Potion. Gold Standard and Roy Had Enough were the toughest to leave out as they were both staying on in eye-catching style in the Grade 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge and ran to ratings of roundabout 115.

By David Thiselton

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