Shane Humby scored a double at Scottsville on Sunday and can add to his tally at the same venue today when he runs Moon Bird in the Natal Property Consultants Handicap. The lightly raced gelding has had two runs since a lengthy break and both were on the poly track with blinkers.

Moon Bird reverts to turf this afternoon, the blinker come off and he also steps up in trip in a race that looks tailor-made.

He will however, face strong opposition from The Poet who fell victi

m to Humby’s runner Waywood over course and distance last time out and who franked that form with another success last Sunday.

The Poet has been a touch unfortunate in his last two outings, his first in blinkers. He was decidedly unlucky behind Haylor and last time out, coming from too far back in a slow run race when third behind Waywood and stable companion Burra Boy, who is also in today’s line-up

MJ Byleveld jumps from Burra Boy to The Poet with Kegan de Melo tied to the Dean Kannemeyer yard for the season and he partners marginal favourite Benfontein for his retained yard.

Track & Ball have The Poet at around 33-10 in the market with The Poet around 4-1.

Benfontein put up a smart barrier trial behind stable companion Meryl and was probably in need of the outing behind The King Of Random over 1000on the poly. He is likely to prefer this trip.

At longer odds is Tommy Grand who caught the eye in a recent barrier trial and although this trip may be a touch in the short side, Nathan Kotzen has declared blinkers and he could be the joker in the pack.

With top weight Neala and Valedictorian scratched from the opening leg of the PA the field has been trimmed to four runners that could turn into a match race between Winter Blues and Swakopmund. Louis Goosen could have the inside edge here as Swakopmund finished nearly five lengths behind Goosen’s speedy filly Hashtag Strat who has since come out and won again.

Swakopmund has 4kg-claiming Luke Ferraris aboard and earmuffs but that may not be enough to peg back Winter Blues. He is a little horse with a lot of heart and Bernard Fayd’Herbe could be tactically too canny for his younger rival.

To Woo is the only winner in the opening leg of the Pick 6 but Vaughan Marshall’s filly Charge D’Affaires, runner-up in both starts and a beaten 6-10 favourite last time out, can make amends for that defeat. She is currently odds-on with Track & Ball.

Beat It faded out badly in the Allan Robertson but judged on her earlier form, that was a showing way below ability. She stretches to a ‘mile’ this afternoon with current ante-post favourite Mitra Music the filly to beat.

By Andrew Harrison

The Alyson Wright-trained Flichity By Farr will be out to impress the Vodacom Durban July final field panellists when running in the Track and Ball Oaks over 2400m at Scottsville on Saturday.

Assistant trainer Kevin Wright said the three-year-old Go Deputy filly was fit and well and added, “She will need a big run to get in to the July.”

A case can be made for her to qualify as things stand as she was staying on strongly when a 1,2 length second in the Grade 2 SA Oaks at Turffontein and the winner of that race, Secret Potion, was high up on the last July log.

Two other points in Flichity by Farr’s favour is that she is by Go Deputy, so will be improving consistently, and she has run well at Scottsville before.

She has also drawn well in six.

Piere Strydom will be aboard, another plus.

Flichity By Farr made her debut at Scottsville over 1200m and then in September last year made her second appearance at the Pietermaritzburg venue over 1400m in a three-year-old handicap. She gave Fiorella 3kg that day and was beaten just one length after producing a flying finish. Fiorella has since booked her place in the July by winning the Grade 2 Daisy Fillies Guineas and finishing second in the Grade 1 Woolavington 2000.

Flichity By Farr is currently a 125/1 shot for the July.

Wright concluded, “The distance is absolutely ideal and she has improved since the Oaks.”

By David Thiselton

The Paul Lafferty-trained Grade 2 Post Merchants winner Sniper Shot will be going for the Grade 1 Mercury Sprint over the same Greyville 1200m course and distance.

The three-year-old chestnut gelding by Judpot ran on strongly from midfield after overcoming a wide draw last Friday night.

It has not been a strong season for sprinters and Sniper Shot would have a chance in the weight for age Mercury Sprint, despite winning the Post Merchants, which is run under merit-rated band conditions, off just a 105 merit rating.

He is a versatile type and was coming off runner up finishes in both the Grade 2 Daisy Guineas and Grade 3 Byerley Turk over 1600m and 1400m respectively.

Before that he won the Fever Tree Handicap over 1400m at Scottsville, but his 1200m form going into the Post Merchants made him one of the horses to beat on pure form, despite his starting odds of 113/20.

By David Thiselton

Anthony Delpech would in normal circumstances be looking forward to an attempt at a Vodacom Durban July record but instead has a much tougher battle on his plate as he recuperates from a horror fall suffered in the SA Classic on April 7.

The good news is he feels there is a “definite” chance he might one day be able to ride again.

However, it will be another few months before such a decision can be taken as it all depends on how well the injury heals and how strong the surrounding tissue becomes.

Delpech was aboard the fancied Majestic Mambo in the SA Classic and said when a half gap opened he went for it. However, one of the horses ahead of him shifted slightly and the gap closed. He attempted to pull out of it but the horse had shot forward and it was too late.

Delpech suffered a herniated disc in the neck and a new disc had to be put in its place. He also had to have vertebrae four and five fused together.

He also suffered excruciating nerve pain in his hands and lost all of the strength in his hands too.

His frame of mind also took a blow as he had been on top of the world and was on his way to a second successive national jockey’s title and a fourth overall.

However, he said, “It is a huge operation. It was very hard at first, I was very down, but I have really come a long way.”

He is getting the strength in his hands back, has been able to drive his car again and is feeling a lot more upbeat.

In a fortnight’s time he will go for his first scan since the operation.

Things might move quicker after that because up until now no physiotherapy has been allowed on the neck. The physiotherapy, once it starts will be vital, and in a few months’ time a call will be made on the strength of the injured area versus the risks should there be another fall.

Delpech has been watching the big races and asked which horse he would have liked to have been on for the July said, “African Night Sky has been very impressive and is the stand out.”

He is the joint July record holder together with Harold “Tiger” Wright and Anton Marcus having ridden the winner of the big race four times.

Anton Marcus is also on the injury list but is still hopeful of being ready in time to ride in the July.

By David Thiselton

Traces,  winner of the two-year-old Listed race at Met day and first past the post in the barrier trial at Greyville last Friday, runs next on Vodacom Durban July day but not in any of the features.

Brett Crawford said: “We have decided that we should stick to five furlongs for the time being as he has run twice over further than that and disappointed on both occasions. We want to find a race he can win and therefore he goes for the 1 000m Pinnacle (race ten) on July 7 rather than any of the features.”

The Snitzel colt started favourite for the Godolphin Barb Stakes but was beaten nearly seven lengths into third behind Cue The Music and in the Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion he was fifth to Van Halen.

By Michael Clower

Featured Image: Brett Crawford (Liesl King)