African Night Sky is back at the head of the Vodacom Durban July market following his eye-catching return in the Pinnacle at Greyville on Saturday.

The Justin Snaith four-year-old drifted out to 8-1 in the fortnight after stable companion Do It Again won the Daisy Guineas but the pair are now 5-1 joint favourites with Betting World which has Met winner Oh Susanna next on 8-1 with Pack Leader 10-1 and WSB 1900 hero Elusive Silva on 14-1.

African Night Sky is 5-1 clear favourite with World Sports Betting which goes 6-1 Do It Again, 9-1 Oh Susanna, 12-1 Pack Leader, 15-1 Elusive Silva and 20-1 bar.

Do It Again (Candiese Marnewick)

Suggestions that Snaith Racing may call on Jeff Lloyd for one of its July runners are wide of the mark according to Jono Snaith who said on Saturday that Grant van Niekerk, Anton Marcus and Callan Murray are the stable’s booked jockeys for the race. There is also Bernard Fayd’Herbe who won last year’s July on Marinaresco and scored on both Star Express and Elusive Silva. But the stable believes that Coral Fever will run and so keep the weights of its contenders below Fayd’Herbe’s minimum.

Magical Wonderland, 7-2 favourite with WSB for the SA Fillies Sprint, is reported in good heart for Saturday’s Scottsville Grade 1.

Candice Bass-Robinson, who also runs 15-1 shot Live Life, said: “Magical Wonderland is doing well and looking good. She has come on since her last run and Aldo Domeyer was up at Summerveld last week to ride her work.”

Brett Crawford reports Tsogo Sun Sprint favourite Bold Respect in similarly good shape, saying: “He is very well in himself, in good form and spot on for the race.”

Crawford is also particularly keen on Traces in the Gold Medallion even though at 8-1 there are four above him in the market.

Joey Ramsden will declare Computaform Sprint winner Attenborough (Fayd’Herbe) for the Tsogo Sun and has booked Keagan de Melo for Speedpoint who was third in the Turffontein race but has been raised a whopping 11 points.

Significantly Richard Fourie, who won on Attenborough last time, has elected to stay in Cape Town to keep his partnership with the exciting Rainbow Bridge in the Highlands Stud Winter Classic.

Ramsden looks like having one of the biggest hands in this 1 800m Grade 3 and will run three- Ancestry, Morning Catch and the filly Fresnaye. Candice Bass-Robinson also plans to be three handed with July supplementary Rocket Countdown, Ben-hur and Pacific Chestnut. Snaith, who has won three of the last six runnings, has declared Callan Murray for Doublemint and Robert Khathi for Love Happens.

By Michael Clower

Featured Image: African Night Sky (Liesl King)

Elusive Silva has burst into the Vodacom Durban July picture after his victory in the Grade 2 World Sports Betting (WSB ) 1900 at Greyville on Saturday and WSB now make him a 15/1 chance for the country’s biggest race.

Star Express (Denzil Govender)

Last year Elusive Silva was third favourite for the big race at one stage after impressive wins in both the Listed Sledgehammer and in the Cup Trial, but he had to be scratched after straining a tendon in the July gallops.

He clearly loves Greyville, like most Silvano’s do. In fact Silvano’s won the last three races at Greyville on Saturday and in 2015 they filled the July trifecta.

Star Express by Silvano won the seventh race on Saturday, a Pinnacle event over 1600m, and has shortened into 55/1 for the July with WSB. However, the biggest eyecatcher in that race was African Night Sky who stayed on strongly from way back and he is now the outright July favourite with WSB at 5.1. Recent impressive Daisy Guineas winner Do It Again is second in the betting on 6/1.

Dark Moon Rising increased his chances of making the July field by finishing a 0,5 length second in the 1900 and is now 40/1 with WSB for the July. Matador Man was an unlucky third in the 1900 and is a 50/1 July chance.

Pack Leader was scratched from the 1900 due to a concerns that he might have been having a slight bout of colic upon arrival at the course. It was just a precautionary measure and he remains prominent in the July betting with WSB at 12/1.

By David Thiselton

Justin Snaith was confident of good Vodacom Durban July qualifying runs from his fancied pair Platinum Prince and Elusive Silva in tomorrow’s Grade 2 Betting World 1900, in which he has four contestants.

Snaith said, “If Platinum Prince could contend over a mile like he did last time then he will be a big runner as that was way too short and he has come on a lot from the run and has been doing very well. He needs a big run to qualify for the July but will have to be careful from that wide draw. Elusive Silva is back and if his legs don’t give him trouble he should also be in contention. He strained a tendon at the July gallops last year. However, he is as good now as he was.”

Elusive Silva

He continued, “It is a bit sharp for Strathdon and it will be a bit hit and miss as he has been off for a long time. He will either have a forward run or will need it but I am hoping for a positive run. Captain Splendid is looking for further but I am hoping for a positive run.”

Snaith runs July second favourite African Night Sky and Star Express in a Pinnacle event over 1600m and said, “He may need it a little but I am looking for a positive run into the Cup Trial and expect him to be in the money. Star Express is having her first run and is doing well but she will come on from the run.”

Snaith was thrilled with the Barrier Trial run of former July winner Legislate at Scottsville on Wednesday.

He said, “There is still a long way to go but it was nice to watch!”

He will see how he goes before entering him in a race and said about ahis chances of lining up in the Rising Sun Gold Challenge, “We will see but I feel I’m just one run short.”

July third-favourite Oh Susanna is only 50/50 to line up in the big race as Snaith feels a big weight is a very hard ask for a three-year-old filly to carry over 2200m.

However, she put up a fine gallop at Greyville yesterday, beating her stable companion Copper Force at level weights.

Snaith said, “She is now fit and ready for the Woolavington. Copper Force had to be dropped out from a wide draw in his first run in Durban in the Drill Hall, and it didn’t work out, so it was good to see him putting up a good gallop.”

By David Thiselton

After a memorable couple of days of informative business sessions, the 37^th Asian Racing Conference (ARC) came to a close in the Grand InterContinental Parnas on Thursday night in Seoul, Korea with a momentous announcement that South Africa will be hosting the 38^th Asian Racing Conference in Cape Town in 2020.

Ken Truter, Chairman of the National Horse Racing Authority was delighted to accept the ARF flag from Winfried Englebrecht-Bresges, ARF Chairman.  “As Chairman it is a great privilege for the NHA to accept South Africa as the Asian Racing Conference destination for 2020. We are proud and honoured that the Asian Racing Federation has placed such confidence in us. Together with our industry partners we will put much effort and endeavour into making the 2020 conference a resounding success.”

South African Ambassador to South Korea, HE Miss Nozuko Bam was equally delighted that the Asian Racing Conference will be returning to South Africa after an absence of 27 years.

“On behalf of the South African Government, we are delighted that the auspicious Asian Racing Conference will take place in to our beautiful country in 2020. We will give the local organizing committee all our support to ensure that the conference will be enjoyable and memorable.

We would like to extend a thank you to the Asian Racing Federation and especially to the National Horseracing Authority of South Africa and its industry partners for making it happen. We will be ready when to welcome everyone to the shores of our friendly and exciting country.”

Featured Image by Liesl King

The Turffontein Inside course meeting on Sunday is headlined by the Listed Syringa Handicap over 1600m but of equal interest is a Pinnacle Stakes event over the same trip in which a couple of Vodacom Durban July contenders line up.

The classy Cascapedia is the best weighted horse in the Pinnacle event, despite Bernard Fayd’Herbe carrying 1kg overweight. The big four-year-old daughter of High Chaparral has breathing issues but this does not seem to bother her as she has won five of seven starts from 1400m up to 1800m. She is six months younger than her contemporaries so will be improving all the time. She was fancied for the Sun Met but had to be scratched after not travelling well. She likely needed her comeback run in the Grade 1 Empress Club Stakes and will have come on from that effort. She is already eleventh on the July log and is unlikely be given any raise in her merit rating even if she wins here as she is best in at the weights.

Cascapedia (JC Photographics)

Greek Fire has been omitted from the log after two below par runs in the Gauteng Guineas and SA Classic. However, neither race panned out well and he is better than that. Under Piere Strydom he might be given more of a chance and dropped out from a wide draw and should be capable of a strong finish being by Dynasty.

However, She’s A Giver and Unagi are preferred to fill the trifecta. Unagi has four wins and a second from five starts over this course and distance. She’s A Giver is a handy sort who has proven lately she stays 1600m and from a plum draw should be in the shake up over a tight course which will suit her style.

Warrior’s Rest can’t be ignored is a big son of What A Winter and if Lyle Hewitson can get him into his favourite front running role from draw six he will be a big runner as he has a good kick.

The enigmatic Secret Captain can never be ignored either and will be especially interesting with blinkers tried from a fair draw.

In the Syringa Handicap over 1600m Redberry Wood will be looking to end a streak of five seconds on the trot. Hewitson will have to get her into her favourite front-running role from the widest draw of all without expending too much energy. There is not a lot of pace in the race, which will aid his cause and she is tipped to get it right.

Her stablemate Aurelia Cotta has been a touch disappointing against the best but can make her presence felt in this lesser event having dropped to a competitive mark and having to carry just 53kg. She has a plum draw of two.

Brigtnumberfive has always been well regarded and is usually slow away so her wide draw of nine should be of little concern. She turned it on last time over course and distance and has a shout carrying just 52,5kg.

However, it is wide open and the like of Heaps Of Fun, Shatoosh, Mar Del Seur, Costa Da Sol, Kilauea and Mrs. O can’t be ignored. However, on a competitive card it is hard to include too many in the exotics.

Modjaji is the last has been chosen as the best bet as she is ultra-consistent and is unbeaten in two starts over course and distance so will be hard to peg back under Piere Strydom who went close on her over 1000m at the Vaal in her penultimate start.

By David Thiselton