The R1-million, Grade 1 World Sports Betting Champions Cup at Greyville on Saturday, July 29 has the hallmarks of a race that could go down as one of the greatest thoroughbred clashes in South African racing history.

Captain America (Nkosi Hlophe)

Run over 1 800m at the Theatre of Champions on the first day of the two-day Gold Cup Festival of Racing Weekend that also features the R1.25-million eLan Gold Cup, the race has brought together a group of the best horses in the country including four Grade 1 winners that could all make their mark on the international stage.

The World Sports Betting Champions Cup heads the nine-race card on the Saturday and will be followed on the Sunday by a 10-race programme that, in addition to the eLan Gold Cup over 3 200m, also features the final races in the season’s juvenile programme, the R750 000, Grade 1 Premiers Champion Stakes and the R750 000, Grade 1 Thekwini Stakes for fillies with both races being contested over 1 600m.

Heading the 12-horse field for the World Sports Betting Champions Cup are two of the top horses from the Cape, Captain America from the Brett Crawford stable that thrashed the opposition in the Grade 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge and Marinaresco from the Candice Bass-Robinson stable that defied his top weight to win Africa’s Greatest horserace, the R4.25-million, Grade 1 Vodacom Durban July and will be bidding to complete the Champions Cup double.

Bela-Bela VDJ 2017 (Nkosi Hlophe)`

Capable of upsetting all her opponents and also from the Cape is the brilliant Dynasty filly Bela-Bela from the Justin Snaith stable that demolished her opposition in the Grade 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes and is likely to be retired to stud after the meeting. Her impressive record includes victory in the Grade 1 Paddock Stakes at Kenilworth at the beginning of the year.

Also in the field is the winner of the Grade 1 President’s Champion Challenge at Turffontein, Deo Juvente from the Geoff Woodruff stable, that had to be withdrawn from the Vodacom Durban July due to a set-back in training. The Woodruff yard is renowned for producing winners of big races and this Trippi gelding will be a major contender in this race.

The surprise winner of the Grade 2 Betting World 1900 at Greyville earlier in the season, Ten Gun Salute from the Duncan Howells yard, is also among the runners and his disappointing unplaced run in the Vodacom Durban July is best ignored as he suffered major interference in the running.

With the other well-performed runners like It’s My Turn, Sail South, Judicial, Matador Man and Black Arthur also in the field, this race could be the highlight of the weekend and the season as they fight out what should be a thrilling finish.

By Richard McMillan

South Africa’s racing supporters have another massive betting bonanza to look forward to when the Gold Cup Festival of Racing Weekend takes place over two days at Greyville in Durban at the end of the month.

Racing enthusiasts saw mind-blowing pools for the exotic bets at the Vodacom Durban July meeting at the beginning of the month and while not expected to reach quiet the same heights at the duel meetings on July 29 and 30, they will attract country wide interest where just for the Pick 6 bets on the two days, the pools are expected to total about R10-million.

The National Totalisator has announced that for the Pick 6 on the Saturday which features the R1-million, World Sports Betting Champions Cup, they will start the pool off with a R1-million carryover and guarantee a pool of R3.5-million with the expectation  that it will reach R4-million plus.

For the Sunday meeting where the R1.25-million, eLan Gold Cup, the country’s premier marathon event over 3 200m, will take centre stage, they will start the pool with a R1.75-million carryover and will guarantee a pool of R5-million which they expect to reach at least R6-million.

The tote has also introduced a new bet for the weekend called the “Festival Cup Double” which they will start off with an injection of R100 000. In this bet punters will have to select the winner of the World Sports Betting Champions Cup on the Saturday and the winner of the eLan Gold Cup on the Sunday and 70% of the eventual pool will be shared by those that get it right.

They are also offering a consolation double where 30% of the pool will go to punters whose selection finish 1^st and 2^nd or 2^nd and 1^st in the respective Cup races. Betting on this double opens on Tuesday, 25 July and will close at 16:10 on Saturday and a minimum bet of R10 is required. Those using the betmark cards are required to mark the cards “SPQ” as the venue.

With the traditional great interest in the meeting, the pools on all bets for the two days are expected to be well above the normal weekend levels.

By Richard McMillan

Goodtime Gal and Greg Cheyne can come home at a good price in the Final Fling Stakes at Kenilworth tomorrow.

The Mike Robinson filly was a 6-1 chance in the TAB sheet forecast and, while the bookmakers may not be so generous, her last two runs should ensure a certain leniency on the part of both the layers and the Tote.

Four of tomorrow’s rivals finished in front of her in the Ladies Mile and she was only sixth in the Prix du Cap before that. But she wore blinkers that day and she made it clear that she didn’t like them while her most recent run was her first for four months.

Goodtime Gal (Liesl King)

“She’d had a break before it but she has come on a hell of a lot since,” says Robinson’s wife Luella. “She is very well again and back to herself.”

It is the Victress winner’s run in the Majorca – beaten less than three-quarters of a length when third to Nightingale – that marks her out as the most likely winner tomorrow.

Justin Snaith is bidding for his fourth Final Fling in five seasons and he is keen on A Time To Dream who was third in the Ladies Mile despite losing a lot of ground at the start by rearing as the pens opened.

“She is difficult in the pens but I don’t know if the guy holding her let her go in time,’’ says Snaith. “Anyway it was just one of those unfortunate incidents and she went straight up, losing six to eight lengths.

“She has done well since and, if we don’t have problems in the starting stalls, you’ve got to give her a huge chance on that last run. The way she made up the ground was like something out of a movie. It was unbelievable to watch.”

But she is not the only one with a hard luck story. Grant van Niekerk believes he would have won the Ladies Mile on Ngaga with a clear run – “the gap was tight, the horse on my inside moved out and I had to wait for a couple of strides.”

Silvan Star won that race, and won it with some authority. She will be one of the favourites and Glen Kotzen has won this three times in the past 15 seasons.

Harlem Shake and Heavelon van der Hoven sprang a 12-1 surprise a year ago and, while the pair will probably start at a similar price, it could be worth bearing in mind that Glen Puller’s horses are running well at the moment.

By Michael Clower

Dean Kannemeyer’s KZN satellite yard has had a lucrative first full season, finishing third on the local championship log, and he could have a bright prospect for next season in the unbeaten Last Winter that lines up in the sixth at Scottsville on Sunday.

Kannemeyer has a high regard for the colt and although all has not gone smoothly, he has come back strong from his debut win and looks a cut above Sunday’s field.

“He was very backward as a two-year-old, but I gave him one run and he won that,” said Kannemeyer. “I then decided to give him a break and get him ready for the Classics but unfortunately, he had a setback.

“It was probably a blessing in disguise as he has matured and filled out.”

Given his lengthy lay-off, Last Winter showed plenty of resolve in getting the better of The Great One in his seasonal debut over Sunday’s course and distance and Brett Crawford’s runner-up has franked that form in no uncertain manner.

The opposition on Sunday consists mainly of well-exposed older runners and if the ‘second-run-after-a-lay-off’ syndrome does not kick in, Last Winter should prove too hot for his opposition.

Duncan Howells, seven clear in the race for the KZN trainer’s championship with four meetings to go after a treble at Greyville last Wednesday, could put the result beyond doubt come Sunday where he saddles a host of strong contenders.

But reigning champion Dennis Drier will not lie down without a fight and Al’s Bells is a strong contender in the card opener. Runner-up in both starts, the daughter of Captain Al will enjoy the extended sprint although she does face a tough field. Charles Laird sends out Excellistic who was close-up to the highly rated Mind Your Business last time out while Howells is well represented with Girl In Gold who is proven over the trip and has a plum draw.

Emma’s Oracle made a smart debut for the Howells yard behind stable companion Mind Your Business and is sure to make the required improvement to be a strong contender for honours in the second.

Dennis Drier(Nkosi Hlophe)

Drier saddles Taranaki in the third. The gelding found some long-shot support on debut and did not finish far back. With that experience under his girth he should make good improvement and rates a strong chance in a tricky PA opener where there are a number of debutantes. It could pay to keep an eye on the betting here.

Mark Dixon made a welcome return to the winner’s enclosure on Wednesday when Northern Rebel put his field to the sword and Dixon has a smart filly in Isingamoya in the opening leg of the Pick 6 who could get the better of a useful field. She has shown some useful form in strong company and can get the better of Elusivenchantment and Anime, the latter not having been out since January but showing plenty of potential.

In the fifth, Party Crasher can make amends for her defeat when favourite and second to Premier Dance last time out although Onesie, close-up in strong features at her last two, and the improving Sitia off bottom weight will be threats.

Choir Of Angels, unlucky behind Winter’s Coming on the Greyville poly last time out, can get some of his supporters’ money back in the seventh but he faces a difficult task in a competitive field where Cape Fling, Handsome Harvey and Heir Line are all strong contenders.

The last two races on the card are difficult lowly handicaps where anything can happen. Hot Mambo takes a significant drop in class and in the ratings which could be enough to see her more than competitive in the eighth with the balance of the more fancied runners pretty much of a muchness.

Howells could round off the day on a winning note with High Altar, a maiden winner last time out and finishing ahead of stable companion and second-paced Roy’s Hollyhock who franked that form at Greyville on Wednesday.

By Andrew Harrison

Justin Snaith is optimistic that there will be no repeat of the start problems that cost Star Express all chance last time when the four-year-old lines up for the Gold Bracelet at Greyville on Saturday week.

Bernard Fayd’Herbe’s mount became fractious, in the words of the stipes report, when leaving the pens in the Garden Province and in no time she was four lengths last. She finished with only one behind her.

Snaith said yesterday: “I hope she doesn’t do that again because she is a huge runner in the Gold Bracelet but sometimes the biggest problem comes at the starting stalls. You get the horse spot on, it’s a big day and the horse is super-excited and you can’t control what happens at the pens.”

Star Express has long been held in high regard by the Snaith stable and in the Klawervlei Majorca on Met day she was only beaten half a length by Nightingale. She was also fifth in the Maine Chance Paddock Stakes, beaten little more than two lengths.

Michael Clower