Marinaresco was yesterday reported in fine fettle and on course for the Vodacom Durban July despite his below-par effort in last Saturday’s Rising Sun Gold Challenge and being lumbered with top weight in the big one.

Marinaresco (Liesl King)

The four-year-old started favourite for the Gold Challenge but seemingly failed to pick up and finished with only four of the 15-strong field behind him. Rider Bernard Fayd’Herbe reported to the stipes that he felt something amiss although the consequent veterinary examination failed to reveal anything wrong.

Candice Bass-Robinson said: “There was nothing amiss but I think the pace over a mile was a bit too hard for him and maybe he was racing a little bit too close to it for his liking. He is 100%.”

The stable’s Majorca winner Nightingale, who ran a fine race to take second to Just Sensual in the Tibouchina, could renew rivalry with the winner in the Jonsson Workwear Garden Province but the July now looks more likely. “We are leaning towards that way at the moment,” said her trainer.

However Silver Mountain, who disappointed in the Tibouchina, has been retired. She was a runaway winner of last season’s Cape Fillies Guineas before taking fourth in the colts’ equivalent and second in the CTS Million Dollar.

Mrs Robinson said: “She was very good as a three-year-old but she wasn’t quite the same filly at four. Last Saturday she was travelling pretty well and, I don’t know if she hit a bad patch or what, but she was suddenly not travelling and Piere didn’t persevere with her. There was nothing wrong afterwards.”

Captain America (Liesl King)

The decision of the handicappers to raise Captain America’s merit rating by two points to 118 for his win in the Gold Challenge was responsible for Brett Crawford scratching the gelding from the Vodacom Durban July late on Monday afternoon.

Crawford said: “It meant a further kilo that Captain America would have had to give away to the rest of the field. With his distance limitations, and after discussing the matter with his owners, we decided it would be in the best interests of the horse to wait for the Champions Cup (July 29).

“This is basically a weight-for-age race and so he won’t be giving away heaps of weight. We felt we should scratch him early so that the public is aware of the position.”

The scratching came as a surprise to many, this writer included, but perhaps it shouldn’t have. Crawford told the April 19 edition of this page that a decision would be made after the Gold Challenge on whether Captain America ran in the July or waited for the Champions Cup.

Top weight in the July usually proves too great a cross to bear. Since El Picha in 2000 only Pocket Power, who dead-heated in 2008, has managed the feat.

By Michael Clower

June 20 [Tue] Final Field and Draw: Announcement of the Final Field and Barrier Draws 

2017 Vodacom Durban July ante-post betting guide [as at 1:03pm June 13]:

5/1 Edict Of Nantes; 11/2 Al Sahem; 7/1 It’s My Turn; 15/2 Elusive Silva, Marinaresco, Black Arthur; 14/1 Horizon; 15/1 Ten Gun Salute, The Conglomerate; 20/1 Nightingale; 28/1 Pagoda, Saratoga Dancer; 30/1 Nebula, Krambambuli; 33/1 Coral Fever, Mr Winsome; 35/1 Bela-Bela, Safe Harbour, Master Sabina; 40/1 Tilbury Fort, French Navy; 50/1 Brazuca; 66/1 Master Switch, Liege; 150/1 Trophy Wife; 200/1 Witchcraft, Macduff; 250/1 The Elmo Effect, Girl On The Run, Banner Hill, Royal Badge;

Odds courtesy of www.trackandball.co.za and subject to change

Will ante-post 10-1 chance Black Arthur get into the Vodacom Durban July is the question which will be on the lips of many punters throughout this week?

Trainer Justin Snaith confirmed the classy son of Silvano would be “spot on” for the big day. He also spoke about his other three July runners, It’s My Turn, Krambambuli and Elusive Silva, and revealed the decision whether to run Bela-Bela in the July or Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes was still up in the air.

Black Arthur (Nkosi Hlophe)

Supporters of Black Arthur will be hoping for consistency from the final field selection panellists. In 2014 the panellists found a place for the crack three-year-old Futura, who was near the top of the July betting boards, but who had only managed third in the Cup Trial behind One Cool Dude and Serissa. The Brett Crawford-trained horse went on to become an Equus Horse Of The Year, but by that stage was yet to win a race at Graded or Listed level, although he had won four of his six career starts. Their decision was vindicated when Futura ran third in the July. Last year the panellists found a place for both The Conglomerate and Saratoga Dancer, who had finished third and fourth in the Cup Trial respectively, although the order was reversed after an objection. The decision was once again vindicated as they finished first and fifth in the July respectively.

Black Arthur, in fact, has remarkably similar form to that which The Conglomerate had at this time last year. Both were winners of the Gr 2 Daisy Guineas at Greyville as three-year-olds and both were unlucky to be just out of the placings in the July as three-year-olds. Both then failed to find a place in any of their following Cape Summer season starts and both were consequently given necessary gelding. They then had their first starts as geldings in the Independent On Saturday Drill Hall Stakes where they both stayed on without being a threat. The Conglomerate then crossed the line fourth in the Betting World 1900 and third in the Cup Trial off a merit rating of 101 last year, while Black Arthur, on Saturday, finished third in the Cup Trial off a merit rating of 104. Neither The Conglomerate nor Saratoga Dancer put in the best performance in the Cup Trial of last year, but Black Arthur was the best performer in Saturday’s Cup Trial. He carried topweight and gave 3kg to the winner Elusive Silva, who beat him by 0,55 lengths, and 7kg to the runner up Crowd Pleaser, who beat him by 0,5 lengths.

Jockey Anthony Delpech told Snaith afterwards Black Arthur had just tired slightly in the closing stages, indicating he had only just needed it and would thus be spot on for the July.

Snaith said, “If he does not get in, I hope it is because they have found a good one and not just a horse who has no chance. Black Arthur is proven at Group level, he has had a perfect preparation and just about every punter out there knows he is a horse who can win the race.”

Futura’s inclusion in 2014 was made easier by the scratching of four horses who had been in the top 16 on the final July log, plus the scratching of one of the borderline horses.

Elusive Silva (Nkosi Hlophe)

Last year the field also cut up, but The Conglomerate and Saratoga Dancer were still included ahead of the like of Trophy Wife, who had recently won a Gr 2, albeit against her own gender, and narrow Summer Cup runner up and Gr 2 Peninsula Handicap third-placed Deo Juvente, who had admittedly pulled up in his final July preparation run in the Jubilee Handicap.

Meanwhile, Snaith said It’s My Turn had not run in another race after his third in the Betting World 1900 simply in order to protect his handicap mark. Off his current 106 merit rating, It’s My Turn will carry 1kg less weight than the 55kg he carried in last year’s July when finishing fourth as a three-year-old. Also, on Sun Met form It’s My Turn has the beating of Marinaresco at the weights and the latter is four points shorter in the betting than him.

Snaith believed Krambambuli deserved his lofty position on the July log after his places in the Gr 2 Premier Trophy and Gr 2 Peninsula, both over 1800 at Kenilworth, and his wins in the Gr 2 Cape Stayers over 2800m and Highland Night Cup over 2400m. He said this horse had been so well at home there had been no need to give him another run before the July.

He said the decision whether to run Bela-Bela in the July or the Jonsson’s Workwear Garden Province Stakes would be left entirely up to her owners and they would have to make the decision before the final declaration stage next Monday.

Snaith was pleased with Elusive Silva’s win in the Cup Trial, especially as he had lost his footing for a moment at the top of the straight. The latter fact was revealed by jockey Richard Fourie and the yard will keep a close eye on Elusive Silva to make sure the incident caused no ill effects.

Snaith will also run Sergeant Hardy in the Mercury Sprint after his good performance on Saturday and he confirmed the big three-year-old sprinter had “loved” Greyville.

By David Thiselton

Edict Of Nantes will be kept ticking over until the July gallops in nine days’ time says Brett Crawford.

He said: “Edict Of Nantes is also doing well. He is racing fit so all we have to do now is look after him and keep him happy.”

One Crawford stable star who won’t be in action on July day is Woolavington winner Lady Of The House. “She has done her job and she is going for a rest in the paddock,” said her trainer. “In my opinion she is still a couple of months immature so a break will do her good.”

Edict Of Nantes (Liesl King)

Crawford, 45, has had a memorable season and victory in the big one on July 1 would not only fill one of the few gaps in his CV but finally make amends for the 2002 head defeat of Angus in his first season as a trainer.

“That was hard to take because I thought we had won,” he was to recall. “I never even saw Ipi Tombe who came with such a dash that she got up on the line.  People kept saying to me that it was some achievement in my first season but in this game nobody ever remembers who came second!”

Piere Strydom, who rode Angus that day, has been confirmed by Snaith Racing for last year’s Cape Derby winner It’s My Turn. He won last season’s July on The Conglomerate and will be bidding for his fifth success in the historic race.

Grant van Niekerk, beaten a short head on Smanjemanje on his first July ride in 2012 and a close second on Marinaresco 12 months ago, rides Black Arthur while Richard Fourie has been confirmed for Cup Trial winner Elusive Silva. Fourie won the 2014 race for the stable on Legislate.

By Michael Clower

Marinaresco, one of the early favourites to win the Vodacom Durban July, ran an indifferent race behind Captain America in the Gr1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge at Greyville on Saturday but trainer Candice Robinson confirms that he has pulled up well.

Marinaresco (Liesl King)

She said on Sunday morning: “He was fine after the race. I think he just raced too handily. We were trying to get him closer to the pace and they went hard on Saturday so he was always travelling out of his comfort zone. His biggest asset is his turn of foot, but he couldn’t find it because they were travelling so hard. Ideally we would have done better coming off the back. We’ll go back to dropping him in.
“That said nobody could have beaten Captain America!”

Robinson was thrilled with Nightingale’s second to Just Sensual in the Grade 2 Tibouchina Stakes over 1400m: “She ran a cracking race, running wide all the way, so she was unlucky, really.”
She added: “We haven’t really made decisions yet but I’m leaning towards running her in the July. She’s a big filly so she should hold her own quite easily in the rough-and-tumble of the July and she’ll be lightly weighted.”

Robinson also saddled Silver Mountain, but the 61-10 shot finished last. “I don’t know what happened,” she said. “She was travelling quite nicely but before the turn dropped the bit completely and never picked it up. Maybe she got a clod in her eye?

“I think she’s going to retire now. She’s never really grown, she’s the same size as she was as a three-year-old, and the other fillies have matured past her.”

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