The Vodacom Durban July pointer, the Grade 3 Jubilee Handicap over 1800m, heads an eight race card on Turffontein Standside on Sunday.

Sean Terry will attempt to qualify Liege for the big race. He last ran in the Summer Cup, where he stayed on for fourth from a handy position. He looks likely to prefer this slightly shorter trip and is sure to be fit enough. Flying Ice should be cherry ripe to deliver having now had enough time and races to fully acclimatise to the Highveld and over an ideal trip her sustained finish makes her ideally suited to this galloping course. The Elmo Effect has always caught the eye but was always considered to be a stayer until winning an 1800m event in March. That prompted a July entry and he now attempts to qualify from a good draw.

Fortissima looks fairly handicapped on her best form and has a plum draw and the class to earn over a trip short of her optimum. She should improve on her last start where she ran in steels. Bankable Teddy can win this race at the weights if reproducing his run behind Liege over 2000m last October, but he does have to bounce back to form. The long-striding Kitty’s Destiny is course and distance suited and should improve in his second run after a layoff. King’s Archer will be stretched by this distance but the going is fast at present and that might help him get home. .

The best bet comes in a Pinnacle Stakes race over 1160m. Rivarine has his second run since returning from Cape Town and considering his speed and class he will be hard to beat over this fast course and distance.

In another Pinnacle Stakes race, for fillies and mares over 1400m, She’s A Giver is best in at the weights and should have come on from her run last weekend when going close against the boys. This is an ideal trip, although Wukkin’ Up runs well fresh and could be a threat.

The first is an intriguing affair as there is little to separate Whorly Whorly, So Var and Alfolk at the weights and they all look to have scope. Rebel’s Champ’s and Like Astair can’t be ignored either.

In race two the first timer Polar Vortex is by Western Winter and is a half-brother to last weekend’s Lonsdale Stirrup Cup winner Captain Splendid. Town Flyer looks the best of the raced horses.  In the third Zerodarkthirty performed well against two decent sorts in his first two starts, but Over Easy could improve and be a threat.

In the next race Shufoog is a speedily-bred Australian-bred and doesn’t face a vintage field.

In the last race Starret City looks to be a progressive type and might still be ahead of the handicapper.

By David Thiselton

There was no more than a neck separating Marinaresco and Captain America in the Drill Hall Stakes last month and there is unlikely to be much more in it when they clash in the Gr1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge at Greyville tomorrow. Toss in a few other distance specialists and you have the makings of one of the races of Champions Season.

Marinaresco is something of a Greyville specialist where his instant turn of foot is well suited to the relatively short Greyville home straight, well illustrated last season in both the Vodacom Durban July and the Mike and Carol Bass Champion Stakes.

More recent evidence was in the Drill Hall where he finished like a bullet to collar Victorious Jay with Saratoga Dancer, New Predator and Captain America in close attendance. Candice Bass-Robinson has indicated that the son of Silvano would be more at home over an extended trip but he was good enough to win over 1400m in the Drill Hall and tomorrow’s 1600m should be well within his compass – his turn of foot being a lethal weapon.

Captain America is arguably at his best over 1600m and is a ‘bull’ of a horse. He finished behind Marinaresco in the Greenpoint Stakes and ahead of him in both the L ‘Ormarins Queen’s Plate and the Sun Met before finishing at his girth in the Drill Hall.

What may just swing things in Marinaresco’s favour is his better draw and obvious liking for Greyville. At time of writing he was favourite at 5-2 but Captain America has found market support and 5-1 look good odds given the current form of the two.

Alongside Captain America in the betting is the grey Bela-Bela. Justin Snaith’s filly ran a cracker in the recent Gr1 SA Fillies Sprint behind Carry On Alice and has excellent form over both distance and course. She is currently seventh on the Vodacom Durban July log but takes on some crack male milers here and will need to be at her best to triumph.

New Predator put in a tremendous effort for Johan Janse van Vuuren when out to defend his title in the Drill Hall, finishing a close-up fourth. He has found some inspired market support but 14 is most often a coffin draw over the Greyville mile so he has it all to do.

Saratoga Dancer generally flies under the radar and many questioned his participation in last year’s Vodacom Durban July. He silenced his critics in the best way possible, touched off two short heads to finish fifth.

He had Marinaresco in his sights all through the running of the Drill Hall and ran New Predator to within a length in the November Handicap at Turffontein. Given his record and at around 16-1 he looks excellent value.

The front-running Janoobi has struck up an excellent rapport with Piere Strydom, winning both the Gauteng Guineas and the Daisy Guineas, but he has a much more difficult task this time around especially from a tricky draw.

The Gr3 Cup Trial will be a no-quarter-given affair with a place in the Vodacom Durban July at stake for most of the contenders. Black Arthur, Elusive Silva and Nebula are all among the fancied runners in the July market but far from certain of a place so it’s all on the line here.

By Andrew Harrison

Gareth van Zyl said his Gr 3 Cup Trial contestant Celtic Captain had recovered nicely from his 7,25 length ninth in the Gr 1 Premier’s Champions Challenge over 2000m at Turffontein, which was run on May 6, and he expected him to run to his ability on Saturday at Greyville. He believed the four-year-old Captain Al gelding would probably prefer this 1800m trip and hoped he could run a place.

He predicted Celtic Captain would get the decent pace he required with the front-running Crowd Pleaser in the field. Celtic Captain has always struck as one who is full of ability. He does sometimes take a keen hold, but in his last two turf starts, in the Umthombothi Stakes over 2000m at Greyville and in the Champions Challenge, he has settled well after finding cover.

He won the Unthombothi, but was being caught in the closing stages and his good turn of foot will likely be more effective over this slightly shorter trip. He was lowered two points for his Champions Challenge run to 103 and jumps from a tricky draw of six in the nine horse field.

Van Zyl scratched Celtic Captain from the Vodacom Durban July at first declarations and said he believed he was not quite good enough.

Van Zyl mentioned Trojan Harbour as one of his best runners on the day. This impressive Australian-bred specimen is a bay colt by Harbour Watch out of the Encosta De Lago mare Salma. Harbour Watch was unbeaten in three starts in England, including winning the Gr 2 Richmond Stakes for two-year-old males over six furlongs at Goodwood. No horse got within 2,25 lengths of him. Salma is a half-sister to Big Time (Danewin), who won four times from 1600m to 1900m including a Listed event.

Therefore, on pedigree Trojan Harbour should stay the 1400m of Saturday’s Listed Gatecrasher Stakes. Third time out he ran on well to win over 1000m at Greyville by two lengths going away and displayed a long elastic-like action. Van Zyl cited one of KZN’s most talked about horses, the Alistair Gordon-trained Monks Hood, as being “hard to beat”. However, an interesting collateral formline emerged on Wednesday.

Monks Hood’s 7,5 length runner up  Tom Collins was beaten 9,7 lengths by Concealed Secret over 1200m and the latter was the two length runner up to Trojan Harbour. That puts Trojan harbour ahead of Querari colt Monks Hood, but that is purely on paper as the latter was very impressive in his 1200m win at Scottsville and relish the step up in trip on pedigree. The Gatecrasher is a conditions event where there is effectively a 2kg penalty per win and Trojan Harbour gets 2kg from the two-time winners and has to give the maidens 2kg. He jumps from a plum draw of three.

Stable jockey Warren Kennedy rides both Celtic Captain and Trojan Harbour.

By David Thiselton

Captain America, the highest-rated horse on the Vodacom Durban July log, has been a significant mover in the market for Saturday’s Rising Sun Gold Challenge.

The Brett Crawford six-year-old was a 7-1 chance when World Sports Betting posted its prices on Monday evening but within 24 hours he shortened to 11-2 joint second favourite with Bela-Bela.

New Predator has also been backed for Saturday’s Greyville Grade 1, from 9-1 to 6-1, but Marinaresco remains firm at 5-2 favourite despite being rated half a kilo below Captain America and despite only two horses justifying favouritism in this race in the last ten years – Pocket Power in 2009 and Variety Club in 2012 and 2013.

Joey Ramsden’s Cape Fillies Guineas winner Just Sensual was yesterday installed 18-10 favourite for the Tibouchina Stakes with stable companions Nightingale and Silver Mountain next on 6-1. Black Arthur heads the Cup Trial market at 2-1 with Elusive Silva second favourite at 28-10.

By Michael Clower

Justin Snaith believes the Equus champion filly Bela-Bela will have “her best chance” of beating the boys at weight for age Grade 1 level in Saturday’s Grade 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge over 1600m at Greyville.

The brilliant twice Gr 1-winning grey has taken on the boys before in last year’s Vodacom Durban July and this year’s Sun Met and was not at all disgraced, but Snaith is of the firm belief that a mile is her optimum trip. He said she had needed her last run in the Gr 1 SA fillies Sprint over 1200m at Scottsville, where “she found a little bit of trouble”.

He added, “She is very well, she is spot on, she has a definite shout.”

Bela-Bela is well drawn in barrier four and will be ridden by Anthony Delpech, who partnered her to a Gr 2 Daisy Fillies Guineas/Gr 1 Woolavington 2000 double last season.

Snaith concluded, “It is a rough race and I just hope she gets a clear run.”

Snaith also has Master Sabina in the race and this will be the dual Gr 1 Sansui Summer Cup winner’s first run for the yard. He said he was doing well, but it was on the short side and a pole position draw would not help as he did not have the necessary early pace to hold his position over this trip. Maser Sabina is likely to be running on, but Snaith concluded by saying it would be a valuable preparation outing for the July.

The Snaith yard have an important date in the Grade 3 Cup Trial over 1800m as both Black Arthur and Elusive Silver will need big runs to earn their July berths.

Snaith believed Black Arthur was back to his best having suffered haemoconcentration problems before gelding. He was running on in the Drill Hall over 1400m in his first run as a gelding over too short a trip. Snaith said he was doing very well at home and everything had gone according to plan.

Snaith explained Elusive Silver’s disappointing run in the Gr 2 Betting World 1900 was not at all his race and was due to the rain which caused him to miss important work.

“He could only canter for eight days,” he said.

To heighten the problem the race had then been run in testing going.

“He got a double whammy,” he said.

Elusive Silver had previously been impressive when winning the Listed Sledgehammer over the Cup Trial course and distance. He showed a tremendous turn of foot in that race, which was his first outing since winning the Winter Derby ten months earlier. Snaith said he was in a better place now than he was going into the Sledgehammer.

He added, “He is a very nice horse. He will be good competition for Black Arthur at the weights and it will take a very good horse to beat our two.”

Richard Fourie has already been booked to ride Elusive Silva in the July, while Anthony Delpech “has always been a big fan of Black Arthur’s.” Delpech partnered Black Arthur to win last season’s Gr 2 Canon Guineas and they jump from a good draw of four in the nine horse field on Saturday. Elusive Silva has to jump from the extreme outside draw of nine.

Snaith runs Star Express in the Grade 2 Tibouchina over 1400 metres and said it would be a bit on the short side for her. He said she had pulled up “foot sore” in Johannesburg. However, her feet have now been sorted it out. He expected her to run well and finish in the money, despite it partly being a preparation outing for the Gr 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes. Bernard Fayd’Herbe rides from a good draw of five.

Snaith mentioned Qing as a runner to look out for on the day. She runs in the Beach Beauty Pinnacle Stakes for fillies and mares over 1600m. He had been confident of a good run from her in her SA Champions Season pipe opener, but said she had been hit by a clod and could not see for a few days.

He was also bullish about Sergeant Hardy in the Conubia/Phoenix Sun Durban Dash over 1100m, although did mention his eleven barrier position as being “a bit of a wide draw.” Snaith said the big Captain Al gelding had not liked Scottsville last time in the Tsogo Sun Sprint and also had a difficult task as a three-year-old off a 110 merit rating. He is now comfortably the best in at the weights in this three-year-old event and if he runs well will be aimed at the weight for age Gr 1 Mercury Sprint. Delpech rides him for the third time.

By David Thiselton