Justin Snaith landed his fifth Vodacom Durban July and Richard Fourie his third at Hollywoodbets Greyville today as Belgarion fended off the country’s top three-year-old Got The Greenlight to win in the fastest time since the track was narrowed in 2014.

Belgarion’s record-seeking stablemate Do It Again finished third, the highest finish of the five horses in history who have attempted three wins in the big race.

Snaith is the ultimate professional and his stable jockey Fourie would have known that Belgarion’s stablemate Silvano’s Pride, who was the expected pacemaker, was going to go like the clappers in front. 

Belgarion’s wide draw of 17 was thus easily nullified by the horse simply being dropped out. 

The pace was also fast enough for him to use his big stride. 

However, the connections of the favourite Rainbow Bridge had to guess how quick it was going to be up front and their decision to go handy from a low draw did them no favours in retrospect. 

Rainbow Bridge found himself in front in the straight way too soon after Silvano’s Pride and second-in-the-running Twist Of Fate had understandably fallen away after some of the quickest fractions set in July history.

Statistician Jay August measured Silvano’s Pride going through the first 1200m in a tearaway 69.4 seconds and the group  behind her, which included Rainbow Bridge, went through in 70.6 seconds, which is the fastest July so far at that point for the chasing pack.

Handicapping pundits were proved correct by Belgarion’s win. A condition of the WSB 1900 limited the raise he was allowed to be given for winning that race to six points. The handicappers thus had to give him a 119 merit rating despite having analysed him to have run to a 122.

He thus carried 1kg less than he would have and on paper that was the difference between victory and a head defeat by the runner up Got The Greenlight. 

The three-year-olds defied a number of pundits who had written them off. 

Got The Greenlight was running 3kg under sufferance on official merit ratings but there were a few who still fancied him as he was a three time Grade 1 winner whose running style suggested he only did enough to win. 

However, the fourth place finish of the Grade 1 Cape Derby winner Golden Ducat, who was 4,5kg under sufferance, suggested the crop might be a tad better than had been thought.

Snaith is just two July wins behind the record of seven set by the legendary Syd Laird and as a relatively young man he has plenty of time to surpass it. 

It was a deserved win for owners Alec and the Honourable Gillian Foster. The former had a fine sporting day as his beloved England cricket team were not in a strong position at the beginning of the day against the West Indies but by stumps were in command. 

Belgarion was bred by Alec too. 

Silvano’s Pride was chased to the front from the off and soon had a big lead. 

The field were stretched out in the running. 

The favourite Rainbow Bridge was in a handy position, while Do It Again was in the back half and was being trailed by Got The Greenlight who in turn was being followed by Belgarion. 

The latter must have been about 20 lengths off the leader at the halfway mark. 

Owner and breeding doyen Mike Rattray has dreamed of winning the July his whole life and half way down the straight he must have been willing the line closer as his red and white colours were lying first and second, Rainbow Bridge in front and Golden Ducat on his quarter. 

However, the Do It Again treble dream then began to look more likely as he moved up dangerously. 

The latter possibility was short-lived though because it became clear that the pair on the outside, Belgarion and Got The Greenlight were going best of all. 

Belgarion won full of running by 0,90 lengths in a time of 132,4 seconds, the fourth fastest time since the distance was upped to 2200m in 1970.

The Joey Soma-trained Got The Greenlight stayed on well to beat Do It Again by a head. 

The latter was a length clear of the Eric Sands-trained Golden Ducat, who just held on to fourth by a short head from the gallant seven-year-old, the Dean Kannemeyer-trained It’s My Turn. The latter finished fourth in the July as a three-year-old.

Golden Ducat’s stable mate Rainbow Bridge, who was last year’s runner up, finished a disappointing sixth, 0,80 lengths behind It’s My Turn. 

By David Thiselton

The Gavin van Zyl-trained Gabor, who was last season’s Equus Champion two-year-old filly, has been retired and will stand at her owners’ and breeders’ Drakenstein Stud farm. 

She put in her final fast work for Saturday’s Grade 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes yesterday and once again disappointed.

Van Zyl said due to one or two niggles she had not been able to find the form of her two-year-old season and it had thus been decided to retire her rather than to squeeze more out of an already champion filly.

The champion status she achieved was remarkable considering her first racecourse appearance was on May 12 last year in a Barrier Trial.

She won her debut over 1000m on the poly 17 days later and followed that with a running on third from a wide draw in the Grade 2 Zulu Kingdom Explorer Golden Slipper over 1400m.

In her next start she won the Thekwini Stakes over 1600m in fine style from a good draw and thus provided jockey Warren Kennedy with his first ever Grade 1 winner.

She also provided her late sire Kingsbarns with his first Graded Stakes winner.

She only raced once this season, finishing unplaced in the Grade 2 Tibouchina, and so retires having earned R594,375. 

She is out of the twice winning Trippi mare Se Agabor.

By David Thiselton

Rainbow Bridge is tipped to land a first Vodacom Durban July sash for owning and breeding doyen Mike Rattray.

The Eric Sands-trained five-year-old Ideal World gelding has always been good but is currently at the peak of his prowess and jumps from a plum draw of two. His rider, the national champion jockey elect Warren Kennedy, is cool, calm and collected and is particularly good at placing a horse in the running. Rainbow Bridge showed in the Sun Met that he can be ridden positively and still perform to his best. In the Gold Challenge he relaxed beautifully in front, dictated and ran on to win. With his more relaxed demeanour these days he should get every inch of the 2200m and his versatility in running style will allow the strategically astute Kennedy to implement plan B if the pace does not pan out as fast as expected in the early stages. 

The three-year-olds do not look to be vintage this year but a closer look at the best of them, Got The Greenlight, suggests he could be better than his bare form shows. He tends to take the foot off the pedal when hitting the front but the manner in which he has toyed with two or three Grade 1 three-year-old fields suggests that if he had something to chase he could up his game considerably. 

Tierra Del Fuego would be weighted to dead-heat with Hawwaam if the latter was in the field on his run in the Grade 1 Premier’s Champions Challenge. That was his first try beyond a mile and he stayed all the way to the line, thus confirming he is influenced by his female line which contains plenty of stamina. Gavin Lerena should be able to ride him more confidently now, knowing he stays.

Do It Again has hinted he could bounce back to his best and is 1kg better off with Rainbow Bridge than last year. However, he does have the widest draw of all to overcome in his bid to make history by winning it three years in a row.

Bunker Hunt has come into his own and on form has a chance at the weights and on his Met run he should stay the trip.

Belgarion is said to be the best handicapped horse as his merit rating is capped due to a condition which allowed his impressive win in the WSB 1900 to be penalised only six points. If he finds cover he could well win, but the problem is he likes to stride out and is drawn 17, so risks being caught wide.

Vardy has a lot of class and an exceptional turn of foot and if he gets the run of the race from draw nine on the back of an even tempo-ed pace, he has a fine chance. However, if the pace is too fast it might expose a possible stamina limitation.

Soqrat had a tough Cape Summer and there is a concern he might not be the same horse he once was. However, if he is able to reproduce his Summer Cup run he could be involved in the finish.  

Those eight are selected in order of mention.

Of the others Twist Of Fate, third last year and a courageous and consistent type, would be a better bet for the top six than a few of those mentioned above. However, he has not been included in the top eight because he looks unlikely to win it.

Miyabi Gold has blossomed and is probably better now than when finishing fifth last year.

Shango can be ignored at your peril as he impressed when winning the Dingaans and this might be the first time he has been at his peak since. 

Silvano’s Pride will be dangerous if able to dictate in front.

It’s My Turn has placed in this race before. 

Divine Odyssey finished a 3,35 length eighth last year and has an outside top six chance. 

Golden Ducat looks held by Got The Greenlight.

Camphoratus placed sixth last year but the field looks stronger this time.

Capoeira looks held at the weights.

Padre Pio is 4,5kg under sufferance and unlike Got The Greenlight does not look any better than that.

By David Thiselton

Donovan Dillon has been pencilled in as the missing jockey blank on Golden Ducat in Saturday’s Vodacom Durban July. Dillon was officially declared by trainer Eric Sands this morning after much speculation.

Dillon, whose carded minimum riding weight is 56.5kg, will need to shed 3.5kg by Saturday to make the 53kg allotted the Cape Derby winner but was confident that he would make the required weight in time.

He weighed in at 55kg yesterday. “I’m on a strict diet and I have got a week,” he said on Tuesday. He has also consulted former jockey Garth Puller who famously shed 6kg to make 49kg when winning the July aboard Bush Telegraph in 1987.

By Andrew Harrison

Reigning national champion jockey Lyle Hewitson confirmed that the exciting prospect Carallumo would be his best ride on Vodacom Durban July day and he also spoke about the three-year-old question mark surrounding the July, where he rides Dingaans winner Shango. 

He rides Carallumo in the Grade 2 Zulu Kingdom Explorer Golden Slipper over 1400m from pole position and said, “Look, they are two-year-olds, anything can happen, but I do think she’s quality and she is my best on the card.”

He moved on to Shango and the three-year-old question mark and said, “We missed three months of racing and I think we will know a lot more after Gold Cup day, that will be the three months we’ve missed out. So, yes there is a question mark but I think there is a question mark every season, people have some doubts and the three-year-olds seem to raise their hands, so let’s see what they can do this year.”

He continued, “Mr Tarry has made no secret about Shango being quite a lazy workhorse so it’s hard to gain confidence from his work, but he looks a picture, he’s a magnificent individual. His coat is really good at the moment, he’s moving well, his demeanour is good, so it’s all heading in the right direction, so I’m happy where he is. He has been lazy at track throughout his career but everything else is spot on and I’m looking forward to the race.”

Hewitson rode Shango in the latter’s first four career starts and recalled, “He was close up on debut at the Vaal and in his second start at Scottsville, both over 1200m. He then won a really nice race over a mile at Hollywoodbets Scottsville and he backed up to run second to Alibi Guy over 1900m on Gold Cup day and I thought he was very unlucky that day as he was green and all over the place here at Hollywoodbets Greyville.”

He added, “I have done all the work on him since he’s been here (at Summerveld) and I know him very well.”

Tarry said recently that Shango had thrived in KZN last season and he expected the same to happen this term. The Captain Of All colt arrived at Summerveld shortly before finishing fastest of all in the Grade 1 Daily News 2000 under Gavin Lerena for a 3,05 length fourth and has been there ever since

Shango won the Dingaans last November in impressive style but the autumn classic season didn’t go according to plan, starting with him missing the Gauteng Guineas with a small setback.

Hewitson continued, “He wasn’t tuned up for the Classic, and I wouldn’t say he was disgraced, and he went into the Derby and looked a winner and just got run out of it.  His form is there when he’s right and he’s deceiving too, a lot of people would consider him a one pacer but he’s always a finisher so I’m happy and I’m ready for the big day.”

Hewitson spoke about two other runners on the day. 

He said, “I think Ecstatic Green will run a cheeky race against the boys (in the Grade 2 Durban Golden Horseshoe). It is tougher and she’s going 1400m for the first time, so a few question marks there, but I think she’s improved from her run and I expect her to hit the board.”

He rides In The Dance in the Grade 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes and said, “She ran a short head second to Oh Susanna last year in the Tibouchina coming from last after a slow start, so when she puts it together she’s a seriously decent individual. It looks a very tough race but if she hits the frame I will be happy. She’s doing well and her prep has been good, no excuses.”

Of the rest of his card he said, “My other rides are competitive and I’m just looking forward to some good runs.”

Those rides include SA Fillies Sprint third-placed Singforafa in the second, Shenanigans, who seems to love Hollywoodbets Greyville, in the Gold Vase, albeit from a wide draw, and the in form Golden Belle, who runs in the ninth if she does travel down after her win at the Vaal yesterday. 

By David Thiselton