Rainbow Bridge and Vardy are the joint top weights in this year’s Vodacom Durban July carrying 60kg. 

Only eight of the 27 horses still standing (26 acceptors and one supplementary entry) are in the handicap according to official merit ratings and 19 are under sufferance.

The eight horses in the handicap with their merit rating and weight in brackets are:

Rainbow Bridge (134 60kg)

Vardy (134 60kg)

Do It Again (133 59,5kg)

Soqrat (132 59kg)

Twist Of Fate (127 56,5kg)

Bunker Hunt (124 55kg)

Tierra Del Fuego (124 55kg)

Silvano’s Pride (118 52kg)

Below is the full list of weights. Horses in red are scratched.

0	Hawwaam	Scratched	(4C)	60	134	A M	Mike de Kock
0	Rainbow Bridge	Accepted	(5G)	60	134	A	Eric Sands
0	Vardy	Accepted	(4G)	60	134	A	Adam Marcus
0	Do It Again	Accepted	(5G)	59.5	133	A	Justin Snaith
0	Soqrat (AUS)	Accepted	(4C)	59	132	A	Mike de Kock
0	Twist Of Fate	Accepted	(4C)	56.5	127	BA	Adam Marcus
0	Bunker Hunt	Accepted	(4G)	55	124	A	Justin Snaith
0	Tierra Del Fuego	Accepted	(4C)	55	124	A	Sean Tarry
0	$Queen Supreme (IRE)	Scratched	(4F)	54	122	A	Mike de Kock
0	Chijmes	Scratched	(4G)	53	120	A	Gary Alexander
0	Belgarion	Accepted	(4G)	53	119	A	Justin Snaith
0	Got The Greenlight	Accepted	(3C)	53	118	AT	Joe Soma
0	It’s My Turn	Accepted	(7G)	53	118	A	Dean Kannemeyer
0	Divine Odyssey	Accepted	(5G)	53	117	A	J A Janse van Vuuren
0	Shango	Accepted	(3C)	53	116	BAT	Sean Tarry
0	$Capoeira	(4G)	53	115	BA	Andre Nel
0	Eyes Wide Open	Accepted	(5G)	53	115	A	Glen Kotzen
0	Golden Ducat	Accepted	(3G)	53	115	A	Eric Sands
0	Hero’s Honour	Accepted	(5G)	53	115	A	Gary Alexander
0	Padre Pio	Accepted	(3G)	53	115	A	Dennis Bosch
0	Roy Had Enough (AUS)	Scratched	(5H)	53	115	A	Frank Robinson
0	Magnificent Seven	Scratched	(5G)	53	114	A	Justin Snaith
0	Pack Leader	Accepted	(5G)	53	111	BA	Glen Kotzen
0	Crown Towers (AUS)	Scratched	(4G)	53	109	A	Justin Snaith
0	Tristful	Accepted	(4G)	53	109	A	Tony Rivalland
0	Sachdev	Scratched	(3G)	53	108	A	Justin Snaith
0	Western Fort	Accepted	(3C)	53	108	CA	Paul Peter
0	Herodotus	Scratched	(4G)	53	107	CA	Glen Kotzen
0	Nexus	Scratched	(4G)	53	107	A	Justin Snaith
0	G G’s Dynasty	Scratched	(4G)	53	106	A	Brett Crawford
0	Leopold	Scratched	(3G)	53	106	A	J A Janse van Vuuren
0	D’ Arrivee	Scratched	(5G)	53	105	A	Candice Dawson
0	Majestic Mozart	Scratched	(4G)	53	105	AT	Candice Bass-Robinson
0	Promiseofamaster	Scratched	(3G)	53	104	A	Candice Dawson
0	Cornish Pomodoro	Scratched	(3C)	53	102	AT	Sean Tarry
0	Silver Host	Scratched	(3G)	53	102	A	Justin Snaith
0	Cat Daddy	Scratched	(4G)	53	101	A	Glen Kotzen
0	Duke Of Spin	Accepted	(4G)	53	101	A	Mike de Kock
0	Liberty Hall	Scratched	(3G)	53	101	A	Dean Kannemeyer
0	More Magic	Scratched	(4G)	53	101	A	Candice Bass-Robinson
0	Sovereign Spirit	Accepted	(4G)	53	100	BA	Candice Bass-Robinson
0	Tree Tumbo	Scratched	(3G)	53	99	A	Sean Tarry
0	Vikram	Scratched	(4G)	53	99	BA	Andre Nel
0	Alibi Guy	Scratched	(3G)	53	98	A	Mike de Kock
0	Born To Perform	Scratched	(5G)	53	98	PA	Dennis Bosch
0	Azores	Scratched	(3G)	53	97	A	Dean Kannemeyer
0	Silvano’s Pride	Accepted	(4F)	52	118	A	Justin Snaith
0	Snapscan	Scratched	(4F)	52	118	A	Glen Kotzen
0	Miyabi Gold	Accepted	(5M)	52	115	A	Justin Snaith
0	Lady Of Steel	Scratched	(3F)	52	113	A	J A Janse van Vuuren
0	Victoria Paige	Accepted	(3F)	52	112	A M	Sean Tarry
0	Roy’s Riviera (AUS)	Accepted	(5M)	52	111	BA	Frank Robinson
0	Camphoratus	Accepted	(5M)	52	110	A	R A Hill/S R Hill
0	Return Flight	Scratched	(4F)	52	106	AT	Sean Tarry
(54)

Total Entries: 54

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By David Thiselton 

Vodacom Durban July fever is building and with just 19 days until the big race the general public will be attempting to either match their dreams to the names of July runners or match the latter to current events.

One old July myth is that a good sardine run leads to the favourite winning.

Do It Again is likely the most topical name in the field as he will be attempting to “do it again” by winning the race for a history-making third time in succession. 

This year sees the 50th anniversary of the July being run over the distance of 2200m and as a 50th anniversary is called a “golden anniversary” the mare Miyabi Gold and the three-year-old gelding Golden Ducat fit that bill.

It is the 25th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke Of Edinburgh visiting the Greyville racecourse and names which relate to royalty among the entries are the fancied Belgarion, who is a mythical king, and Sovereign Spirit and Crown Towers, both of whom are unlikely to make the final field.

A 25th anniversary is known as a “silver anniversary” so Bunker Hunt is the most appropriate horse relating to the royal visit. Nelson Bunker Hunt and his brothers attempted to corner the world’s silver market in the 1970s and had nearly done so by 1980 before government intervention saw their empire collapsing. 

Got The Greenlight could be a topical name at a stretch as many businesses await the government greenlight to reopen.

Tristful means sad and this year’s July being run behind closed doors will be a sad reality.

A pandemic that can be matched to the COVID-19 was the Spanish flu which raged about 100 years ago between 1918 and 1920 and a hero of that time was Padre Pio, who due to a shortage of doctors used to administer vaccines himself and it might have been the reason he contracted the deadly disease himself although he did survive it. Padre Pio is currently twelfth on the July log.

In 1520, exactly 500 years ago, the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan sailed past an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South American mainland and saw many fires flicking in the darkness. He thus called it Tierra Del Fuego (“land of fire”). Tierra Del Fuego was 15th on the last July log.

There have been many topical winners of the July and three examples are described below.

In June 1960 the Springboks beat the All Blacks 13-0 and both tries were scored by the left wing, Hennie van Zyl, who wore jersey no. 13. A week later the July was won by a horse called Left Wing who carried saddle cloth no 13, so it has ever since been known as “The Rugby July.”

In 1981, shortly before the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Dianne Spencer, the July was won by a horse called Big Charles.

In 2004 the number ten horse Greys Inn carried the South African flag on his saddle cloth to symbolize ten years of democracy, he duly won the race.

In the comments section below please mention any topical names you are able to spot among the current entries.

By David Thiselton

Hawwaam has been scratched from the Vodacom Durban July.

Two other horses who were in the top 20 on the last July log, Snapscan and Lady Of Steel, have also been scratched. 

Magnificent Seven and Roy Had Enough, who were both in the five horses just outside of the top twenty on the log, have also been scratched, and so has the former’s stablemate Nexus, who finished second in the Grade 3 Cup Trial on Saturday.

There have been a lot of other less significant scratchings and only 26 horses have been left standing.

There are two more traditional qualifying races, the Grade 3 Track And Ball Derby and the Grade 2 Track And Ball Oaks, both to be run over 2400m at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on Saturday.

Top 18 July log incumbent Eyes Wide Open runs in the Derby and so do It’s My Turn and Duke Of Spin, who will be hoping to force their way into the VDJ final field.

Roy’s Riviera is the only horse still among the July entries who is running in the Oaks. It is the third successive weekend she will be running, but she is tough and trainer Frank Robinson will be hoping she has more luck than she had in the Cup Trial, where she was caught outside of horses without cover.   

Hawwaam’s scratching was not a surprise at all as trainer Mike de Kock had said a long time ago he would be departing for an overseas campaign at the earliest feasible date and that date was always likely to fall in this month before the July. 

Nevertheless, it will be a disappointment for his myriad fans.

By David Thiselton

The Grade 3 World Sports Betting Cup Trial run at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on Saturday failed to have much impact on the race for a place in the Vodacom Durban July final field although the much talked about Nexus did make a bold bid to land the win he needed and it remains to be seen whether the triumphant Andre Nel-trained Capoeira will be supplemented.

Nexus is unlikely to be considered for the final field unless it cuts up badly as he was running off just a 105 merit rating and was beaten 1,80 lengths into second despite receiving 2,5kg from the 110 rated Capoeira.

All of Sovereign Spirit (third), Pack Leader (fourth), Cat Daddy (fifth), More Magic (sixth), Born To Perform (seventh), G G’s Dynasty (ninth), Herodotus (tenth), Magnificent Seven (eleventh) and Roy’s Riviera (last) are also July entries and none of them did enough to advance their cause.

Ironically, of the July entries who ran, only the pair who finished at the back, Magnificent Seven and Roy’s Riviera, appeared anywhere on the second log and both were among the five horses who were just outside of the top 20.

Capoeira, a gelding by Oratorio, finished third in last year’s Grade 1 Daily News 2000 and has now proved that was no fluke.

Gavin Lerena slotted him in beautifully behind the pacemaker Herodotus after breaking well from draw ten.

Lerena skipped for home at the top of the straight on the back of just a steady pace and try as they might Nexus, Sovereign Spirit and Pack Leader, who all ran on well, were unable to catch him.

Capoeira, who jumped at generous odds of 16/1, was bred by Wilgerbosdrift and Mauritzfontein Stud.

By David Thiselton

The Johan Janse van Vuuren-trained Divine Odyssey produced a storming late run under Raymond Danielson to win yesterday’s Grade 3 Jubilee Handicap over 1800m at Turffontein and thus put up his hand for a place in the Vodacom Durban July final field.

The five-year-old Oratorio gelding ran a 2,80 length eighth in last year’s July and is listed among the five horses just outside of the top 20 on the current July log.

Divine Odyssey caught the favourite Marshall Foch, who set the pace, and Full Mast close to home and won going away by one length.

The only other runner holding a July entry, D’Arrivee, could only manage fourth so his chances of making the final field are gone.

Last year’s Jubilee winner Barahin finished a five length tenth in the July.

The previous year the pair that fought out the Jubilee finish, Yakeen and Tilbury Fort, were both included in the final July field and finished 14th and eighth respectively.

In 2017 the Jubilee winner Coral Fever was supplemented into the July but was then eliminated by the final field selection panel.

The likely reason for the latter decision was that Coral Fever would have been way under sufferance in the July off a relatively low merit rating.

Divine Odyssey ran off a 114 rating yesterday and will likely be raised a point or two but he will still likely be under sufferance in the July. However, this year there are currently only nine horses out of the 47 remaining entries who are in the handicap as it stands, so Divine Odyssey will definitely be seriously considered for a berth.

By David Thiselton