French Navy has been slashed from 25-1 to 10-1 for the Vodacom Durban July following his Daily News triumph, the same price as runner-up Ertijaal (from 14-1) but third-placed The Conglomerate is still shorter than both of them, despite being eased from 6-1 to 8-1.

Betting World has also cut Woolavington runner-up Pine Princess from 50-1 to 33-1 but Siren’s Call has been marked out from 25-1 to twice that price and Inara (only fifth in the Woolavington) from 50-1 to 150-1.

Futura remains favourite, hardening from 33-10 to 3-1, but the temperature-sidelined Majmu has been eased from 4-1 to 5-1 and Wylie Hall has come in from 7-1 to 6-1 third favourite.

Micheal Clower Picture:French Navy (Nkosi Hlophe)

Sean Tarry is having a mighty season and if there were any doubts that he would not be crowned Champion Trainer come the end of July they were dispelled at Greyville yesterday as French Navy capped a disappointing day for rival Mike de Kock. Tarry’s gelded son of Count Dubois proved too strong for De Kock’s Cape Derby winner Ertijaal and favourite The Conglomerate in the Gr1 Daily News 2000.

In doing so French Navy also stamped himself a leading contender for the Vodacom Durban July to be run in a little over a month and there are sure to be some major changes to bookmaker’s boards come this morning.

Winner of the SA Classic and third in the SA Derby, French Navy was still expected to play second fiddle to stable companion Siren’s Call who had come within an ace of winning the Triple Tiara in a year where the three-year-old fillies have proved to be a vintage crop. However, the filly ran a flat race and was in trouble even before the field turned for home.

Raymond Danielson explained, “When I rode this horse for the first time I told Mr Tarry that he had a lot of potential. I was afraid that there would not be a pace because he can get a bit lost in a race. But the gas was on, at least I thought so, because he was off the bridle.”

“Things got a bit tight,” said Tarry later, “but he got a run.”

“This came five weeks after the Derby and I think the gap made a big difference, I was able to freshen him up. In the past I think the gap was four weeks and sometimes even three.”

“I felt he did not get the 2450 of the Derby, especially in the going.”

Tarry has had a remarkable few years with stalwart owner Chris van Niekerk and heaped praise. “It’s nice to have an owner that understands that you need to do what you need to do and not try and train the horses. A lot of people don’t realise that we are dealing with flesh and blood and things don’t always go right.”

“You need things to go right and fortunately things have gone very well, very smoothly (this season).”

The laid-back Danielson is an integral component of the Tarry setup on the Highveld and can be frustrating to work with. “Sometimes I have to take his pulse to see if he’s alive,” quipped Tarry. “But he rode a great race from that draw.”

Drama at the gate saw Ultimate Dollar a late scratching as he kicked the back gate after being loaded. From the jump a very headstrong Run Rhino Run grabbed a hold of the bit and carted Keagan de Melo into the lead and stretching the field as he set solid early fractions.

As the field settled Mljet tracked the pacemaker with Ertijaal and Deputy Jud handy and Anton Marcus stalking Ertijaal on the favourite The Conglomerate. Danielson had French Navy settle in the back half of the field.

Approaching the 600 m mark Piere Strydom was hard at work on Siren’s Call and her race was run but Danielson eased French Navy off the fence preparing for a dash up the centre.

Run Rhino Run emptied out in a hurry at the top of the straight as Ertijaal and Mljet moved in with the Cape Derby winner moving the better. However, Danielson managed to ease through some traffic and French Navy, once in the clear, quickened up to collar Ertijaal and win comfortably.

Second with Ertijaal and 35 minutes later with Pine Princess, Mike de Kock’s day had already started badly. At nine o’clock yesterday morning the field for the Gr1 Woolavington 2000 were racing for second as the grey filly Majmu was unopposed in the betting and to all intents and purposes looked a racing certainty.

Half an hour later De Kock was on the telephone with the news that the hot favourite had spiked a temperature and would not be making her way to Greyville.

The defection of the favourite threw the race open although duel Gr1 winning filly Inara was cut to 18-10 in Majmu’s absence with Tamaanee and Pine Princess the only others in single figures.

But of the trio only Pine Princess featured in the finish as the 12-1 chance Smart Call turned the tables on many of her rivals. She put in a sustained finish to out-gun pacemaker Pine Princess with the less fancied of the Tarry runners, Trophy Wife third ahead of a fast-finishing Zante.

“I thought on pedigree she would stay but I don’t know if you noticed but we rode her differently this time,” said an emotional Alec Laird post-race. After a second to Siren’s Call in the Gauteng Guineas, Smart Call subsequently finished in the pack in the SA Classic and the Empress Club Stakes. “I decided to have one more crack at a Group 1 and thank God it worked out.”

Veteran Weichong Marwing was in the irons and all the cards fell his way. “The race panned out well and I got a nice slot,” he said.

“This was Ideal World’s first Grade 1 winner and I was wearing Grandma’s broach for luck,” enthused owner Jessica Slack who inherited the famous Mauritzfontein Stud and Oppenheimer colours from her equally famous Grandmother, Bridget Oppenheimer. Indeed, Smart Call has a solid Mauritzfontein pedigree being by resident stallion Ideal World out of a mare by the Mauritzfontein-bred champion, Horse Chestnut.

The change of tactics on Smart Call may well have caught the rest of the field napping. She will have been tagged as an obvious pacemaker given her recent record but it was apparent early on that this was not going to be the case as all hung back in the hope of someone taking the initiative.

That arrived in the form of Pine Princess. Anthony Delpech, switched from Majmu to De Kock’s second string, set off in front on a soft lead with Tamaanee and Inara in close attendance and Marwing tucking in Smart Call just off the pace.

At the top of the home stretch Delpech looked to have ridden the perfect race as the field battle to close the gap but a furlong out the pictured changed. Smart Call finished with a telling run on her outside and got home with a neck to spare.

 By Andrew Harrison

Picture:

The Gr 1 Daily News 2000 and Gr 1 Woolavington 2000 to be run at Greyville tomorrow have become the two biggest pointers to the Vodacom Durban July. The country’s premier race has been dominated by three-year-olds in recent years and there is always a mad scramble for the line in both races knowing that a place in the July is the reward for a prominent finishing position.

This year is one of the few times in history that the Woolavington is being seen as a pointer of equal importance to the Daily News. There are no fewer than six three-year-old fillies in the top 20 of the July log at present and four of them will be running in the Woolavington, while one of them runs in the Daily News. There are five three-year-old males in the top 20 on the log and four of them will be running in the Daily News.

Majmu will be the star attraction on the day and will be hard to beat in the Woolavington. The other two-time Gr 1 winner in the race Inara has 2,5 lengths to make up on her from the Avontuur Estate Fillies Guineas. Majmu proved she stayed 2000 last time out when second in the Gr 1 President’s Champions Challenge against the boys and as she carried a Gr 1 penalty her performance was of at least equal merit to that of the winner Wylie Hall. That was her second run after a layoff and she might do even better on Saturday. She is drawn seven and considering the number of gears she has it will take a world class horse to get the better of her down the straight.

Inara has the advantage of previous course experience. She has improved from her last outing, which she needed, and this agile filly will likely be looking to use her pole position draw coupled with her fine turn of foot to steal a march on Majmu. She should enjoy this trip having got home in the Gr 1 Paddock Stakes over 1800m despite running quite wide and having to be eased and switched in the straight.

Tamaanee won impressively last time out when stepped up to this distance for the first time in the Gr 2 Gerald Rosenberg Stakes and her time was actually 0,43 seconds quicker than Majmu’s on the same day, despite the fact that she was carrying 2,5kg more. On that performance she will be in the first three here.

Pine Princess showed both a fine turn of foot in her Gr 1 SA Oaks win and courage as she fought back after being headed. She looks to have improved and although she would prefer further she can’t be discounted as she really looked to be enjoying herself in the latter win. She does have a tough draw of eleven and will likely go handy.

Zante will relish this step up in trip and will be doing her best work late. She has an outside place chance.

Trophy Wife has a big heart and has improved into a fair sort. She was making late progress in the KRA Fillies Guineas and is said by the Tarry yard to be at her peak for this race.

Olma has been impressive over this trip on the Greyville polytrack and there is nothing to stop her from doing just as well on the turf.

Smart Call and Silver Class should enjoy this trip on pedigree.

Sensible Lover, Indaba and Mamsita will need a lot of improvement to feature.

The Daily News 2000 is very open and any of the 16 runners could win it.

Ertijaal will relish the trip as well as a return to firmer ground and displayed a fine turn of foot in the SA Derby so should enjoy Greyville.

Siren’s Call is one of the best of a vintage three-year-old fillies crop. She has a huge heart and an outside draw might not necessarily be a disadvantage as she will be away from the scrimmaging.

Mljet has been disappointing but blinkers and a change of environment in a new yard could reignite him. He has a fine chance on collateral form with The Congolmerate.

The Conglomerate won the KRA Guineas easily and will relish the step up in trip.

Mac De Lago should not be underestimated as he possesses plenty of class and has a fine turn of foot, while on pedigree he should enjoy the trip.

Light The Lights finished third in the KRA Guineas and has been looking for this trip.

Jayyed is another classy sort who could be reignited by blinkers.

Run Rhino Run has also been looking for this trip and should be finishing fast and the same can be said of Rampant Ice.

French Navy possesses a strong finish when getting going. Ultimate Dollar will relish the trip and also finishes well, although he takes a bit of time to wind up.

Deputy Jud is in the top 20 on the July log but does strike as a staying type who might not be suited to Greyville which is best suited to horses that can quicken instantaneously. However, he could possibly set a good pace.

Amsterdam also looks likely to prefer a more galloping track. Unparalleled is yet another who will be finishing well.

Prince of Orange has been consistently found out at this level.

Ertijaal is taken to get the better of Siren’s Call and Mljet in the Daily News while Majmu will be hard to beat in the Woolavington and is taken to finish ahead of Inara and Tamaanee.

The Gr 3 Lonsdale Stirrup Cup over 2400m could be won by the ever improving Solid Speed from Sun On Africa with Kingston Mines, Gone Baby Gone and Coltrane next best.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Majmu (JC Photo)

Liquid Mercury is officially the best horse in the field but in the Winter Guineas over a furlong less four weeks ago Brandon Morgenrood’s mount was less than two lengths behind him after being squeezed and forced to ease in the closing stages.

“That cost Catkin a lot of ground and he would have finished a whole lot closer,” Ramsden recalls. “He is a nice horse and he could well reverse the form.”

The operative word is could because there are reasons for believing that Liquid Mercury ran below his best last time. On his previous start, admittedly over 200m less, he gave Winter Guineas runner-up Sail For Gold 7kg and finished only half a length behind him. Before that he was third in the Cape Derby with Catkin over three lengths away.

Sail For Gold had Royal Dreamer less than half a length back when second to Act Of War and the handicappers have raised the pair the equivalent of six lengths for that performance, rating them only just behind Liquid Mercury.

“This race is on the Winter Course and so the extra 200m will probably suit Sail For Gold better,” says Mike Bass who has won four of the last 12 runnings. “Royal Dreamer tends to come from off them and so he will have to be a bit handier.”

Bass also runs Seven Oceans and No Resistance, both rated much lower, but he makes the point that the quartet were rated similarly until the handicappers gave the other two that big hike.

“Seven Oceans is a staying type but he sometimes lets me down and doesn’t finish off his races,” says the Milnerton trainer.” No Resistance maybe has a bit to find but when I work him at home he is doing as well as the others. Maybe he is a bit weaker in the finish.”

Fire Master, despite Justin Snaith winning two of the last three Winter Classics, is hard to fancy – likewise Parachute Man – but Night In Seattle is a different story and he is favourite (at 5-2) in the Betting World forecast..

“I’m expecting a good run,” enthuses Brett Crawford. “His last race was a stepping stone for this, he has a decent draw and I don’t see a problem with the trip.”

So what will win?  Maybe Liquid Mercury and Bernard Fayd’Herbe who, like the gelding’s trainer, is overdue a Winter Classic. He hasn’t won it since Pocket Power in 2006.

One other to note: Chisanyama made a huge impression on debut and the 3kg she receives from the winners in race two makes her an attractive each way proposition.

By Michael Clower

Picture: Joey Ramsden

Mike Azzie has three runners in the Gr 1 Daily News 2000, Deputy Jud, Amsterdam and Prince Of Orange, and all of them have been prepared out of his Champions Season yard at Summerveld.

His Judpot colt Deputy Jud was third in the Gr 1 SA Classic over 1800m in very soft going and second in the Gr 1 SA Derby in slightly soft going.

Azzie said, “He took a while to adjust to Summerveld but has settled nicely in the last couple of days. I would have liked another week to get him to his peak but I am not unhappy with him, he is looking good, moving well and eating well.”

Deputy Jud is a big galloping type and, regarding his suitability to Greyville, Azzie said, “It’s always a worry with a tight track, but he did finish a close second to Ertijaal on the Turffontein Inside track. That’s a tight track, although not as tight as Greyville, and he did handle it reasonably well. I always say a good horse can handle any track.”

The Windrush gelding Amsterdam was bought into the yard after finishing a 0,75 length second in the SA Classic but was then beaten by a long way in the SA Derby. Azzie said, “It was a shocking run and the jockey got off and blamed himself but I don’t think he did anything wrong, I just think it was a pretty flat run.I think we will only see the best of this horse in six months time, he is tall and needs to furnish into his frame and build some muscle.”

His third contender, the Indigo Magic colt Prince Of Orange, has also just been bought into the yard and looks to have a bit to do on form having been beaten 4,5 lengths, eight lengths and 14,5 lengths respectively in the Gr 2 Betting World Gauteng Guineas, the SA Classic and the SA Derby. However, Azzie was upbeat about him and said, “He has done well since arriving in our yard and has blossomed. I think he could be the surprise of the race.”

Azzie runs the Go Deputy first-timer colt Abashiri in race 1, a Maiden Juvenile Plate over 1600m, and the Querari filly Melliflora in the second race, a Maiden Juvenile Plate for fillies over 1600m. He said, “Meillflora should be in the shake up. Abashiri is a really smart colt but is big and burly and we need to get on the road to see where to go with him.”

By David Thiselton

Picture: Mike Azzie