Surcharge and Majestic Mambo are the two big movers in the Vodacom Durban July market after events at Greyville on Saturday.
Betting World, South Africa’s biggest bookmakers, yesterday slashed Daily News winner Surcharge from 25-1 to 9-1 while runner-up Majestic Mambo was cut even more dramatically – from 35-1 to 6-1 joint second favourite. Do It Again (fourth) was only beaten just over a length by the winner but has been marked out from 4-1 to 6-1.
Pack Leader (sixth) has gone out from 10-1 to 20-1 and Dark Moon Rising from 22-1 to 33-1. Woolavington winner Oh Susanna remains a 12-1 chance and African Night Sky stays favourite at an unchanged 3.75-1.
Oh Susanna (Candiese Marnewick)
World Sports Betting has clipped African Night Sky from 5-1 to 4-1 clear favourite and eased Do It Again from 5-1 to 6-1, the same price as Majestic Mambo (from 40-1) while Surcharge has been cut from 33-1 to 8-1 with Oh Susanna unchanged on 12-1.
Not yet quoted is Made To Conquer who made it six wins from his last seven starts in the Lonsdale Stirrup Cup but Jonathan Snaith said yesterday that he will be supplemented today, adding: “We have offered the ride to Jeff Lloyd. We are waiting for confirmation.”
Snaith repeated his previous advice to punters not to back Oh Susanna at the moment, explaining: “The owners have not made a decision and I would say that at this stage she is more unlikely to run than likely. There are better weighted horses in the race and 56kg is a hard ask for a three-year-old filly Also, as regards the Equus Horse of the Year award, she has won three Groups 1s so I believe she will be hard to beat in that.”
African Night Sky will be ridden by Grant van Niekerk for the second time when he tackles the Cup Trial at Greyville on Saturday and is 28-10 favourite with WSB for this 1 800m test. Van Niekerk also rides 2-1 favourite Snowdance in the Rising Sun Gold Challenge on the same card.
However the unbeaten Winter Guineas and Winter Classic winner Rainbow Bridge will not now be supplemented for the July and nor will he be stepped up to a mile and a half in the Winter Derby.
Eric Sands, explaining the change of plan on Saturday, said: “It was hard for Chris Gerber to make this decision but he and I had a long talk about things.
“I felt that running the horse in the July at this stage might cook his mind. He has had a sheltered life and had three starts in seven weeks. Although he is fine once I saddle him, he comes off the float sweating and last time he also raced like an immature horse.
“I am going to give him a working holiday – maybe even take him back to the farm – and in September I will probably put him in a sprint before going for the Matchem at Durbanville the following month. Should I decide that he doesn’t have enough pace for the Matchem I will find another route but he will be aimed at the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate and the Sun Met.”
By Michael Clower
