Stan Elley has two chances of achieving an elusive win in the Vodacom Durban July before retiring at the end of this season and he is happy with both of his charges, Punta Arenas and Dynastic Power.

Punta Arenas (Nkosi Hlophe)

Interestingly, both of these horses are former winners of the Winter Derby over 2400m at Kenilworth. They have performed well over shorter too so the July trip of 2200m should be just about their optimum.

Punta Arenas has had a fine Champions Season. He finished third in the Gr 2 Betting World 1900 before winning the Gr 3 Cup Trial over 1800m, both at Greyville under his July jockey Ian Sturgeon. Elley said about the evergreen six-year-old Silvano gelding, “He got his normal draw (19), I don’t expect anything else! But he thrives out here in KZN, he just loves it. Greyville is his best track, it’s not an ideal draw, but we’ve been there before and he knows how to do it from there. I think wherever you’re drawn in the July you need a bit of luck in running, we’re just going to have to get a little bit more lucky! When he’s well he really enjoys his work and he is enjoying it at the moment, he’s loving life, he’s just thriving.”

The four-year-old Dynasty gelding Dynastic Power won the Betting World 1900 under his July jockey Greg Cheyne and had genuine excuses for his poor run in the Cup Trial. Elley said, “He came out of that last race with a very sore stifle, which I reported to the stipes. I don’t know how it happened, but those injuries often happen when they jump out of the starting stalls. When we tried to flex that back leg he almost hit the roof, so it was significant.

“He was out of work for four or five days, but as such he had a harder gallop than most of them at the July gallops. I thought he worked very well, he went a good pace and he still finished it off. I think among the long shots he has as good a chance as any. He’s doing well, he’s spot on.

Dynastic Power (Nkosi Hlophe)

“There’s very little to choose between him and Power King, he’s beaten us at level weights, we’ve beaten him at level weights. Wherever the one is the other should be, and he’s 14/1 and we’re 75/1!”

Dynastic Power, as things stand, will jump from the same barrier position of 12 he had in the Betting World 1900.

Elley also runs the five-year-old Black Minnaloushe gelding Big Cat from draw nine under Grant van Niekerk in the Gr 3 tabGold 2200. He said, “It’s a race we targeted last year and we got him in with bottom weight, but then he went wrong on the morning of the race. So we came with the same target this year and he’s in with bottom weight, although he’s 1kg under sufferance.

“I think it’s the trip he’s been looking for and I think he will run a big race. He’s a fit horse, he’s thriving. He’s spot on for the race, he did his final pace work this morning (Tuesday) and worked very nicely.”

By David Thiselton

VDJ betting now open: BiPot ONE Leg 1 starts in race 2 – estimated pool R700,000.