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

South Africa’s chief handicapper Lennon Maharaj has looked at the Vodacom Durban July through the public eye this year and offered some pointers.

He firstly addressed the three-year-old issue and said, “There is little question that Covid-19 and the National Lockdown have impacted on the development of the three-year-olds’ Merit Ratings. Last season Soqrat ran second in the Grade 1 L’Ormarins Queens Plate at WFA terms behind Do It Again providing the Handicappers with a good yardstick. Hawwaam also quickly established himself as a dominant force. This season it was not until the Daily News 2000 victory of Got The Greenlight that the best middle distance horse of the crop was known. I have more questions than answers about the three-year-olds this season and the July will provide the answers. However, unlike handicappers who are post-race analysts, tipsters and punters have to analyse the race beforehand and try and predict a winner. One question they should be asking is how do the three-year-olds compare with recent three-year-old winners and how comparatively tough is their task? 

2012 winner Pomodoro (55kg) beat Grade 2 Smanjemanje (57kg) and Grade 2 winner Chesalon (58kg).

2014 winner Legislate (56 kg) (after a successful objection) beat Grade 1 winner Wylie Hall (57,5kg) and Grade 2 winner Tellina (58kg).

2018 winner Do It Again (54kg) beat Grade 3 winner Made To Conquer (53kg) and Grade 2 winner Elusive Silva (56,5kg). 

How do the older horses they beat stack up against Grade 1 WFA winners like Do It Again, Rainbow Bridge, Vardy and Soqrat?  The fact that we have been able to keep horses like those four on our shores has surely strengthened the quality of our national horse population over the last few seasons and consequently sets the three-year-olds a tough task, even if they do prove to be undervalued by the interrupted season. 

Maharaj then gave some pointers to punters, in layman’s terms, on how to unravel the handicap. He began by saying a successful handicap was one where there was the perception that every horse had an equal chance of winning, so the task punters should be setting themselves would be to find horses that have been undervalued by the handicapper and/or over-priced by the betting market. 

He continued, “Imagine a line graph based on the MR profile for each runner in the July.  You will find that all horses good enough to participate would have been and may still be on an upward MR curve but the more exposed among them might now have reached their peaks and have flattened curves. In theory if all the July runners are weighted to finish in a line, with the exception of the horses under sufferance who are still behind the line, then surely the smart money should be on the horses that are weighted to finish in the line but with room for improvement i.e. those who are still on an upwards trajectory or who are perhaps under handicapped.  

Belgarion should be outright favourite for the July. His official rating of 119 is only due to a specific condition of the WSB 1900, in which he achieved a 122 rating, so he is under handicapped. We could have weighted Belgarion off his achieved 122 rating as this is permitted by the conditions of the race, but we opted not to break precedent. Belgarion is clearly on an upward trajectory. He has a winning attitude and is in theory ahead of the Handicapper.  The fact is that we don’t know how good he is or whether he will cope with the rise in class in the July. However, he has a theoretical edge, especially if you believe that the other runners have reached their peaks. 

Maharaj then spoke about Rainbow Bridge, Do It Again and Vardy. “Statistics clearly show that the top weight band outperforms all other weight bands in ordinary handicaps where the weight spread is from 60kg to 52kg. The July weights favour the top weights more than that due to the 7 kg spread to the bottom weighted male (53kg) and 8 kg spread to the bottom weighted female.

Rainbow Bridge is in the form of his life and was ridden more positively when producing an eye catching second in the Sun Met, beating the rest of a high quality field including Hawwaam by more than 3,5 lengths and more.  There is absolutely no questions about his class and having implemented these positive tactics he may still be on the up. He will have to produce a 135 performance to win. 

Last year’s champion Do It Again has been beaten four times in a row by Rainbow Bridge this season but did produce a better effort in the Gold Challenge.  Is he back to his best?  A 134 or better performance is not impossible for this champion.

Vardy is a class horse with incredible acceleration. Will he be as effective over the 2200m and how will he cope if the race is run at a fast pace?  Can he produce a 135 performance over this trip?

Soqrat is a muscular, classy horse whose latest run was encouraging. At his best he is quite capable of a 134 performance. 

Twist of Fate’s rating has risen to 129. He has run close to Hawwaam on several occasions and would have received 3,5kg from Hawwaam had the latter participated.  Was he undone by the slow pace in the Gold Challenge? 

Bunker Hunt may have some stamina doubts but possesses great acceleration and has run with the best in the land.  What is your assessment of his Drill Hall win?

Tierra del Fuego also has form with Hawwaam and may still be on the up. 

The race doesn’t end there and we haven’t even touched on other factors such as pace.”

Maharaj concluded, “Hopefully there are some clues in this article to help you unravel one of the most debated July’s in recent years. 

And us Handicappers? We will have all the answers after the race!” 

By David Thiselton

Muzi Yeni showed on Sunday that any cobwebs brought on by his two enforced layoffs this season had been cleaned out as he rode a pearler on Running Brave in the KZN Breeders Mile and he goes into the Vodacom Durban July full of confidence having landed the ride on the highest rated three-year-old in the country, Got The Greenlight.

Two of Joey Soma’s handful of career Grade 1 winners have been ridden by Yeni, Happy Landing in the Champions Challenge in 2011 and Lobo’s Legend in the SA Classic in 2018.

Yeni added, “And that is with not too many rides for him.”

In normal circumstances there are enough points of comparison between the three-year-olds and older horses by this time of the year. However, there is little to go on this year as a result of lockdown, so it is difficult to know exactly how good Got The Greenlight is.

Some pundits are disparaging about the current three-year-old crop and according to the official merit ratings, Got The Greenlight is 3kg under sufferance. However, one point that perhaps sets him apart is that old adage “you can only win”. Furthermore, he showed in both the SA Classic and Daily News 2000 that he is one of those sorts who takes his foot off the pedal after hitting the front, so he could well be better than the official results are showing.

Yeni said, “I think he’s got a great turn of foot but he obviously has a short run in, so you have to time it right, you can’t go too soon on him. But the July is packed with horses and I’m sure he will have a lot of horses to run down or to chase. I’m just hoping from my draw (13) I can find a decent position from which I won’t be giving him too much to do. There is always going to be a debate about the three-year-olds versus the older horses but he has won three Group 1s, let’s take nothing away from him. He is definitely a massive runner. He’s got a nice weight receiving 7kg from Rainbow Bridge and Vardy and 6,5kg from Do It Again, so that should give us a bit of an edge being a three-year-old. It’s still a tough contest, but if I am able to get a good position I am sure we should fight out the finish.”

The question of pace can never be answered until the race itself, although with the like of Silvano’s Pride and Padre Pio in the field most pundits are expecting it to be good this year.

A good pace will aid Got The Greenlight in two ways: Firstly, it will give him a better chance of slotting in from his tricky draw as the field should then become strung out; Secondly, his run in the SA Derby over the tough Turffontein 2400m, when running out of steam in the final few metres, suggested that the Hollywoodbets Greyville 2200m should be well within his stamina capacity and a fast pace will maximise that asset.

Yeni concluded, “I’m going in with confidence and hopefully I will get a bit of luck in running as well.” 

Yeni’s best finishes in the July have been third, fourth, fifth and sixth respectively and he revealed he had been unlucky on one or two occasions too. 

By David Thiselton

It is the silly season in which Vodacom Durban July rumours abound and one of them this year had it that It’s My Turn was on the cusp of being scratched.

Trainer Dean Kannemeyer scotched the rumour on Sunday, saying it was nonsense, and reminiscing said, “I remember in 2003 a well known media man phoning me and saying ‘What happened?!’ I replied ‘What do you mean?’ and he said ‘Dynasty is scratched!’ I replied, ‘Well he seemed to be fine when I saw him five minutes ago.”’

It’s My Turn finished second in the Grade 3 Track And Ball Derby on July 11 and Kannemeyer said, “He took the run exceptionally well and pulled up sound. I was very pleased with the run, his second run back after almost two years off. I have just been cantering him this week and on Monday I will probably work him with something on the beach sand so he can just enjoy himself because he’s a fit horse. I’ve allowed the racing to get him to where I want him to be. All is good for the July. It’s a tough race but it’s like any other race, it’s tough, but he’s doing well.”

The now seven-year-old Dynasty gelding finished fourth in the July as a three-year-old and eighth the following year. 

Kannemeyer said, “It is remarkable he has come back after what he has been through. Originally he had issues and came to me and was rested and I then brought him back and he became the champion stayer of the country. But then I took him back to Cape Town and he strained a tendon so I rested him again and he’s come back and is in the July.”  

The yard have three other runners on the day including Delta Queen in the Grade 2 Zulu Kingdom Explorer Golden Slipper over 1400m.  

Kannemeyer said, “Her performances have been good since she’s been in KZN but I think she is still running just below her very best. I think she is better than her last two runs in which she jumped a little awkwardly both times. Var puts a lot of speed into her but she is bred to go ground on her female side, her mother went over 2000m, but the race will tell whether she stays. She’s doing well and if she runs to her true ability, i.e. that which she shows at home, and she stays 1400m then she should be competitive.”

African Warrior runs in the Non-Black Type Compendium Insurance Brokers eThekwini Sprint over 1200m and Kannemeyer said, “As a three-year-old he ran one fair race in his comeback in the Matchem Stakes. He’s doing well and he looks well but the kick he had as a two-year-old hasn’t really been there, so I’m hoping he bounces back to himself.” 

The yard run Liberty Hall in the Listed Hollywoodbets Thukela Handicap over 1600m and he said, “He is a one-time winner, he is probably the worst handicapped horse in the country. As a two-year-old he ran second to horses who are running in the July so I’m hoping he puts his best foot forward but if you look at that rating (101) as a one-time winner its tough, sometimes if you expose a horse too early they punish you.” 

By David Thiselton

Vodacom Durban July third favourite Vardy was soundly beaten by his stable companion Twist Of Fate in their official Vodacom Durban July gallop on the Summerveld bottom grass track last Thursday but this was of no concern to trainer Adam Marcus.

He said, “Twist Of Fate is a very good work horse, at home there are very few horses who can beat him when paired up, and Vardy, you put him with a weak maiden and he will come out second best, so he just does what he needs to do, he saves it all for the racecourse.”

Twist Of Fate is no slouch on the racecourse too and finished third in last year’s July.

Marcus continued, “Twist Of Fate I thought put up an exceptional gallop and has come through it exceptionally well. I thought he strode out well and just the manner and the way he did the gallop I was very impressed.”

“Vardy always gallops in a laid back manner, so I was very chuffed with him, he strode out well, he’s also come through his gallop very well, so very pleased.”

“We’re going into the final week confident that their level of well-being is where we want it to be and they are looking great.” 

There looks likely to be a good pace this year and Marcus elaborated, “We always hope they are true run races. Silvano’s pride is in the race and Padre Pio also has a lot of natural speed so hopefully it’s a true run race. I hope it is not a case of just a lot of early speed to get their positions and then everyone starts putting the brakes on and easing back. If they maintain the pace throughout the race then it’s going to be a true run race and the best horse should win.”

It was put to Marcus that Vardy, who has plenty of speed and who has never raced this far before, might not want a fast pace.

He replied, “I am always of the opinion we don’t need a fast pace for Vardy but we don’t want a crawl either. He got caught out in the Grade 1 last time (Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge) where the race was actually given to Rainbow Bridge, who just dictated at his own pace and sprinted for home. So, we don’t want them to be going flat out because then it is a very testing 2200m, but if they can go a fair pace throughout that will give them every chance.”

Twist of Fate wore blinkers for the first time in his career in last year’s July and will where them on Saturday for the first time since joining the Marcus yard.

Adam said, “He’s is going to go positive. We’re fitting the blinkers on him, so I want him to be up there, obviously not to lead but just behind that early speed. He’s still a colt and he’s starting to think a little bit in his work and I just think the quarter cup blinkers should benefit him.”

The blinkers help such a horse stay focused.

The Vodacom Durban July is the one missing piece in the jigsaw for Adam and his immediate family, although the extended family have five victories, all through his record-breaking uncle Anton.

Adam elaborated, “It is the one race that has eluded my Dad, although he obviously spent the majority of his riding years overseas, so there is a space in the trophy cabinet for it.” 

By David Thiselton

Muzi Yeni and Running Brave led the field a merry dance and caused a major upset when making all the running in the KwaZulu-Natal Breeders Mile at Hollywoodbets Greyville yesterday.

Friendless in the market and starting at 18-1, Yeni had no hesitation in sending Paul Matchett’s filly to the front from the jump. Midway through the race, it all looked to be panning out as expected with favourites Nexus and dual Fillies Guineas winner Mississippi Burning both well placed and within striking distance turning for home.

However, when all came off the bridle, Running Brave still had plenty of gas in the tank and try as they may, Nexus and Mississippi Burning were not able to peg back the deficit and indeed, made no impression on the winner over the final furlong.

It was the complete opposite in the Track & Ball Oaks, the race switched from Hollywoodbets Scottsville last week after a jockey protest and the meeting abandoned. The Robbie Hill-trained rank outsider Moon In June, 49-1 with the books and R52.70 on the tote, lobbed along at the rear as the field travelled for home at a leisurely pace.

Things only got serious approaching the final turn and Craig Zackey asked his mount her first serious question. The answer was positive as Moon In June swung wide off the rail and getting a dream split, she quickened through the middle of the field.

Kelpie and Ballet Shoes got first run but Moon In June was not to be denied even with Kelpie lugging in and forcing her off a straight line.

Favourite Chitengo was compromised by the pedestrian early pace and was unable to go with them in the sprint for the wire and finished a modest fourth.

For Pick 6 punters it was back to the drawing boards for another stab come Vodacom Durban July day with the Michael Roberts-trained Ad Altisima the only favourite obliging. Serino Moodley, who has his first VDJ ride aboard Padre Pio for Dennis Bosch in the big one, had Ad Altisima out quickly looking for a lead which he never surrendered and Ad Altisima was pulling away from his rivals when they hit the line. From that opening leg, it all went pear-shaped for the Pick 6.

By Andrew Harrison

Tote betting on the Vodacom Durban July meeting opens in KwaZulu-Natal today, Monday, July 20. This gives punters ample time to work out and place their bets before the big raceday on Saturday, July 25.

There are also some massive tote carryovers on the day with R2 million already in the Pick 6 pool with the final pool expected to top R15 million.

There is also a quartet carryover of R1 million on the Vodacom Durban July its self with that pool expected to top R15 million.

There are a host of other carryovers on the day giving punters a chance to win big.

Race 2: BiPot Leg 1 – R100,000 carryover; likely pool R750,000.

Race 3: PA Leg 1 – likely pool R2 million.

Race 4: Pick 6 MEGAPOOL Leg 1 – R2 million carryover; likely pool R15 million.

Race 5: Jackpot ONE Leg 1 – R200,000 carryover; likely pool R2 million.

Race 7: Quartet MAXIPOOL – R1,000,000 carryover; likely pool R15 million.

Race 7: Jackpot TWO Leg 1 – likely pool R1 million.

Race 9: Trifecta – R100,000 carryover; likely pool R1 million.

Race 10: Jackpot Quickmix 2 – R25,000 carryover; likely pool R100,000.

Punters get a further opportunity on the Vodacom Durban July with the tote paying six places.

Punters are reminded that all tote and bookmaker outlets are now open to the pubic so that even those without on-line betting accounts will be able to place their bets.

With social distancing now the norm, punters are advised to get their bets on early to avoid long queues or to open a TABgold account that will afford the luxury of betting from home or on your mobile phone. Hollywoodbets Greyville is off limits for the general public on raceday with only essential staff allowed on course but all the action can be viewed live on DStv channels 204 and 210 starting at 1pm and Tellytrack on channel 239. The Vodacom Durban July is off at 3.10pm.

Justin Snaith has a strong quintet of runners in this year’s Vodacom Durban July and is bullish about his chances of winning the big race for the fifth time.  

He said, “My horses are all very well and it is going to take some very good horses to beat them. They are primed and ready and whoever beats us can be proud they have a superstar.”

Do It Again last year became the sixth horse in history to win the July twice and will be the fifth horse to attempt the treble. He has had a below par season but Snaith said the ulcer problem which led to his poor eating habits during the Cape Summer season had been treated and cured. He added that his whole string had not enjoyed a good Cape season, which was another point which gave hope that the big Twice Over gelding would be back to his best on July day. A bonus to his chances is that his underperformances have led to a two point drop in his merit rating, meaning he receives half-a-kilogram from Rainbow Bridge, whom he beat last year by 0,40 lengths when giving away half-a-kilogram. He also receives half-a-kilogram from the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate winner Vardy. Do It Again was asked to do the most of Snaith’s runners at the July Gallops at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Wednesday and he showed off his both his huge stride and speed, recording the fastest 400m to finish time.

He was able to out-sprint Rainbow Bridge to the line last year in a slow run race and also pulverised the field the previous year, also in a slow run race. However, Snaith said actually wanting a slow pace would go against everything they had ever thought of the horse and believed he would prefer a fast pace. This year he would almost certainly want a fast pace with the presence of Vardy as the latter also has plenty of speed and a possible stamina doubt too. Snaith said Do It Again had needed his run in the Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge, his first race after a holiday at Drakenstein Stud. He was only beaten a length and Snaith elaborated, “You could see he just got tired in the last bit and he won’t be getting tired next Saturday.” Anton Marcus aboard is another tick in Do It Again’s box and a draw of 18 should not be too much of a problem as he is versatile in running style. 

The filly Silvano’s Pride will ensure a fast pace according to Snaith. He said, “She only knows one way to race and that is to go flat out, she has no brakes and good luck to anybody who catches her. That is the way she races and we’re not going to change anything. She is very well at home.” Her draw of 15 augurs well as she will have a free passage to get to the front. Silvano’s Pride put in a solid gallop on Wednesday under Sereno Moodley, who becomes the second member of the passionate Indian racing community to ride in the July after Ronald Singh, who rode the Herman Brown-trained Heads to 12th place in 1992.

Belgarion is the joint July favourite with Rainbow Bridge and could well be the best handicapped horse in the race. He is officially half-a-kilogram under sufferance carrying 53kg off a 119 merit rating but his merit rating is capped. The conditions of the WSB 1900, which he won by a comfortable three lengths, state that the winner can be given a maximum of six points. He would have been given more had the handicappers been allowed to. Belgarion glided effortlessly across the Hollywoodbets Greyville turf on Wednesday and Snaith said, “He is so ready, he couldn’t even blow out a candle after today’s workout. I would be interested to see his 800m to finish time because he did it in literally a canter if you see his recovery. Everything has gone to plan and Richard (Fourie) is super excited, maybe too confident but that’s Richard. Horses don’t win Julys, jockeys win July so I’m very happy I’ve got the right guys on. We’ve meticulously programmed him to carry 53kg. He’s way under-handicapped. He won’t be carrying 53kg in next year’s July and he’s certainly not a horse who should be carrying 53.” Belgarion likes to stride out so draw 17 behind a strong pace should be alright, although he could be at risk of being caught wide.

Bunker Hunt also produced an effortless workout on Wednesday and Snaith said, “I thought it was phenomenal. Swift Surprise (his companion) is a proper galloper and at home is a very good line horse and quite frankly Bunker Hunt looked quite impressive. In my honest opinion Bunker Hunt would have won the Gold Challenge in that slow run race like he did in the Drill Hall but he would have been given full penalties and kicked himself out of a chance here. He carries 55kg and if Belgarion is theoretically the best weighted horse I think Bunker Hunt is second best. He is a huge runner. I think the race being run behind closed doors brings a horse like him into contention because normally on a race day he gets a little bit heated up.” Grant van Niekerk rides from draw 14.    

Miyabi Gold does not have the smoothest of actions in front but Snaith was pleased with her gallop on Wednesday and pointed out that she was a horse who never ran a bad race. He added he had not given her much hard work before her last impressive win in the Listed East Coast Handicap, so she should have come on plenty from it. She finished fifth last year and being by Silvano should have improved. She is officially 1,5kg under sufferance so is likely not quite good enough to win but can place again. Keagan de Melo rides and she jumps from the same number four barrier position as last year.

By David Thiselton

Justin Snaith watched all five of his Vodacom Durban July horses galloping from the trackside on Wednesday morning and was visibly impressed by the quality of the turf surface, which has a luscious covering of green grass.

He walked over to Hollywoodbets Greyville’s assistant track manager Kevin Searle who was standing nearby and offered his congratulations adding that this was the best he had ever seen the track for the July gallops.

Track manager Kurt Grunewald explained that during lockdown he and Kevin and their team had continued to maintain the track and were particularly meticulous about going into winter on the back of a strong conditioning and fertilizing program.

He explained that in summer regrowth is rapid so the track can recover quickly from a pounding.

However, he added due to one of the first proper winters KZN had experienced in a while regrowth at present was virtually down to zero.

Going in with a strong foundation has thus proved vital and the results were there to be seen yesterday. 

The recent gaps in the racing program have also helped.

Durban is also known for its relatively warm winter climate so the grass stays green unlike other parts of the province where it has quickly turned brown. 

There are only three more turf races before July day, the KZN Breeders Million Mile, the postponed Track & Ball Oaks and a Maiden event, all to be run this Sunday, so fans can look forward to good and fair racing on the big day.

By David Thiselton

Sean Tarry’s two Vodacom Durban July winners, Pomodoro and Heavy Metal, jumped off at odds of 28/1 and 16/1 respectively and this perhaps augurs well for this year’s race where he runs 20/1 shot Shango and 35/1 chance Tierra Del Fuego (Track & Ball odds).

Tarry’s pair could be viewed as two of the most unexposed horses in the field. 

Shango was still immature when winning the prestigious Grade 2 TAB/Betting World Dingaans going away in impressive style. The Captain Of All colt later had to miss the Grade 2 Gauteng Guineas after a minor setback so did not have an ideal preparation for the Grade 1 SA Classic and at the time of the latter race the yard had a significant number of horses suffering from high temperatures. He duly ran below par but then proved he would stay the July trip by going close in the Grade 1 SA Derby. His next run was in the Grade 1 Daily News 2000 and Tarry said beforehand, “Shango is doing very well but I think this run will bring him on for the July. He does well in Durban and once there I expect to see him make good improvement.” He was duly left a touch flat-footed at the top of the straight before running on strongest of all for a 3,05 length fourth. His recent preparation was thus similar to Pomodoro’s 2012 July preparation. Pomodoro followed a dead-heat victory in the SA Derby with a staying on 4,75 length fifth in the Daily News before winning the July. On the downside for Shango the Daily News this year was run in a crawling 125.8 seconds compared to the 120.02 time of Pomodoro’s year in 2012. A further negative to the form is that Western Fort finished just 0,6 behind Shango in the SA Derby but was then beaten 17,75 lengths by Hawwaam in the Grade 1 Premier’s Champions Challenge. However, the latter race was almost certainly not Western Fort’s run as he was asked to lead, whereas he had come from off the pace in the SA Derby.

On the other hand four-year-old Tierra Del Fuego’s run in the Champions Challenge makes him possibly one of the best value horses in the July.

Tarry said conservative tactics had been deliberately deployed in the Champions Challenge as it was the first time Tierra Del Fuego had been trying a middle distance trip. The long striding Skitt Skizzle colt ran on well from near the back of the field for a five length third. The Turffontein 2000m trip is tough and on that performance, especially considering he was running on all the way to the line, he should stay the Hollywoodbets Greyville 2200m. He finished just 1,50 lengths behind Soqrat in the Champions Challenge but is now 4kg better off with him in the July. Soqrat is quoted by Track & Ball as a 13/1 chance and Tierra Del Fuego is 22 points longer. 

Tierra Del Fuego jumps from draw eleven which is the draw, together with draw 8, which has produced the most July winners in the last 70 years.

Shango also has a good draw of seven.

Shango is known as a lazy work horse but stretched out nicely at Hollywoodbets Greyville at the July Gallops on Wednesday. Tarry said, as he had predicted, Shango was thriving in Durban.  

Tarry was also pleased with Tierra Del Fuego’s July gallop at Randjesfontein earlier in the week.

Gavin Lerena has ridden both horses often, including being aboard Tierra Del Fuego in the Champions Challenge and Shango in the SA Derby. 

However, his official riding weight is 57kg so he will be aboard Tierra Del Fuego, who carries 55kg off a 124 merit rating.

Lyle Hewitson, whose riding weight is 52kg, will be aboard Shango, who carries 53kg but off a 116 merit rating is officially 4kg under sufferance. Hewitson rode Shango in the latter’s first four career starts.

Tarry concluded by pointing out that Lerena felt Tierra Del Fuego had been worth slimming 2kg to ride. This horse does appear to be way to big a price in the July market and will be especially worth considering for a top six finish. Shango is a more realistic price and it should not be forgotten that he jumped at odds of 36/1 when winning the Dingaans.

By David Thiselton