Vodacom Durban July
trainers will have the option to take part in the traditional July Gallops at
Greyville tomorrow (Wednesday).
The gallops will start at
9 a.m. and Gold Circle will provide a feed but it is not clear yet whether
Tellytrack will cover the event live.
Justin Snaith is one
trainer who will definitely be bringing his horses to the course and he said,
“The July is an important race. The planning for each horse has to be
meticulous and the gallops were always part of their program. I feel I will be
able to take on the Johannesburg horses after they have completed this
important part of their preparation. There were rumours at one stage that the
gallops would not take place but my feeling is that you should not fix
something that is not broken. The gallops do not work in Cape Town but they
have been part and parcel of the July forever. The public are able to see each
horse working and it creates atmosphere too.”
The public, of course,
will not be allowed on course this year but will hopefully be able to watch the
gallops live on Tellytrack.
Each gallop will be put
on a Gold Circle platform for viewing online.
The gallops schedule will be published on this
platform later today following the Vodacom Durban July Final Field
Announcement.
All
eyes will be on the Vodacom Durban July Final Field Announcement tomorrow,
which will be shown live on Tellytrack from 13h05.
The
July draw ceremony will follow as per tradition.
The final
field announcement brings with it annual disappointment which is often
accompanied by criticism of the selection panellists.
However,
it is impossible to please everybody and the particular problem the panellists
invariably face is that different criteria can produce a different order of
selection.
Pack Leader
An
example can be seen in the case of Pack Leader, whose respective seventh place
finishes in both the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate and Sun Met have likely been the
best performances on paper put up this season by any of the borderline horses,
but against him was his lack of a placed run this season (until his recent
running on fourth in the Cup Trial) and this was presumably the reason he
was excluded from both of the July logs.
He
also performed slightly worse on paper (i.e. at the weights) than runner up
Tristful when finishing fifth in the recent WSB 1900m.
Pack
Leader did perform better than third-placed Camphoratus in that race on paper
but finished behind her too and, furthermore, the latter is a Grade 1 winner
and finished sixth in last year’s July. The latter accolade is a big plus in
Camphoratus’ favour and was presumably the reason she was placed 17th on the
last July log ahead of 20th positioned Tristful, who beat her in the WSB 1900
and performed better on paper too.
In
any case there have been no subsequent performances that can justify Pack
Leader leapfrogging Camphoratus and Tristful, so Pack Leader’s chances depend
on how important sticking to the log is considered to be.
The
scratching of Eyes Wide Open today made it easier for the panel.
Hawwaam
and Snapscan were two other top 18 log incumbents previously scratched.
The
log 19th-positioned Lady Of Steel was also previously scratched.
So
Tristful who was in 20th place on the last log, looks set to fight out one of
the three vacant places with three other horses, Cup Trial winner Capoeira, the
Jubilee Stakes winner Divine Odyssey and the Track & Ball Derby runner up
It’s My Turn. The latter has proved he retains his ability with two good runs
following a layoff of about a year-and-a-half.
Of
the others Roy’s Riviera had some good form earlier in the season, including
winning the Flamboyant Stakes and finishing a 4,50 length third to Queen
Supreme in the Yellowwood Handicap over 1800m when giving the latter 6,5kg. She
was also just a quarter-of-a-length behind subsequent Grade 1 winner Ronnie’s
Candy in the latter race receiving just 1kg.
Roy’s
Riviera also beat last year’s July fifth-placed Miyabi Gold in both meetings
they had over 2000m last season. However, she was only in the five horses
looking in on the last July log and then dented her chances by finishing last
in the Cup Trial. She had a chance to make amends in Saturday’s Grade 2 Track
& Ball Oaks but unfortunately the race had to be abandoned.
Western
Fort finished a good 1,10 length fourth in the Grade 1 SA Derby but then did
himself no favours by finishing a 17,75 length eighth in the Grade 1 weight for
age Premier’s Champions Challenge.
Hero’s
Honour’s 9,50 length fourth in the latter race was good by comparison but he
was among the five horses just outside the top 20 on the last log and nothing
has happened since to justify him leaping over those top 20 incumbent’s still
standing their ground.
Sovereign
Spirit finished third in the Cup Trial but that was not good enough considering
he was receiving 6,5kg from Pack Leader and beat him by only 0,70 lengths.
Victoria
Paige has some fair form including an unlucky third in the Grade 2 Gauteng
Fillies Guineas and a fourth place finish in the Grade 1 Woolavington 2000. She
is also half-a-kilogram less under sufferance than Tristful according to
official merit ratings and the weights. However, against her is that she has
not appeared on either of the July logs.
All
in all the final field this year is going to be tense for the connections of
Capoeira, Divine Odyssey, It’s My Turn and Tristful, unless the panelists
choose to ignore the July logs then others will also come into it. The
conditions of the July name the winners of the Cup Trial and Jubilee as horses
who are given preferential consideration so Capoeira and Divine Odyssey will be
surprise omissions. It’s My Turn has a much higher merit rating than Tristful,
so it looks as if the latter is favourite to be named first reserve.
The
debate, sometimes acrimonious, which follows the final field announcement has
become part and parcel of the July and adds to the intrigue of the great
race.
The
hard-done-by also have the chance to prove a point in the Grade 3 consolation
race on the day, which is known as the Campanajo 2200, named after the horse
who won the first two runnings of the July.
Eyes Wide Open
was the most significant scratching just a day before the Vodacom Durban July
final field announcement.
The other scratching
was Duke Of Spin.
Eyes Wide Open
finished a strong-finishing fourth in last year’s July.
However, he has not been able to match that form this season and could only manage a moderate fourth in Saturday’s final qualifying race, the Grade 3 Track & Ball Derby.
Trainer Glen
Kotzen said he had pulled up a hundred percent sound and explained, “It
was a big rush to qualify him after his gelding and he has had three quick runs
in successions. The owners have now decided it would thus be better to give him
a breather until the Gold Cup so he will have no more runs until then.”
He was bought
recently by the Gujadhur family, who have one of the world’s oldest racing
stables and are virtually royalty in Mauritius racing circles.
The five-year-old is out of a mare whose only win was over 1000m and his female side is a mixture of speed and middle distance class. His fast finish off a slow pace in last year’s July also suggested he has plenty of speed.
However, both his sire Dynasty and damsire Jallad impart stamina so there can be hope he will stay the Gold Cup 3200m distance.
The Gavin van Zyl-trained four-year-old Pathfork gelding Marchingontogether made it five wins in seven starts at Hollywoodbets Scottsville yesterday when running on well under Warren Kennedy from midfield in the Grade 3 Track And Ball Derby over 2400m to win by 1,10 lengths from It’s My Turn.
It’s My Turn enhanced his chances of being included in the Vodacom Durban July field while another July entry, Eyes Wide Open, is now in danger of not being included in the top 18 as he could only manage a moderate fourth, beaten 4,80 lengths, in the small eight horse field. Dark Moon Rising finished third.
July entry Duke Of Spin finished seventh so has no chance of making the final field. A section of rail had to be moved outward before the running of the Derby due to inconsistent going caused by a downpour.
After the Derby was run the meeting was abandoned following a jockeys’ protest. The Grade 2 Track And Ball Oaks was thus not run. It might be rescheduled for next Saturday, but that will not help Roy’s Riviera, who was out to qualify for the July. The July final field announcement and draw ceremony takes place on Tuesday.
Marchingontogether will attempt to follow in the footsteps of Hermoso Mundo and It’s My Turn by becoming the third horse in the space of four years to complete a hattrick of Grade 3 staying race victories in the Gold Cup.He was an impressive winner of the Lonsdale Stirrup Cup over 2400m at Greyville in his previous start. Hermoso Mundo won the Gold Bowl, the Gold Vase and the Gold Cup in 2017.
It’s My Turn won the Track And Ball Derby, the Gold Vase and the Gold Cup in 2018.The other highlight of yesterday’s meeting was the victory of the Garth Puller-trained Captain Fontane on his debut over 1200m under Lyle Hewitson.
This Cheveley Stud-bred Captain Al gelding is a full brother to Snowdance and comes from one of the best families in South Africa. His Grade 3-winning mother Spring Lilac (Joshua Dancer) is a daughter of Equus Champion Broodmare Mystic Spring and is thus a half-sister to champions Rabiya and Bela Bela and to Grade 2-winner and Grade 1-producing broodmare Secret Of Victoria among others.
Glen Kotzen runs last year’s Vodacom Durban July fourth-placed Eyes Wide Open in the Grade 3 Track And Ball Derby at Hollywoodbets Scottsville today and a good run will ensure the most famous colours in Mauritius are seen in the VDJ this year.
The light blue silks with red crossed sashes and
a red cap belong to the famous Gujadhur family, who are virtually royalty in
Mauritius racing circles and any big win they have on the island is widely
celebrated due to their popularity.
Eyes Wide Open (Candiese Lenferna)
The family bought the five-year-old son of
Dynasty especially to have a July runner this year.
Kotzen admitted everything was a bit rushed
after the sale as the horse had to be transported to Durban and gelded.
He said Eyes Wide Open had not put a foot wrong
since gelding and the operation had also brought with it soundness and
happiness.
He said, “He ran three lengths back in the
Drill Hall and then in the WSB 1900 came down the inside when everything was
going down the outside.”
He added, “He has had an excellent prep and
will be cherry ripe for this run.”
Eyes Wide Open stayed on strongly for fourth in
the July last year so should not have a problem staying this 2400m trip.
He is drawn five in the eight horse field and
has Anton Marcus aboard.
Kotzen said about his chances of qualifying for
the July, “He is in a high log position, but you never know and that is
why we are running him here, just to make it concrete.”
Eyes Wide Open was in 16th place on the final
July log and two horses above him have been scratched.
Kotzen runs Coral Bay and Je Ne Sais Quoi in the
Grade 2 Track And Ball Oaks and said although both were officially out at the
weights the ratings in staying races sometimes proved to be misleading.
He concluded, “They both needed that last run and have come on from it and they both stay very well.”
Racing
guru Jay August has been providing a myriad valuable stats for industryman to
work with recently and one of his recent revelations might well have an impact
on the pace in this year’s Vodacom Durban July.
August
points out that the first 1200m of the 2017 July was run in a fast 73,4
seconds, which enabled Marinaresco to come from way off the pace to win.
However,
he reckoned the slow opening 1200m of both the 2018 and 2019 July’s, 76,7
seconds and 75,6 seconds respectively, played into the hands of Do It Again due
to his superior sprinting speed.
August
points out that in a normal turf race the finishing speed for the winner
would be around 102-103% where finishing speed is the final 400m average metres
per second compared to the horse’s average metres per second for the rest of
the race.
Rainbow Bridge (Liesl King)
He
goes on to say that in the 2018 July Do It Again’s finishing speed was an
astounding 109%.
He
also pointed out that Vardy had produced a high finishing percentage in the
Gold Challenge when coming from last off a crawl to run Rainbow Bridge to a
0,90 length second.
So
if Do It Again is back to his best he won’t mind a slow pace again.
Vardy
will probably actively want a slow pace as he is yet to prove he stays this
trip.
Rainbow
Bridge and Twisted Fate, second and third last year, will need the pace to be
quicker as they were unable to match the sprinting speed of Do It Again in the
straight from handy positions.
Eyes
Wide Open, Miyabi Gold and Camphoratus were able to produce good finishes from
off that slow pace last year to get into the places, which is interesting as
they will be carrying the same minimum weights.
Of
course not all of those who would benefit from a slow pace would mind a fast
pace.
Most
top horses prefer a good pace, as long as they have the necessary stamina
reserves, as their superior VO2 max (the measurement of the maximum amount of
oxygen an athlete can utilize during intense exercise) enables them to keep
going while others are crying enough.
So
where will the pace come from this year then?
The
four key horses look to be Silvano’s Pride, Padre Pio, Rainbow Bridge and Twist
Of Fate.
The
draw will also play an important role in determining the pace.
A
natural front runner would probably not want to be drawn too low as this would
mean he or she would have to use up a bit of fuel early to hold his or her
position.
Being
drawn wider out gives the horse a chance to move to the front at a steady
tempo, although if the inside drawn horses are rushing this horse will then
have to step up a gear.
Nevertheless,
Silvano’s Pride showed last time when comfortably winning the Grade 2
Tibouchina she has enough pace to lead over 1400m, so she should definitely have
enough pace to lead over 2200m even if it is in a Grade 1 against the boys.
Do It Again (Candiese Lenferna)
In
fact she led the Grade 1 Woolavington 2000 last year and won that too.
The
point that will make her a dangerous runner in the July is that she was able to
dictate in both the Woolavington 2000 and the Tibouchina.
Punters
often make the mistake of looking through a card and if finding a front-runner
they automatically assume the pace will be good.
However,
if that front-runner is able to dictate then it will likely lead to a
controlled pace more likely to suit the leader and not as fast as the
others will need or want.
Therefore,
as Silvano’s Pride is able to dictate, it must now be determined whether there
are any in the field who will be willing to take her on.
Padre
Pio is a definite candidate as he opened up a big lead in the Grade 1 Daily
News 2000. He showed he was also able to respond to the rider’s instructions
despite facing the breeze as he was cleverly given a breather coming up the
hill. Visually it looked as if he was folding but instead he amazed many by
finding plenty in the straight and finishing a 1,50 length second.
Of
the aforementioned pair it is going to be a lot easier on paper for
four-year-old Silvano’s Pride because off her 118 merit rating she sneaks into
the handicap carrying the minimum weight for a female of 52kg.
Three-year-old
Padre Pio, on the other hand, will be 4,5kg under sufferance carrying
53kg.
Rainbow
Bridge will also be a candidate to lead.
In
last year’s Grade 1 Champions Cup over 1800m he over-raced when caught without
cover and showed what a superstar he was by still winning the race cosily. He
was thus always going to be interesting if taken to the front and in this
year’s Grade 1 Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge over 1600m he showed that he was
able to relax and dictate when taken to the head of affairs. However, he will
never again be given as easy a lead as he was given in that race.
Twist
Of Fate is another who has been effective from the front before.
Rainbow
Bridge and Twist Of Fate would both want it faster than either Silvano’s Pride
and Padre Pio, so the pace picture is most intriguing this year.
Furthermore,
there will be eleven runners in total carrying the minimum weight for their
respective genders and those of them who are capable of being up there might
want to force the pace in order to ensure the higher weighted more fancied
runners have to carry those big masses.
The
annual pace question will be one of the debates emanating from the final field
and draw ceremony next Tuesday.
Frank Robinson’s Australian-bred mare Roy’s
Riviera will run for the third weekend in succession in the Grade 2 Track And
Ball Oaks over 2400m at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on Saturday in her bid to
qualify for the Vodacom Durban July.
She finished a disappointing last place in the
Grade 3 Cup Trial over 1800m after being caught in a handy position without
cover and appearing to travel too strongly.
Roy’s Riviera (Candiese Lenferna)
However, Robinson said the tough five-year-old
daughter of All Too Hard had come out of the race very well and added,
“Her legs were ice cold and her blood was good, so there was nothing
untoward at all and she looks amazing. She probably just ran too freely in her
second run after a six month layoff.”
Roy’s Riviera was among the five horses just
outside the top 20 on the last July log so a good run on Saturday might see her
still making the final field.
Robinson said he would probably remove the
blinkers as she cannot afford to race too freely again over this longer trip.
This mare always appears to be underestimated
by the oddsmakers and a closer look at her career shows that she is very
capable.
She ran unplaced in this race last year and
had few excuses as she was well drawn and had a good passage. However, her
previous race had been in the Lonsdale Stirrup Cup, also over 2400m, where she
finished fifth and was just a shorthead and behind subsequent Gold Cup winner
Dynasty’s Blossom to whom she gave 2kg.
So this year coming in off a 1400m run and an
1800m race she has likely had a better preparation although those races have
come on top of each other.
Her sire All Too Hard won three Group 1s over
1400m in Australia and one Group 1 over 1600m but he also finished a neck second
in the prestigious Group 1 Cox Plate over 2000m at Moonee Valley. Roy’s
Riviera’s half-sister Sebring Sally finished fourth in a Group 1 over the Track
and Ball Oaks distance of 2400m and her grandam won over 2100m.
Sereno Moodley rides on Saturday partly due to Robinson’s promise to give him the ride in the July.
The Grade 3 Cup
Trial winner Capoeira has been supplemented into the Vodacom Durban July.
The four-year-old
Andre Nel-trained Oratorio gelding won Saturday’s open handicap event by 1,80
lengths off a merit rating of 110 and has been raised by the handicappers to
115.
This means he will be 2,5kg under sufferance in the big race off the 53kg he will be set to carry but as is well documented only seven horses in the race will be in the handicap i.e. not under sufferance.
Capoeira showed
himself to be not far behind the best when finishing a 6,50 length third to
Hawwaam at level weights in last year’s Grade 1 Daily News 2000.
The winner of the
Cup Trial does not gain automatic entry into the July under the conditions of
the race but is given “preferential consideration.”
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.
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.
Do It Again (Candiese Lenferna)
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
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