Glen Kotzen only has two runners at the Vodacom Durban July meeting, but could well find himself in the winners enclosure during the day.

Seven years ago Kotzen walked away from the VDJ meeting with two Gr 1 trophies as his Equus champion Three-year-old Colt Big City Life won the July and his Equus Champion Three-year-old Filly Lady Windermere won the Garden Province.

This year he has a fine chance of landing the majority share of the KZN Yearling Sale Million stake cheque with the Kahal filly Shizam.

Shizam has some fine maiden form in Cape Town. She got off the mark last time out on April 23 over 1200m in her fifth career start, having placed before that behind some top class sorts like the Secret Is Out and The Merry Widow. She won that Maiden Juvenile Plate for fillies by 0,5 lengths from subsequent winner China Pearl and had the rest of the field beaten 6,75 lengths. Two other horses have subsequently won out of the race and she beat them by 9,75 lengths and eleven lengths respectively.

Her pole position draw on Saturday is ideal as she has plenty of pace.

Kotzen said on pedigree she should stay an extra 500m, so the 100m extra of the 1300m trip will pose no problem. She has been at Summerveld for at least six weeks and is fit and well.

He described her as a forward-thinking filly who does not race green, so experiencing the course and the lights for the first time should not be a concern.

“She is a huge runner,” he concluded.

He said his runner in the Gr 2 Gold Circle Golden Slipper, the Judpot filly Final Judgement, was “exceptionally well and working like a bomb.” He said she had been caught flat-footed when beaten 5,25 lengths by Maleficent in the Listed Devon Air Stakes over the same 1400m course and distance as she had raced very green in her first experience of the course. He concluded by saying there was room for “big improvement.” She is also drawn in pole.

Stuart Randolph rides both fillies.

David Thiselton

Dennis Drier and Alistair Gordon could have winners at Saturday’s Vodacom Durban July meeting with Desert Fighter and Royal Line respectively.

Both trainers have a number of other chances at the meeting.

Desert Fighter runs in the second, the Middle Stakes over 1400m on the poly, and jumps from a plum draw of two with stable jockey Sean Veale aboard. He was a bit slow away over 1600m on the poly last time so had a lot to do in the straight and ran on well for a close second. His two wins have been over 1200m, so this trip should be ideal. The yard described this Toreador three-year-old gelding as a progressive sort and added,  “This looks to be the right race for him.”

Desert Fighter (Nkosi Hlophe)

Royal Life runs in the last, the Listed Business Solutions Handicap over 1600m on the turf. He has S’Manga Khumalo up from a good draw of six. He over raced in his penultimate start over 1400m, but still won easily and impressively. He over raced again over the Greyville turf 1600m last time, yet still ran on well and was pipped by a whisker. Gordon has now tried a new bit with him and he has consequently settled much better in his work. If he does the same in the race on Saturday, he will be a big runner as Gordon is happy with his well-being and with the draw and jockey.

The Drier yard are hoping Sail will be more settled on course than she was last time, when bouncing around a bit yet still managing to win a Juvenile Plate over 1400m. If she is this talented Philanthropist filly could be the chief threat to Maleficent in the Gr 2 Gold Circle Golden Slipper over the same course and distance from a plum draw of four.

The yard run last year’s July runner up Punta Arenas in the Gr 3 Delta Air Lines 2200 and said he was fit and well. He looked well in his workout on Tuesday morning.

Gr 1-winning sprinter Guiness has “been going through the motions” so blinkers will be fitted and he has been working well in them, although he has a tough draw in the Compendium MR 103 Handicap over 1000m.

The yard are hoping blinkers will have the same affect on Eventual Angel, a talented sort capable of surprising from a plum draw in the Gr 1 Jonsson Workeear Garden Province Stakes over 1600m.

Gordon could not separate Royal Life and Bunker Bill as his best runner on the day. Talented three-year-old Bunker Bill loved the step back to 1200m last time and won easily. He goes on the poly for the first time over 1200m in the tabGold Sprint and has Piere Strydom up from draw six, albeit off a merit rating which has been raised six points.

Gordon said Velvet Wind was well, but might find the 1400m of the first a touch short, although he expected her to be running on. He expected Sublime Code to be suited to a step up to 1400m in the second and said he was also fit and well.

David Thiselton

Mike Azzie said if Triple Crown hero Abashiri was not at his peak on Saturday for the Vodacom Durban July he would be pretty close to it. He is also expecting a good run from Oomph in an earlier feature.

Azzie said he had to put out of his head everybody saying Abashiri had too much weight to carry in the July, “because this is not a normal horse, this is a special horse.”

Abashiri (Nkosi Hlophe)

The Go Deputy gelding with the giant stride carries 59kg, the biggest weight ever allotted to a three-year-old in the big race.

He has not run since winning the SA Derby on April 30, where he had to dig down deep.  However, Azzie said the big horse’s work had been very good. He said big race jockey Karl Zechner was confident.

Abashiri certainly caught the eye at the July gallops and the exceptional turn of foot he has shown in his last two races should make him suited to Greyville.

Oomph has the second run for the yard in the Gr 2 Durban Golden Horseshoe over 1400m.

The Tiger Ridge colt was the talk of the town in Port Elizabeth after three facile wins over 1200m and he was then purchased by Azzie’s chief clients Adriaan and Rika van Vuuren.

However, Azzie said the colt had been well in need of his run in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion, as they had backed off him in PE before he had arrived at Summerveld. He said the horse had tightened up and improved since the Medallion.

Azzie’s runner in the first over 1400m on the poly on Saturday, Peep Show, runs off an 83 merit rating compared to her 97 sand rating. However, she hasn’t run since January.

Deputy Jud (Nkosi Hlophe)

Azzie said he had seen Peep Show brighter than she currently was, and he would have liked her to be a little more crisp, but he was hoping she wouldn’t need it. He said if the four-year-old Ideal World filly reproduced her best on the sand she would be a tough nut to crack as she was capable of galloping flat out for a mile.

Azzie has July reserve runner Deputy Jud in the Gr 3 Delta Air Lines 2200m where he jumps from draw nine. His recent runner up finish in the Track And Ball Derby proved he was in a good space and his merit rating is unchanged, so he must have a shout.

Black Minnaloushe gelding Greek Legend has been a touch disappointing in three runs in KZN, but being a half-brother to Gold Cup winner Wavin’ Flag makes him an interesting runner in the Gr 3 SABC Gold Vase over 3000m.

The yard run Lazer Star in the Gr 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes. She was bought out of the Ormond Ferraris yard mainly for breeding purposes and on previous evidence the 1600m trip might stretch her, although she is drawn well and it is her third run for the yard.

Splendid Garden carries topweight in the eighth, the Compendium MR 103 handicap over 1000m on the poly, and has a tough draw of nine. However, he has come a point down in the merit ratings and this talented but temperamental sort can’t be ignored coming off two Gr 1s where he was not disgraced.

By David Thiselton

6 RABADA (insufficient recover time) was scratched from the 2016 Vodacom Durban July this morning 19 TROPHY WIFE now becomes a runner with S’manga Khumalo declared to ride.

Updated final field and betting for the R4,25million Gr1 Vodacom Durban July to be run over 2200m at Greyville racecourse on Saturday, July 2:

Mike Bass’s assistant trainer Robert Fayd’Herbe is happy with the yard’s Vodacom Durban July day string at Summerveld.

He stuck his neck out and named Helderberg Blue as their best runner on the day and this in-form Gr 3 Delta Air Lines contender certainly looked a picture when putting in a slow canter on the beach sand at Summerveld yesterday (Tuesday).

Marinaresco (Liesl King)

Meanwhile, the yard continue to be happy with July contestant Marinaresco. This Silvano gelding is a three-parts brother to Bulsara, who finished a 2,2 length fifth to Igugu in the 2011 July, despite carrying roundabout 1,5kg overweight.

Marinaresco, like Bulsara, has an exceptional turn of foot. Fayd’Herbe added, “He is a fighter, he likes to win.”

Jockey Grant van Niekerk has declared he is no longer worried by Marinaresco’s wide draw.

The yard run all of Inara, Silver Mountain and Lanner Falcon in the Gr 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes and Fayd’Herbe was reluctant to separate them. He said, “All is well and may the best one win.”

The yard were also bullish about Gr 3 SABC Gold Vase contestant Three Balloons. Fayd’Herbe said, “He is coming to hand and 3000m is his distance.”

He said Ernie had also been doing well ahead of the tabGold Sprint over 1200m, where he has a wide draw in his first race on the poly.

David Thiselton