The Johan Janse van Vuuren-trained Divine Odyssey produced a storming late run under Raymond Danielson to win yesterday’s Grade 3 Jubilee Handicap over 1800m at Turffontein and thus put up his hand for a place in the Vodacom Durban July final field.

The five-year-old Oratorio gelding ran a 2,80 length eighth in last year’s July and is listed among the five horses just outside of the top 20 on the current July log.

Divine Odyssey caught the favourite Marshall Foch, who set the pace, and Full Mast close to home and won going away by one length.

The only other runner holding a July entry, D’Arrivee, could only manage fourth so his chances of making the final field are gone.

Last year’s Jubilee winner Barahin finished a five length tenth in the July.

The previous year the pair that fought out the Jubilee finish, Yakeen and Tilbury Fort, were both included in the final July field and finished 14th and eighth respectively.

In 2017 the Jubilee winner Coral Fever was supplemented into the July but was then eliminated by the final field selection panel.

The likely reason for the latter decision was that Coral Fever would have been way under sufferance in the July off a relatively low merit rating.

Divine Odyssey ran off a 114 rating yesterday and will likely be raised a point or two but he will still likely be under sufferance in the July. However, this year there are currently only nine horses out of the 47 remaining entries who are in the handicap as it stands, so Divine Odyssey will definitely be seriously considered for a berth.

By David Thiselton

Dennis Drier won his eighth career Grade 1 Golden Horse Medallion on Saturday and this was his eleventh Grade 1 victory at Hollywoodbets Scottsville overall, so he deserves to be given the freedom of Pietermaritzburg, but the feats of Sean Tarry at this course are not as well documented and he in fact surpassed Drier and made it twelve Grade 1 triumphs at the city track.

It was an equally memorable day for Gareth van Zyl, who landed the first Grade 1 of his career. 

Tarry’s filly Celtic Sea put up the equal most remarkable performance on the day to retain her Grade 1 SA Fillies Sprint crown. 

This was the seventh time Tarry had won this race and Celtic Sea followed Carry On Alice as his second dual winner. 

On a day when those coming from off the pace were finding it difficult to make up the deficit, the Captain Al filly was nurtured through a flat spot at the 500m mark by Gavin Lerena before powering home on the inside rail to catch her market rival Run Fox Run and the 16/1 shot Singforafa in a three-way head bobbing finish. 

That made it eleven Hollywoodbets Scottsville Grade 1s for Tarry and he then made it twelve when his big horse Warrior’s Rest won the Golden Horse Sprint by the narrowest of margins from Ultra Magnus, meaning Brett Crawford had been denied by a shorthead for the second race in succession. 

It was Tarry’s second successive win of this race and his third in your years. 

Warrior’s Rest, who is by What A Winter, in retrospect was a suitable type for the conditions on the day as he is able to maintain a strong gallop from start to finish and the 18/1 shot did just that under a light weight of 52,5kg and an intelligent ride by Callan Murray. 

The reigning Equus Champion Sprinter Kasimir finished third carrying top weight. 

Tarry had only just failed in the first Grade 1 of the day, the Allan Robertson, when his filly Ecstatic Green joined the Van Zyl-trained Vernichey in front. However, the latter, by Vercingetorix, fought back bravely and only just prevailed under Warren Kennedy. War Of Athena flew up for third. 

Drier then dominated the Golden Horse Medallion. His charge Pray For Rain showed exceptional natural pace and was still going well through the 400m mark. However, Drier’s Master Of My Fate colt Tempting Fate looks something special and reeled his stablemate in to win by a comfortable 1,50 lengths under Sean Veale in a performance which matched Celtic Sea’s. No Laying Up stayed on well for third ahead of the favourite Erik The Red and the fancied Joseph Barry. 

Drier has won seven of the last eleven renewals of the Medallion having first won it way back in 1990.

Avontuur Stud also have an enviable Hollywoodbets Scottsville record and bred both Tempting Fate and Pray For Rain. 

Klawervlei Stud increased their fine Hollywoodbets Scottsville record with Vernichey’s win. 

Celtic Sea was bred by Wilgerbosdrift and Mauritzfonrein Stud and Warrior’s Rest was bred by Lammerskraal Stud. 

By David Thiselton

Ashley and Andrew Fortune have four Grade 1 runners at Hollywoodbets Scottsville tomorrow including the much talked about favourite in the Allan Robertson, Winter Smoke. 

Ashley said they hoped Winter Smoke proved to be as good as her debut win combined with the favourite tag suggested she was. She added that a number of jockeys who had ridden her had said she had given them the feeling of being “special.” 

Afternoon Tea also runs in the Allan Robertson as the Fortunes are mindful that there are only so many chances a horse has of running in a Grade 1 race. Ashley described her as consistent and expected “a nice run”. 

The yard run Invidia in the Golden Horse Sprint. He is officially 2,5kg under sufferance but this was only because they decided not to take the six points penalty for running second in the Post Merchants, run recently over this same course and distance. He would otherwise be carrying 52,5kg instead of 52kg. He is thus 1kg better off with Post Merchant’s winner Eden Roc for a 0,5 length beating. 

Ashley said Invidia had come on from the Post Merchants, was in a good space and she expected a nice run. 

The first-timer Validus runs in the Golden Horse Medallion and throwing him into the deep end here was forced upon the connections by the interruption to horses’ programs lockdown had brought. However, Ashley said this Dynasty colt was definitely of “the quality” to take a chance with in this field. 

All of these horses have been staying at Summerveld for varying lengths of time and have all been enjoying themselves there. 

By David Thiselton    

Dennis Drier will tomorrow be going for his seventh Grade 1 Golden Horse Medallion win since 2010 and his eighth overall and he has a strong coupling this year in Tempting Fate and Pray For Rain. 

Later in this Hollywoodbets Festival of Speed meeting he has a chance of winning the Grade 1 Golden Horse Sprint with Cartel Captain. 

Tempting Fate by Master Of My Fate is out of the speedy Drier-trained filly Miss October whose Trippi daughter Spring Break ran a 4,20 length eighth against the boys in last years Medallion before going on to finish a close second in the Umkhomazi Stakes over this same 1200m distance at Hollywoodbets Greyville. Tempting Fate is unbeaten in two starts and last time out showed good pace and a strong kick to win the Grade 3 Godolphin Barb Stakes over 1100m at Hollywoodbets Scottsville in a time 0,30 seconds quicker than the Strelitzia on the same day. His stablemate Pray For Rain by Soft Falling Rain was a 0,60 length second at level weights after playing up at the start. 

Drier said, “Both came out of that last race superbly and I couldn’t be happier with them going into this race.” 

He put Pray For Rain’s antics at the start down to ring rustiness.

He added, “Tempting Fate is the choice on what they have shown.”

However, he concluded by saying they were two-year-olds so it was difficult to say and they would show what they were made of in the race. 

The pair face a strong field and are priced up as 7/2 second favourite and 16/1 with Track And Ball. The favourite Erik The Red is at 23/10.

Tempting Fate is ridden by stable jockey Sean Veale from draw 12 and Pray For Rain has Ant Mgudlwa up from draw one. 

Cartel Captain has come into his own this season. Drier said he was in a “tough” renewal of the Golden Horse Sprint but on the other hand had a light weight “along with most of the field.” He said he also could not be happier with his preparation. He has Sean Veale up from draw eight. 

Vaughan Marshall has two runners in the Medallion, Joseph Barry and No Laying Up. 

Both have been at Summerveld since March. 

He said Joseph Barry had come on a lot from his third place finish in the Godolphin Barb and he believed he could “definitely” reverse form with Tempting Fate and Pray For Rain. 

He agreed No Laying Up would be suited to Hollywoodbets Scottsville based on his debut win over the tough Kenilworth 1000m when showing good pace and then fending off the horse he became involved in a dual with to win cosily. However, No Laying Up suffered a “hiccup” after arriving at Summerveld and is a “bit behind” Joseph Barry. Nevertheless, Marshall said he had been doing very well and could finish in the frame. 

Joseph Barry has Anton Marcus up from draw eleven and it looks likely that Keagan de Melo will get the ride on No Laying Up, who jumps from draw six. 

Gareth van Zyl has a chance of landing his first Grade 1 in the Allan Robertson with the second favourite Vernichey. He said he had been surprised how green she had been last time when winning the Strelitzia over 1100m at Hollywoodbets Scottsville as he had regarded her as a “forward” filly. He added she had come on a lot from the run but acknowledged that most of the opposition would also have improved. 

Vernichey has a good action which is suitable for the tough Hollywoodbets Scottsville course and the most pleasing aspect of her Stelitzia win was that she had come from off the pace to win going away. 

Van Zyl mentioned the Ashley Fortune-trained favourite Winter Smoke as the one he had been hearing a lot about.

Warren Kennedy retains the ride on Vernichey who is drawn ten. 

Van Zyl runs the biggest outsider Princekresh in the Medallion. He will have to do a lot to reverse a 4,75 length defeat by Tempting Fate in the Godolphin Barb. Van Zyl said fitting blinkers could help his cause but admitted he would be very happy if he just made the frame. 

Donovan Dillon rides from draw seven.

By David Thiselton

Justin Snaith is bullish about two of his horses for the Festival Of Speed meeting at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on Saturday, Nexus and Erik The Red, and is hopeful for his other three, Kasimir, Miss Florida and Magnificent Seven. Callan Murray rides the latter and the rest will all be ridden by stable jockey Richard Fourie.

Snaith runs the improving Nexus in the Grade 3 Cup Trial over 1800m, which forms the first leg of the Pick 6 and will whet the appetite for the following Jackpot of Grade 1 1200m sprints. This four year-old by Dynasty won his first start as a gelding in impressive style over 1500m at Kenilworth. Snaith said, “Nexus is a serious racehorse and a lot of people who don’t know him might know him after Saturday. He is not far off my top July runners, there’s not much in it at all, and there were times when I thought he might be better than some of them. I think it will take a very good horse to beat him. He might run in the July or he might not. He was bred in KZN so he qualifies for the KZN Breeders Million Mile and we will either run in the one race or the other.” Nexus is drawn three in the twelve horse Cup Trial field and off a merit rating of 105 carries 55,5kg.

He also runs Magnificent Seven in the Cup Trial and said, “it’s his first run for a year and we’re hoping for a positive run.” The five-year-old Horse Chestnut gelding carries top weight of 60kg and is drawn six. 

Snaith runs the exciting Captain Al colt Erik The Red in the Golden Horse Medallion. He has won his last four starts after a debut 5th over 900m and Snaith said, “Erik The Red is doing very well in Durban, if he takes to the track I expect a good run. He’s a proper two-year-old, probably the most ready and exposed two-year-old I’ve ever brought to KZN, I usually bring unraced two-year-olds, so I’m expecting a big run from him, definitely.” In his last start in the Listed Kuda Somerset 1200 at Kenilworth on June 9 he gave the whole field weight and a 4,25 length slamming so only looks to be getting better. He is drawn ten in the fourteen horse Medallion field.

Snaith runs the reigning Equus Champion Sprinter Kasimir in the Golden Horse Sprint and said, “He’s doing well, I’m very happy with his prep, I think he is one run short so this will be a nice prep into the Mercury Sprint on Gold Cup day. But, it’s very hard, he’s got to give weight away to everybody, so we are just hoping for a positive run. He hasn’t run at Scottsville since he was a three-year-old (finished sixth in the Tsogo Sun (Golden Horse) Sprint) but I did gallop him there so he got to see the track again.” The Captain Al gelding carries 60kg from draw nine.

The yard run Captain Al filly Miss Florida in the SA Fillies Sprint brought to you by The Witness. This will be the first time she has raced at Hollywoodbets Scottsville since winning the Grade 1 Allan Robertson last year. However, Snaith said, “I took her for a gallop there and she loved it. She will have to cause a big upset though, but it’s Scottsville so you never know.”  Miss Florida is drawn highest in the eleven horse field and is one of seven three-year-olds participating.

By David Thiselton