Over the years, the World Sports Betting Cup Trial (Gr 3) has shifted from Clairwood to Hollywoodbets Greyville and on Saturday to Hollywoodbets Scottsville for the first time given the programme revamp due to the dreaded Covid-19.

All 12 runners in Saturday’s World Sports Betting Cup Trial are entries in the big race and the sponsors have Justin Snaith pencilled in to add another runner to his current six-horse compliment come Saturday, July 25.

The World Sports Betting Cup Trial is the dreaded last-chance saloon for most and given the competitive nature of the contest, the market spread is not wide.

The Snaith-trained Nexus is a lukewarm favourite at 28-10 with the sponsors with Herodotus (11-2), Magnificent Seven (6-1) and Cat Daddy (7-1) the only other runners in single figures. But the longest priced runner is Tilbury Fort at 16-1. Snaith saddles both Nexus and Magnificent Seven.

Betting for the Golden Horse Sprint is equally tight with Kasimir, 33-10, at the top of the boards but a host of runners are in single figures in a typically open sprint handicap.

Run Fox Run and Celtic Sea dominated in the market for the SA Fillies Sprint brought to you by The Witness with the former a narrow favourite at 12-10 with 13-10 on offer about the defending champion.

After four straight wins over the Cape summer, Erik The Red will be tested to the full in the Golden Horse Medallion and is relatively easy to back at 29-10. Tempting Fate, who will give Dennis Drier and unprecedented ninth win in the race, and the Mike de Kock inmate Al Muthana are joint second favourites at 7-2 with debutant Validus in the mix at 7-1.

The Ashley Fortune-trained Validus is obviously an unknown quantity in the Medallion but she saddles hot favourite Winter Smoke in the Allan Robertson Championship. You can get 12-10 about Winter Smoke with Vernichey (7-2) and Delta Queen (4-1) the only other runners quoted in single figures.

By Andrew Harrison

Snaith Racing this morning announced their chief jockey bookings for the Vodacom Durban July.

Stable jockey Richard Fourie will be aboard Belgarion, meaning he will have to slim 1kg from his official minimum riding weight down to 53kg. 

Anton Marcus remains aboard Do It Again, whom he rode last time out to third place in the Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge. Marcus thus has the chance to win a second July on this son of Twice Over, having won on him in 2018, a victory which gave the top jockey a record-breaking fifth July triumph.

Grant van Niekerk will be riding Bunker Hunt.

Keagan de Melo rode Silvano’s Pride to victory in the Grade 2 Tibouchina on Sunday and he retains the ride. 

In other VDJ news the Mike De Kock-trained Queen Supreme was supplemented into the big race yesterday. 

By David Thiselton

Mike and Adam Azzie’s Grade 1 Computaform Sprint winner Rivarine will definitely be raiding Durban on Gold Cup day to take part in the Grade 1 Mercury Sprint over 1200m.

Rivarine is by Var out of the Grade 1 J&B Met winner River Jetez, who is a full-sister to the great Pocket Power.

Rivarine’s full-sister Delta Queen will be attempting to make it two Grade 1 wins in successive weekends for the Var and River Jetez  union as she runs in the Allan Robertson on Saturday. Both siblings were bred by Avontuur Thoroughbred Farm.

Mike Azzie said one of the keys to fulfilling the potential they always knew Rivarine had was they had found a jockey in Devin Habib who was listening to their instruction of holding the athletic horse up. 

The yard had also got on top of some of the now six-year-old gelding’s small niggles and Azzie said this had allowed them to “reach the bottom of him again.”

With his hold up and fast-finishing style he should be suited to running around the turn in the Mercury Sprint.

In fact as a juvenile he won over the Greyville course and distance in fine style, beating the subsequent Grade 1 winner Gunner among others.

In other Azzie yard news Mike said Wylie Wench’s unplaced effort in the Grade 1 Empress Club Stakes had been “all wrong” and the yard were awaiting results of blood tests before taking their next step.  

Meanwhile, the first son of Var to go to stud, Talk Of The Town, has arrived at Avontuur. 

Talk Of The Town was retired for health reasons from racing after just 5 runs, from which he registered three wins on the trot from his last three starts. He was favourite for the 2018 CTS Million Mile, but was withdrawn and never raced again.

By David Thiselton

St. John Gray is planning the next move for his classy filly Ronnie’s Candy, who deservedly earned Grade 1 status last Saturday when winning the HSH Princess Charlene Empress Club Stakes over 1600m, and the KZN Breeders Million Mile or the Grade 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes over 1600m are the most obvious targets.

Gray said she had come of Saturday’s race well.

The four-year-old King Of Kings filly was dropped out to last from a wide draw on Saturday and displayed her devastating turn of foot in the straight under Piere Strydom to beat a good field which included Grade 1 winner Queen Supreme and well performed sorts like Vistula, Saragon, Running Brave, In the Dance and Magic School.  

She is in line for the Equus Older Female Of The Year award now alongside the like of Queen Supreme, Celtic Sea and Clouds Unfold as she has also won the Grade 2 Ipi Tombe Stakes over 1600m this season.

Gray said that types like her who come from off the pace could often go further than their optimum distance, with a case in point being his own top class mare Dancewiththedevil, who won the Grade 1 Summer Cup over 2000m on top of her four Grade 1 mile victories.

Ronnie’s Candy looked to be going away at the line of Saturday. 

Gray also pointed out that in her only attempt at 1800m in the Grade 3 Yellowwood Handicap she had been beaten 4,25 lengths into second by Queen Supreme but had been giving the latter 7,5kg.

Gray races his own homebreds almost exclusively.

Many are mystified by how well he does with such obscurely bred horses as Dancewiththedevil and Ronnie’s Candy, who are by the uncommercial stallions Modus Vivendi and King Of Kings respectively.

He pointed out that he is a firm believer in nicks and patterns and said he would often avoid a commercial stallion if there was no nick.

He admitted though that the nicks and patterns did not always work.

However, they did work in the case of Ronnie’s Candy, whose Jet Master dam Bennie Andthe Jets had provided a “beautiful” mating for King Of Kings.

Looking at her pedigree from an amateur perspective some of the famed nicks which exist on both the male and female sides of the pedigree are Nasrullah/Princequillo and also Sir Gaylord exists on both male and female sides. The latter is an example of a genetic affinity that exists when combining his dam Something Royal, who is also dam of Secretariat, with Royal Charger.

Bennie Andthe Jets is currently in foal to Potala Palace. 

By David Thiselton

Ashley and Andrew Fortune’s Listed Gatecrasher Stakes winner Gold Season is now being targeted at either the Grade 2 Golden Horseshoe over 1400m on VDJ day or the Grade 1 Premier’s Champions Stake over 1600m on Gold Cup day. 

“He’s a very laid back horse and had always shown us that he was capable of going places,” said Andrew.

Ashley added, “You can only be so confident as he was a Maiden taking on winners. We were hoping for a place as his work showed he could run a place, but his win confirms what we think of him.”

The Gimmethegreenlight colt had only run in one previous race, finishing a 3,50 length fourth over 1200m, and that form was franked on Saturday when the fifth-placed horse, Nourbese, finished third in the Grade 2 SA Nursery. 

On Sunday Craig Zackey found the rail in midfield and Gold Season ran on steadily in the straight to beat the well regarded Paul Peter-trained Master Of Disguise by 1,70 lengths. He was receiving 4kg from Master Of Disguise. The latter cost himself by taking a strong hold in the running and should be watched as he oozes class. 

Gold Season arrived at Summerveld two days before Sunday’s race and will continue staying there until his next race, which will be his last outing of the season.

The Fortunes found this colt at the Cape Premier Yearling Sale together with owner Preggie Somasundrum and they clinched him for R375,000. 

Andrew said, “Preggie wanted to stop at R150,000 and I kept kicking him!” 

Andrew, Ashley and Preggie had all liked him in all respects, including his pedigree. Andrew recalled, “He had this thing about him that spoke to you.” 

Andrew won twice on his mother, the Joey Ramsden-trained sprinter Miss Gold Digger, who is by Rich Man’s Gold. 

Gold Season is a half-brother to Easy Lover (Right Approach), who won two Listed races over 1600m and finished second in the Grade 2 Victory Moon Stakes over 1800m, so he should stay further than 1400m.

Also in the Gatecrasher Stakes, Royal Exhibit caught the eye staying on strongly from way back for third. This Mike Miller-trained Oratorio colt has plenty of substance and looks to be one to follow.

The fancied Glen Kotzen-trained Fast Love is a nice looking type too and should be given another chance after his disappointing fourth. He had to overcome a tough draw so had an excuse for not building on his impressive debut win.

By David Thiselton