Given the rampant rise in Covid-19 infections, the chances of next month’s Vodacom Durban July being run in front of a full house are almost non-existent – such is the pity.

What the lock-down has necessitated is a revamped SA Champions Season programme and Hollywoodbets Greyville dished up a smorgasbord of potential VDJ winners today, giving students of form much to chew on before the big race.

Got The Greenlight was victorious in the Grade 1 Daily News 2000 with Joey Soma issuing a warning; “Don’t forget that there is a race coming up at the end of July,” his parting shot in his post-race interview after his charge had kept his clean sheet at the course with a thoroughly deserved win.

Rainbow Bridge turned in a smashing front-running performance to land the Grade 1 Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge and in doing so set himself up for another crack at the Vodacom Durban July.

Do It Again is showing signs of finding his best form in time to defend his VDJ title and although not quickening behind Rainbow Bridge he was staying on stoutly which augurs well for the big race.

Vardy turned in a tremendous performance, turning for home last and making up lengths in the straight, and Adam Marcus will be well please with what he saw.

Eric Sands has done a marvellous job with Rainbow Bridge although it was left to Peter Muscutt to put the finishing touches to the gelding with Sands marooned in Cape Town.

Cirillo, second in this race last year was the expected pacemaker but he was never able to get to the front as Rainbow Bridge took a hold. “It wasn’t our plan to go to the front,” said Sands, “but there is no use fighting them.”

Warren Kennedy, who was an early booking for this race and the VDJ, let Rainbow Bridge stride in front and although a little keen his mount was not over-doing it. Anton Marcus kept close tabs on Rainbow Bridge and had last year’s winner Do It Again in the box seat with Vardy bringing up the rear of the seven-horse field.

“It wasn’t by design (to go to the front) but to let him come out and be happy and no one really committed,” said Kennedy.

“I thought he would come out a bit fresh not having run for a while but he came out wanting to run a bit so I let him get there in his own time and he enjoyed it.

“He needed it and it was a bit of pace work.”

Got The Greenlight came from the clouds in the Grade 1 SA Derby over the testing Turffontein 2450m, but came up empty in the last 100m, so the 2000m of the Daily News was right up his alley. With the track running fast, Bernard Fayd’herbe, just recently returned from injury, had the front runners in his sights from the jump and was quick to challenge pacemaker Pardre Pio in the chase for home. It was always a given that Got The Greenlight would make up the ground although Fayd’herbe was never going to let him forget that he was in a race.

Golden Ducat travelled wide into the straight, making his run along with Got The Greenlight but it took a little time for him to start up his engine and only got going when the race for the lead was all but over, finishing a short-head behind Padre Pio who stayed on gamely for second.

“He’s a special horse, he’s such a professional,” said Fayd’herbe of Got The Greenlight. “Going through the 1400 I was smiling to myself. I saw Warren (Golden Ducat) moving up on my outside and I knew I had the race. It panned out just the way I thought it would.”

One who will not be contesting the VDJ is Summer Pudding who is destined for a well-deserved rest. She has had a testing three-year-old campaign, unbeaten in six starts and winning all three legs of the Triple Tiara, so one would have thought that the Grade 1 Woolavington may have been a bridge too far.

Paul Peter was also in two minds whether to run the filly but was prompted by Stephen Jell to let her take her chances if she came along the right way. “I was oohing and aahing but Stephen said if she was alright, to run her.”

Summer Pudding looked under pressure a long way from home but she rallied superbly in the straight to reel in arch rival Lady Of Steel and hold a challenge from Driving Miss Daisy.

Kennedy kept niggling at his mount throughout the race and when Lady Of Steel pinched a lead at the top of the straight she looked to have the race in the bag. But Kennedy switched out for a clear run to the line and Summer Pudding responded. “She never travelled with me the whole race and she does hit a flat spot,” said Kennedy. “But she always does that. At the 400 I thought maybe Bernard’s horse (Lady Of Steel) had me.

“But in a bun fight you can bet your life on her, she won’t get beat,” commented Kennedy, fresh from victory aboard Rainbow Bridge.

“She’s a special, lovely filly. She just doesn’t know how to get beaten,” confirmed Peter.

By Andrew Harrison

Paul Peter said the darling of the South African turf, Summer Pudding, would be on her way to the farm for a deserved holiday after her thrilling victory in the Grade 1 Woolavington 2000 at Hollywoodbets Greyville yesterday (Sunday).

Her unbeaten run looked in danger of ending when the other previously unbeaten filly Lady Of Steel shot away from her at the top of the straight.

Jockey Warren Kennedy admitted he was worried for a moment when he saw how much ground Lady Of Steel had stolen but he said as soon as Summer Pudding changed legs she took off and he then knew she would win.

As both trainer and jockey said afterwards this Silvano filly just does not know how to lose and will always give her all. 

In the end the last horse she had to fetch was Driving Miss Daisy, who had run on well from midfield.

Unfortunately, the stirring moment when Summer Pudding got to the front was witnessed only by the few who were allowed on course but the Peter yard grooms, dressed in their red Hyperpaint overalls, almost lifted off the grandstand roof on their own.

The vanquished magnanimously showered praise on Paul Peter and his team.

Meanwhile, Summer Pudding was hardly blowing out a candle such is the size of her engine. 

She has now won seven out of seven and yesterday passed one of the tests required to be great i.e. winning in another centre. 

All six of her previous wins had been at her home course of Turffontein. 

She still has a bit to do to be called great and Peter mentioned the Summer Cup as a possible next goal. 

The unbeaten record in South Africa is eleven races set by Home Guard in the late 1960s. 

That milestone will be talked about in racing circle but will certainly not sway the connections from their plans. 

By David Thiselton

Rainbow Bridge’s supporters in yesterday’s Grade 1 Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge over 1600m at Hollywoodbets Greyville could have begun counting their winnings by the time they reached the Drill Hall. 

On a day with a tailwind it seemed likely that the inside drawn horses would want to hold their positions as the leader in a small seven horse field was always going to attempt to dictate rather than set strong fractions. 

Instead Rainbow Bridge was allowed an easy lead from draw seven and when he began dictating there was no way a top horse like him was ever going to be caught. 

He duly skipped away at the top of the straight and the others could only chase in vain. 

Vardy, who had been the pick of the parade ring, ran on valiantly from last and did well to finish a 0,90 length second in a time two seconds slower than last year’s renewal which was won by Do It Again. 

Do It Again put up his best performance this season yesterday to run a 1,30 length third. 

However, it seems likely the handicappers will drop him a couple of points now and he might receive a little bit of weight from Rainbow Bridge in this year’s Vodacom Durban July, which he will be attempting to win for a record-breaking third time. 

Rainbow Bridge had a respiratory infection when first arriving at Summerveld this season so trainer Eric Sands has done a fine job getting him back to his magnificent best. 

He is never going to be a parade ring horse and a bit of sweat on him in the preliminaries, as he had yesterday, should never be of any concern. 

It is the race that counts and this now five-year-old Ideal World gelding’s career record now reads eight wins, including three Grade 1s, and eight places in 16 starts.

By David Thiselton

Stick with Katak – but don’t go in too deep or take too short a price. That is the sensible course of action with Piet Steyn’s star tackling ground far more testing than he has ever encountered before in the Abe Bloomberg Legal Eagle Stakes at Kenilworth today.

The going was officially soft this morning after a further 10 mm of rain during the night, followed by another 10 mm around 6.00am, and there is more to come before the 4.10pm off-time.

When Aldo Domeyer’s unbeaten mount won what used to be the Winter Guineas 18 days ago it was officially good to soft but this is a different ball game.

Steyn expressed his reservations early in the week – “My worry is that there is a lot of rain forecast and I don’t know how he is going to handle a wet course.” The way a horse works on sand can give some indication but the omens are not good (“He is a fair worker on it, not a great one”).

On the other hand the way the colt won last time he looked a Grade 1 horse and far superior to any of today’s opposition.  None of them are proven on this sort of ground either and you would feel pretty sick if you deserted him and he outclassed his rivals once again. Odds-on is too short considering the risks (and some bookmakers were quoting 13-20 this morning) but, if you can get odds against, they would be worth taking.

Certainly the statistics favour him. Five of the last seven Winter Guineas winners went on to win the Winter Classic which is the former name of today’s Cape Town highlight. Furthermore the favourite has won four of the last six Winter Classics.

Justin Snaith has the best recent record, winning four of the last 12 runnings, and Silver Host is his main hope. However second string Bayberry is one of the few in the field who has won when it was actually soft (as opposed to good to soft) and his dam was Irish-bred, a good sign if you are looking for horses that can go in today’s ground. At 35-1 he could be worth a few rand each way. Black Knap and Arctic Drift have place prospects.

Don’t be fooled by the name and Listed status of the Cordocelli Olympic Duel Stakes – the race is a handicap. Queen Of Quiet has won her last three and gets the vote although it is worth noting that stable companion Casino Queen has won in genuinely soft ground.

In the Casey Bloomberg Ladies Mile the weights are determined by merit rating bands – not quite the same thing as a handicap – and here the selection is Duchess Of Bourbon. She won last year’s Winter Oaks on yielding ground when stable companion Heaven’s Embrace (joint favourite here) was nearly four lengths back third. Cruise Along has won in the soft but only three ran in that race.

Sing Out Loud may be able to overcome her poor draw in the Winter Solstice Stormsvlei Stakes. Last time she fly-jumped at the start, came from the back and made up ten lengths in the straight. Note also Eva Eileen who had a rough passage that day and Flame Tree who is ridden by Greg Cheyne and runs in the same colours as Sing Out Loud.

By Michael Clower

Featured Image: Katak (Liesl King)

Off-course totes and bookmaking facilities in KwaZulu-Natal have been given the green light to open as from Saturday, June 27.

In a press release, the KwaZulu-Natal Gaming and Betting Board confirmed that totalisator and bookmaking facilities will be allowed to re-open subject to certain regulations.

• Fifty percent of capacity of the number of people on site in relation to the floor space of the venue at any given time.
• Ensure that the Health, Safety and Occupational Health prescribed guidelines in respect of Covid-19 are adhered to.
• The applicable social distancing requirements.

However, race courses remain closed to the public and only people essential to the running of the race meetings are allowed to attend.