Brett Crawford has a small but strong team for Vodacom Durban July day and some of them put in eyecatching workouts at Summerveld yesterday, particularly the classy Gr 2 KRA Fillies Guineas-winning Dynasty filly Alexis, who will run in the Gr 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes over 1600m on turf.

Crawford’s assistant Barry Donnelly is back at Summerveld looking after the string and said about Alexis, “She is small but very well made. I have always called her our little Beach Beauty and people used to laugh at me but now she has come out and won the Guineas.”

Alexis has plenty of speed but proved she stayed the mile in the KRA Fillies Guineas, in which she once again displayed her superb turn of foot. Yesterday one of Crawford’s best workrider’s Subusiso Paca put her through her paces on the Summerveld beach sand. She showed plenty of zest and strode out nicely and Paca returned to the ring excited, exclaiming that after 400m she had wanted to change up a gear.

Donnelly believes the yard have her even better now than she was before the KRA Fillies Guineas, so will ease off her next week in the lead up to the race. She faces a particularly strong field but will be one of the main protagonists, despite a tricky draw of nine as opposed to her draw of five in the KRA Fillies Guineas.

Stable jockey Corné Orffer has chosen her ahead of last year’s KRA Fillies Guineas winner Maybe Yes, who won a 1400m event at Greyville in her penultimate start by four lengths when leading from start to finish, although she was well weighted there. She then ran another cracker in the Gr 2 Tobouchina over 1400m, finishing a 1,25 length third to the classy mare Hammie’s Hooker.

Donnelly was happy with her workout yesterday on the beach sand, although he said that she is not a very good workhorse on that surface. She has landed a plum draw of two in the Garden Province and Piere Strydom aboard is another bonus.

Sail South worked particularly well yesterday and was looking lean and in mint condition. He settled nicely in yesterday’s bit of work, which was a positive sign as this is sometimes his undoing on the racecourse. He could be a runner in the Listed Canon Business Centre Handicap over 1600m on the turf. He has a wide draw to overcome, but Orffer has chosen to ride him ahead of the former Gr 2 Seangor Cup winner De Kock.

De Kock over-raced in the Gr 2 Betting World 1900 last time out and duly faded right out of it in the straight. However, he has responded very well to the application of a new bit and has settled well in work. He has been working well and from draw nine under Sean Veale over this much more suitable trip he could be a runner.

The yard’s other runner on the day is the three-year-old gelding Valerin, who finished a 1,25 length second to Saratoga dancer over 1400m at Scottsville last time, despite being squeezed in the latter stages. The form of that race has been franked and he now runs over the same trip on the polytrack on July day. He has been doing well, but looks likely to be drawn quite wide.

He is by Lateral out of the Gr 1 Garden Province and Gr 1 Majorca winner Donatella (Fine Edge), so is a well bred sort. He has run some decent races against good sorts in Cape Town, including finishing a 1,25 length second to fancied July runner The Conglomerate over 1300m as a two-year-old. Donnelly foresees no problem with hi handling the poly and he will work on the Summerveld poly this morning (Wednesday).

By David Thiselton

Picture: Alexis (John Lewis)

Horses flying under the radar often do well on Vodacom Durban July day, especially in the two-year-old events,  and one such individual is the Alistair Gordon-trained Argonaut colt Beat The Retreat, who has landed a plum draw of seven in the Gr 1 Golden Horseshoe over 1400m.

Gordon said, “Alec (Forbes) thought he had a big chance in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion, but he pulled up shin sore and that must have affected him.”

Shin soreness is a common condition for young horses and Beat The Retreat did some swimming in Gordon’s pool at Summerveld after that last run and is now “fine”. He put up a good gallop on the Summerveld grass on Monday.

Argonaut has proved to be disappointing as a stallion and some will claim that his progeny tend to be temperamental. However, Beat The Retreat not only has “a magic temperament”, but he also comes from a fantastic family. His dam Spring Lilac by Joshua Dancer won the Gr 3 Fillies Nursery over 1200m at Kenilworth by four lengths and she is a half-sister to the like of Rabiya (Equus champion three-year-old male), Secret Of Victoria (dual Gr 2-winning sprinter and dam of Equus champion two-year-old filly All Is Secret), Touch The Sky (dual Listed winner) and Rafiya (Listed winner).

Argonaut won both the Gr 1 Golden Horseshoe and the Gr 1 Premier’s Champion Stakes and in the latter he went start to finish and won by five lengths, so on pedigree Beat The Retreat should get a mile.

Gordon described him as a “useful horse” and pointed at his formline. Before the Medallion he had finished just 1,5 lengths behind Seventh Plain in the Gr 3 Godolphin Barb Stakes over 1100m at level weights and on that occasion had pulled up well. No horse got within 2,5 lengths of Seventh Plain in the Medallion and Beat The Retreat was 8,9 lengths back, so it was clearly not his run.

Forbes will be back aboard on July day and although up against a strong field Beat The Retreat should not be ignored.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Beat The Retreat (Nkosi Hlophe)

Justin Snaith was breathing a lot easier after top weight Futura drew 6 in the draw for next Saturday’s R3,5million Gr 1 Vodacom Durban July. The 18-horse field with two reserve runners was announced and the draw made at a function at Greyville yesterday.

Snaith was left in suspense as his name was one of the last to be pulled from the hat to make the draw for Futura with only one single figure gate left.

A visibly relieved Snaith comments, “I’m extremely happy with the draw. I couldn’t have asked for better. The horse is working like a train and although 60kg is a worry I’m very happy the way things are going.”

However, his other entry Dynamic was made first reserve. “I’m a bit disappointed that he did not get in. I think he deserved a place ahead of a few that did make the field. But you never know. Things can change.”

Not so lucky was Joey Ramsden who pulled 20 for The Conglomerate who will be ridden by crack Australian apprentice Chad Schofield, son of former top South African jockey Glyn.

Joey Ramsden was understandably disappointed with his 20 draw. “What can I say? I’m disappointed with the draw; yes. Is the horse working well; yes? What will be, will be!

“Chad comes highly recommended. They were impressed with him in the UK and he’s got a contract to ride in Hong Kong so he’s obviously got something. He seems to be a bit of a maverick and I like that in a jockey.”

Mike de Kock, after a string of wide draws in the last couple of years, pulled 1 and 5 for his two fillies Majmu and Pine Princess although he was none to confident.

“Majmu is going to have to run out of her skin to win at the weights and let’s be honest she has a mountain to climb. She only raced to her rating of 114 when she was two! However, she is a very good filly and very honest. Barring her missing her last run she has had a good prep.”

Of Pine Princess he said, “With that draw and at the weights she has to be very good each way value.”

Assistant trainer Deshone Steyn stood in for Sean Tarry he said Legal Eagle was still in Jo’burg. “He is doing very well. I’m not worried about the draw (11) as he comes from off the pace and it must be mentioned that this is his peak run.”

“French Navy is also still in Jo’burg and Sean says he is doing very well and is a big runner based on his Daily News run.” He drew alongside Legal Eagle in 10.

The traditional July gallops take place at Greyville on Thursday morning starting at 7am and will be televised live on Dstv channel 239.

By Andrew Harrison

Picture: Futura (Nkosi Hlophe)

Richard Fourie is giving up his plum job as stable jockey to Justin Snaith to leave for Hong Kong on August 22.

This will be the second Hong Kong stint for Fourie,29, who was much in demand there in the 2012/13 season when he rode 34 winners and only two other jockeys had more rides.

Fourie said yesterday: “They (the Hong Kong Jockey Club) have asked me to go back every season since and if I keep saying no they will eventually stop asking me.

“Anyway I’m only giving up here for a little while. I will be back in a season or two but it will be good experience and a nice opportunity. Things have changed since I was last there. Dougie Whyte is no longer number one and Joao Moreira has beaten all his records.”

Fourie decided not stay on in 2013, partly because his two young daughters found life there a strain but he said: “They are older now and Hong Kong should be a lot easier on the family this time.”

He has done well since his return, notably winning last year’s Vodacom Durban July on Legislate – “I have a special bond with that horse”- and he might well now be one of the contenders for the championship had it not been for that horrific Rising Sun Gold Challenge fall that caused him to miss much of the early part of the season.

By Michael Clower

Picture: Richard Fourie (Nkosi Hlophe)

The Vodacom Durban July Final Field and Draw ceremony took place at Greyville today and most of the fancied runners landed pleasing barrier positions.

The unlucky horse to be left out of the field of 18 was Dynamic, who at 25/1 in the ante-post market was quietly fancied by many, although he is the first reserve. He looked to be one of a few horses contesting three places left open by the scratchings of Legislate, Ertijaal and No Worries.

Helderberg Blue was another of these and although Dynamic has beaten him three times from four meetings, the 3,5kg swing Helderberg Blue will get in his favour for a 0,75 length beating by Dynamic in the Cup Trial last time, together with the fact that Helderberg Blue placed third in one of the country’s premier races, the J&B Met, probably swung it in Helderberg Blue’s favour. Tamaanee had genuine excuses for her below par Gr 1 Woolavington run and will be only 1,5kg under sufferance in the July, compared to Dynamic’s 2,5kg, while both Ice Machine and Hot Ticket have high merit ratings and will be in the handicap. Dynamic is the first reserve and second reserve is KRA Guineas runner up and Daily News 2000 fifth-placed Mac De Lago, who is 3kg under sufferance.

The popular grey filly Majmu drew one of the loudest cheers of the ceremony when her four-times July-winning trainer Mike de Kock drew pole position.

Next up was the part-owner of Punta Arenas, Mike Fullard, and this horse drew badly in a big race for the umpteenth time in 19.

Weiho Marwing’s Wylie Hall will have plenty of sentimental support, due to the controversial objection last year which saw him demoted from first to second, and there was spontaneous applause when he drew two.

The fancied The Conglomerate drew wide out in 20.

By the time the original favourite Futura’s chance arrived there were not many single figure draws left and trainer Justin Snaith must have feared the worst. However, he drew perfectly in six and Snaith returned to the table highly relieved. Earlier, he had been most disappointed at the omission of Dynamic.

The new ruling favourite Legal Eagle’s draw was also keenly anticipated and jockey Anton Marcus was happy with barrier position eleven.

The fancied French Navy landed a nice draw of ten.

The two reserves Dynamic and Mac De Lago drew 17 and four respectively, so horses above them in the draw will come in a position or two, unless there are any scratchings.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Majmu (JC Photo)