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