Sixteen Vodacom Durban July contenders bidding for a berth in the country’s premier event and competing across three graded feature races topped by the R1-million, Grade 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge, is what awaits punters at Greyville in Durban on Saturday.
But last year’s winner of the R4.25-million race, The Conglomerate, as the first reserve is not guaranteed of a run in the Grade 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge unless there is a scratching among the 14 whose places are secured – but he is currently 11th on the official July Log and should still be included in the big race as last year’s winner.
2016 VDJ winner THE CONGLOMERATE
With nine feature events on the 10-race card the meeting is one of the biggest events on the South African racing calendar and the final opportunity for entries for the blue-ribbon event to make the final field for the first Saturday in July.
The Rising Sun Gold Challenge includes eight July entries including the surprise Independent On Saturday Drill Hall Stakes winner Marinaresco that won the Mike And Carol Bass Champions Cup last year and the captain of the Brett Crawford stable team, Captain America, that ran a good race behind Marinaresco in the Drill Hall in his first outing since finishing third in the Sun Met and second in the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate.
Master Sabina, winner of the Summer Cup and French Navy, fourth in the Champions Challenge at Turffontein, are included along with Sean Tarry’s sprinters Trip To Heaven and Bulleting Home, the latter having won the King’s Cup at Greyville.
Star filly Bela-Bela will also take her place in the field in a bid to secure her July spot along with Saratoga Dancer that are ninth and 14th on the July Log respectively.
The Grade 3 Cup Trial over 1 800m includes six July hopefuls including Black Arthur that was the boom three-year-old last season and last year’s Cape Winter Derby and recent Sledgehammer winner Elusive Silva. Master Switch and Trophy Wife, the latter having finished third in the recent Gerald Rosenberg, will add spice to the 1 600m weight-for-age event.
In the Grade 2 Tibouchina Stakes, Nightingale and Silver Mountain, both from the Candice Bass-Robinson yard, are the two July candidates hoping to make a strong enough impression to gain an invite into the big race but have a strong field of fillies to contend with.
By Richard McMillan
