The Michael Azzie trained dual Grade 1 winner, Hat Puntano (ARG), was an interesting supplementary entry this morning for the 2017 Vodacom Durban July bringing to 47 the number of horses still in contention for the big race on 1 July 2017.
The first VDJ Log has been issued by Gold Circle and serves as a clear indication as to who would be in the field if the race was run tomorrow. “We have not considered Hat Puntano at this stage as he has yet to win beyond 1600 metres and has not been seen in action since July 2016,” said Gold Circle Racing Executive Raf Sheik. “Hopefully he will make his South African debut in the near future,” he added.
The top six spots on the VDJ Log are occupied by horses who have won automatic qualifying races this season. Marinaresco and Captain America, at 7 and 8, lead the way amongst the balance but there is a long way to go yet and those on the outside looking in still have plenty of opportunities to qualify.
The VDJ LOG as at 14:00 on Tuesday 9 May 2017:-
| NO. | HORSE | MR | TRAINER |
| 1 | DEO JUVENTE | 115 | Geoff Woodruff |
| 2 | AL SAHEM | 106 | Sean Tarry |
| 3 | HEAVENLY BLUE | 106 | Mike de Kock |
| 4 | MASTER SABINA | 110 | Geoff Woodruff |
| 5 | ORCHID ISLAND | 99 | Mike de Kock |
| 6 | EDICT OF NANTES | 102 | Brett Crawford |
| 7 | MARINARESCO | 115 | Candice Bass-Robinson |
| 8 | CAPTAIN AMERICA | 116 | Brett Crawford |
| 9 | BELA-BELA | 109 | Justin Snaith |
| 10 | FRENCH NAVY | 112 | Sean Tarry |
| 11 | THE CONGLOMERATE | 107 | Joey Ramsden |
| 12 | BRAZUCA | 108 | Johan Janse van Vuuren |
| 13 | KRAMBAMBULI | 107 | Justin Snaith |
| 14 | SARATOGA DANCER | 107 | Duncan Howells |
| 15 | PAGODA | 101 | Geoff Woodruff |
| 16 | ELUSIVE SILVA | 99 | Justin Snaith |
| 17 | NIGHTINGALE | 105 | Candice Bass-Robinson |
| 18 | IT’S MY TURN | 106 | Justin Snaith |
| 19 | ZODIAC RULER | 99 | Justin Snaith |
| 20 | MASTER SWITCH | 101 | Geoff Woodruff |
| The next 5 in alphabetical order: | |||
| GIRL ON THE RUN | 98 | Johan Janse van Vuuren | |
| LIEGE | 102 | Sean Tarry | |
| PRINCE OF WALES | 100 | Justin Snaith | |
| SAFE HARBOUR | 101 | Sean Tarry | |
| SILVER MOUNTAIN | 102 | Candice Bass-Robinson | |
2017 Vodacom Durban July ante-post betting guide [as at May 9 13:30]:
11/2 Marinaresco; 8/1 Al Sahem; 9/1 Elusive Silva; 13/1 Black Arthur; 14/1 Heavenly Blue; 15/1 Horizon, Saratoga Dancer; 18/1 Edict Of Nantes, Zodiac Ruler, Its My Turn, Deo Juvente, Pagoda, Copper Force, Africa Rising; 20/1 Bela-Bela; 25/1 Captain America; 28/1 Secret Captain, Brazuca; 30/1 Prince Of Wales; 33/1 Orchid Island, French Navy; 35/1 Krambambuli, Nightingale; 40/1 Banner Hill, Master Sabina, Master Switch, The Conglomerate; 50/1 Nebula; 66/1 Bi Pot, Liege, Ten Gun Salute; 80/1 Trophy Wife, Witchcraft, Smiling Blue Eyes, Safe Harbour, Silver Mountain; 100/1 Girl On The Run; 150/1 Bold Viking; 200/1 Jubilee Line, Macduff, Tilbury Fort; 250/1 Royal Badge, Copper Pot; 300/1 Rocketball, Fort Meyers, The Elmo Effect;
Odds courtesy of www.trackandball.co.za and subject to changeImportant Vodacom Durban July dates to diarise:
- Second Declaration: Close 11:00 Monday, 29 May 2017
- Final Supplementary Entries: Close 11:00 Monday, 12 June 2017
- Weights Published: Tuesday, 13 June 2017
- Final Declaration: Close 11:00 Monday, 19 June 2017
- Final Field and Draw: Announcement of the Final Field and Barrier Draws will take place on Tuesday, 20 June 2017
- Public Gallops: 7am at Greyville Racecourse, Thursday, 22 June 2017
