BELGARION WINS LAST YEAR'S JULY
Securing a berth in the 18-horse field for this year’s Gr1 R2 million Vodacom Durban July will be a scrap to final acceptances on Monday, 21 June with 54 names on the list at first entries on Wednesday.
All of the country’s big guns have been entered and it will be a game of chess for trainers trying to make sure of a July gate and at the same time protecting their merit ratings.
The country’s biggest race will be run at Hollywoodbets Greyville over 2200m on Saturday, 3 July.
Rainbow Bridge, a touch disappointing last year when sixth but recent winner of the Cape Town Met, will almost certainly top the handicap and he will be back for another tilt, all being well.
Eric Sands has also nominated stable companion and half-brother Golden Ducat, fourth in last year’s race.
Last year’s runner-up Got The Greenlight will be out go one better for Joey Soma and extract revenge on the winner Belgarion, also among the nominations and one of 11 entries from the Justin Snaith yard.
The four highest rated fillies are also entered, namely recent Gr1 HSH Charlene Empress Club winner and last year’s Equus Horse of the Year, Summer Pudding, facile Wilgerbosdrift Triple Tiara heroin, War Of Athena, Captain’s Ransom, winner of both the Gr1 Cape Fillies Guineas and the Gr1 Majorca Stakes and Running Brave, second to Summer Pudding in the Empress Club and the Gr1 Gauteng Summer Cup. Other notable entries are last Sunday’s WSB Scarlet Lady winner She’s A Keeper and the highly rated Princess Calla.
Mike de Kock has indicated that Triple Crown winner Malmoos may not take his place in the VDJ but the colt is among the entries along with the cream of the country’s sophomore males. De Kock has also entered Barahin, who is on the comeback trail after being winless since his triumph in the Gr1 Emperors Palace Charity Mile back in November 2019.
Snaith’s highest rated three-year-old, Jet Dark, winner of the Gr1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate beating Rainbow Bridge, has been entered along with 3yo stable companions Hoedspruit, The Gatekeeper and Sachdev.
Unbeaten Gr 2 Politician Stakes winner Kommetdieding, trained by father and daughter combination of Harold Crawford and Michelle Rix, is already based at Summerveld and could have his first KZN outing in the Gr2 WSB Guineas on Saturday, May 2.
Vaughan Marshall has entered Gr1 Jonsson Workwear Cape Derby winner Linebacker and Derby runner-up Rascallion while Dean Kannemeyer has entered Gr1 Cape Guineas winner Russian Rock.
Sean Tarry has entered eight runners and Johan Janse van Vuuren’s three entries include the progressive Argentine import Puerto Manzano.
In all, this years Vodacom Durban July field could stack up into one of the strongest in many a year.
First entries for the R 2,000,000 2200m (Turf)
VODACOM DURBAN JULY (Grade 1)
0 AFRICAN NIGHT SKY Justin Snaith 107
0 ATYAAB (AUS) Zietsman Oosthu 115
0 AZORES Dean Kannemeyer 107
0 BABY SHOOZ Peter Muscutt 96
0 BARAHIN Mike de Kock 119
0 BELGARION Justin Snaith 130
0 BLACKBALL Gavin van Zyl 110
0 CAPTAIN’S RANSOM Justin Snaith 126
0 CIRILLO Sean Tarry 120
0 CROWN TOWERS (AUS) Justin Snaith 115
0 DIVINE ODYSSEY J A Janse van V 110
0 DO IT AGAIN Justin Snaith 129
0 DOUBLEMINT Justin Snaith 118
0 DR DOOLITTLE Paul Peter 105
0 EXPRESSFROMTHEUS Stuart Pettigre 118
0 FLYING CARPET Sean Tarry 108
0 FULL BLAST Michael Miller 86
0 GOLDEN DUCAT Eric Sands 128
0 GOT THE GREENLIGHT Joe Soma 124
0 HOEDSPRUIT Justin Snaith 108
0 JET DARK Justin Snaith 130
0 KOMMETDIEDING HWJ Crawford/M 117
0 LEGITIMATE Dean Kannemeyer 101
0 LINEBACKER Vaughan Marshal 115
0 MALMOOS Mike de Kock 125
0 MARCHINGONTOGETHER Gavin van Zyl 106
0 MATTERHORN Alyson Wright 100
0 NETTA Paul Peter 102
0 PACK LEADER Alec Laird 109
0 PRINCESS CALLA Adam Marcus 118
0 PROMISEOFAMASTER Candice Dawson 101
0 PUERTO MANZANO (AR J A Janse van V 110
0 RAINBOW BRIDGE Eric Sands 134
0 RASCALLION Vaughan Marshal 111
0 RUNNING BRAVE Fanie Bronkhors 119
0 RUSSIAN ROCK Dean Kannemeyer 114
0 SACHDEV Justin Snaith 108
0 SECOND BASE J A Janse van V 116
0 SEEHAAM Sean Tarry 107
0 SHAH AKBAR Sean Tarry 108
0 SHANGO Sean Tarry 116
0 SHE’S A KEEPER Gareth van Zyl 90
0 SILVER HOST Justin Snaith 110
0 SOVEREIGN SPIRIT Candice Bass-Ro 124
0 SUMMER PUDDING Paul Peter 129
0 SUPER SILVANO Brett Crawford 104
0 THE GATEKEEPER Justin Snaith 110
0 TIERRA DEL FUEGO Sean Tarry 116
0 TREE TUMBO Sean Tarry 109
0 TRIP TO AFRICA Duncan Howells 101
0 TRISTFUL Tony Rivalland 113
0 WAR OF ATHENA Paul Matchett 122
0 YOUCANTHURRYLOVE Fabian Habib 112
0 ZILLZAAL Sean Tarry 116
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