Jack Milner
We are just 10 days aways from the announcement of the final field for this year’s Hollywoodbets Durban July to be run at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Saturday 1 July.
This weekend is the last chance for horses to make their cases as to why they deserve to be in that elite group.
While the Grade 3 Jubilee Stakes over 1800m might not be one of the qualifying races for the R5-million race, victory would help boost the chances of runners that lie on the cusp.
Puerto Manzano, winner of both the Betway Summer Cup and the World Sports Betting Premier’s Champions Challenge has no worries. He is currently second on the log and his place is booked.
However, for a runner like Jimmy Don, his participation is sitting on a knife’s edge. The Erico Verdonese-trained son of Pathfork is lying in 18th spot and a good performance from a horse like Rockpool in the Grade 3 Cup Trial in Durban tomorrow and Pyromaniac and Electric Gold in the Jubilee Stakes, could see him ejected from the top 20.
So there is a lot to play for at Turffontein on Sunday when they race on the Standside track.
Based on the merit ratings, Puerto Manzano is the best weighted runner but just by 0.5kg from Pyromaniac. Jimmy Don is in third place jointly with Rule By Force, who was another Durban July contender.
However, Joe Soma’s runner has been scratched from the Jubilee Stakes, reported to be lame off fore, and that has sunk any chance he had of getting into the Durban July.
There is no question classy Puerto Manzano is the runner to beat but he is prepping for the “big one” and might just be in need of the run.
Jimmy Don has the credentials to win this race. In his penultimate start he finished a one-length second behind Anfields Rocket in the Grade 1 WSB SA Classic over this course and distance. He finished well on that occasion and had Billy Bowlegs 0.75 lengths behind him at level weights.
Billy Bowlegs finished fourth in the Champions Challenge, just 1.10 lengths behind Puerto Manzano, getting 3.5kg from him.
In this race, Jimmy Don is getting 4kg from Puerto Manzano so on a line through Alec Laird’s charge, there is very little to choose between the pair on Sunday.
Gavin Lerena will be back on board.
But it would not be wise to write off Pyromaniac who ran a decent race after a rest to finish a one-length second behind Diesel And Dust in a Progress Plate over this course and distance. Calvin Habib takes the ride.
Electric Gold had a decent run in the Greyville 1900 and is another who cannot be written off.
On the subject of Gavin Lerena, will he be able to achieve a feat of Sunday that the likes of Richard Fourie and Keagan de Melo have been unable to achieve – get Feather Boa first past the post.
The Stuart Pettigrew-trained three-year-old finished third in the Ipi Tombe Stakes, was runner-up in the Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas, the Grade 1 SA Fillies Classic and the Grade 1 HSH Princess Charlene Empress Club Stakes.
This daughter of Flower Alley deserves better and hopefully she can do it in Race 4, a Pinnacle Stakes over 1600m.
Unfortunately, it is an incredibly strong field and is worthy of feature-race status. In the line-up are SA Fillies Classic winner Bless My Stars, Reny and Tulip Tree so it will not be an easy task, especially as Feather Boa carries top weight of 60kg and will have to give at least 4kg to the opposition.
Jack Milner’s selections
Race 1: 6 MK's Dreams, 1 Ethanator, 3 Major Player, 7 Sky On Fire
Race 2: 5 Mary's Greenlight, 10 Thing Called Love, 4 Lady Elliot, 7 Rain In Tripoli
Race 3: 3 Joker Man, 4 King Rahul, 7 Neerah, 1 Brosnan
Race 4: 1 Feather Boa, 2 Bless My Stars, 3 Reny, 4 Emirate Gina
Race 5: 4 Platina Princess, 3 Colorado Creek, 7 White Pearl, 5 Queen Of Camelot
Race 6: 2 Max The Magician, 5 French Impact, 3 Pure Predator, 6 Just Var
Race 7: 1 Puerto Manzano, 2 Jimmy Don, 5 Pyromaniac, 7 Electric Gold
Race 8: 1 Idabelle, 9 Spring In Heaven, 4 Aunt Pittypat, 2 Impression
Race 9: 5 Manz Knight, 7 Justcruisinalong, 1 Desert Fox, 3 Williamson
BEST BET
Race 2 No 5 Mary’s Greenlight
VALUE BET
Race 9 No 5 Manz Knight
BEST SWINGER
Race 5 3x4
BIPOT
R81
Leg 1: 5
Leg 2: 3, 4, 7
Leg 3: 1
Leg 4: 3, 4, 7
Leg 5: 2, 3, 5
Leg 6: 1, 2, 5
PLACE ACCUMULATOR
R324
Leg 1: 3, 4, 7
Leg 2: 1
Leg 3: 3, 4, 7
Leg 4: 2, 5
Leg 5: 1, 2
Leg 6: 1, 4, 9
Leg 7: 1, 5, 7
PICK 6
R1296
Leg 1: 1, 2, 5
Leg 2: 3, 4, 7
Leg 3: 2, 3, 5
Leg 4: 1, 2, 5, 7
Leg 5: 1, 4, 9
Leg 6: 1, 3, 5, 7
JACKPOT 1
R108
Leg 1: 3, 4, 7
Leg 2: 2, 3, 5
Leg 3: 1, 2, 5, 7
Leg 4: 1, 4, 9
JACKPOT 2
R144
Leg 1: 2, 3, 5
Leg 2: 1, 2, 5, 7
Leg 3: 1, 4, 9
Leg 4: 1, 3, 5, 7