Final field for Hollywoodbets Durban July

Jack Milner

Supporters of Green With Envy, current favourite for the Hollywoodbets Durban July, will be delighted he will jump from gate No 5.

The final field for the Grade 1 race over 2200m at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Saturday 6 July was unveiled on Tuesday followed the draw for barrier positions.

There has been lots of debate around the weight of 56kg allocated to the Dean Kannemeyer-trained runner but both he and jockey Craig Zackey expressed their satisfaction with the draw.

Asked where he was hoping to be drawn Kannemeyer replied, somewhere between six and 11 but “No 5 is also good”.

Zackey was equally delighted, commenting that five was his lucky number. “Very happy, anywhere between five and 10 I would have been chuffed.

“Five helps, and it’s my favourite number so I’m chuffed about that,” said Zackey after winning Race 2 at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth yesterday, ironically aboard horse No 5.

One has to go back to Dennis Drier and Spanish Galliard in 1992 to find the last KZN-trained winner and hopes for a change of luck this year are resting with Michael Roberts, Nathan Kotzen and Gareth van Zyl.

All three have decent runners with last year’s runner-up, See It Again with Piere Strydom up topping the list. The Roberts-trained four-year-old drew at No 10 which is not too much of a concern in this race.

Kotzen will saddle Betway Summer Cup champion Royal Victory who landed pole position when the draws were made and he will once again be ridden by Muzi Yeni.

Van Zyl has improving three-year-old Flag Man who nearly upset Green With Envy in the Grade 1 Daily News 2000. Unfortunately, he was not so lucky with his gate as he landed No 17. Serino Moodley will be aboard once again.

The gallops will take place tomorrow morning at Greyville, starting at 6.30am.

Current betting

7-2 GREEN WITH ENVY

4-1 SEE IT AGAIN

5-1 FUTURE SWING

7-1 ORIENTAL CHARM

14-1 ROYAL VICTORY, FLAG MAN

16-1 WINCHESTER MANSION, FUTURE PEARL

20-1 PURPLE PITCHER, COUSIN CASEY

25-1 BARBARESCO, WITHOUT QUESTION, SON OF RAJ, DOUBLE SUPERLATIVE

40-1 ARAGOSTA

50-1 SHOEMAKER, MASTER REDOUTE

66-1 MERIDIUS

Final field for the R5-million Hollywoodbets Durban July (Grade 1) over 2200m.

1 - ROYAL VICTORY (N Kotzen) M Yeni 57.0

2 - BARBARESCO (J J van Vuuren) G Lerena 53.5

3 - WITHOUT QUESTION (J S Snaith) R A Venniker 54.5

4 - FUTURE SWING (J S Snaith) R Fourie 54.0

5 - GREEN WITH ENVY (D Kannemeyer) C Zackey 56.0

6 - SHOEMAKER (M F De Kock) D De Gouveia 54.0

7 - ARAGOSTA (M F De Kock) M V'Rensburg 54.0

8 - PURPLE PITCHER (R Klaasen) P Mxoli 53.0

9 - WINCHESTER MANSION (B Crawford) K Matsunyane 56.5

10 - SEE IT AGAIN (M L Roberts) P Strydom 60.0

11 - ORIENTAL CHARM (B Crawford) J P v'd Merwe 53.0

12 - SON OF RAJ (A P Peter) C Habib 54.0

13 - MERIDIUS (A P Peter) A Mgudlwa 54.0

14 - MASTER REDOUTE (W A Nel) C Orffer 54.0

15 - COUSIN CASEY (S G Tarry) S Khumalo 56.0

16 - DOUBLE SUPERLATIVE (J S Snaith) D Muscutt 56.5

17 - FLAG MAN (G van Zyl (Jnr)) S Moodley 55.5

18 - FUTURE PEARL (S G Tarry) Grant van Niekerk 54.0

Reserve Runners

19 - HLUHLUWE (J S Snaith) G van Niekerk 53.0

20 - HOTARUBI (S G Tarry) G Wright 53.0