Brendan Gaillard: Trainer Vaughan Marshall is not too phased by the merit rating adjustment of Vodacom Durban July favourite Got The Greenlight.
On appeal by his trainer and co-owner Joe Soma, Got The Greenlight had his mark lowered four points (effectively 2kg) to 124, having been assigned a rating of 128 after winning the Grade 1 4Racing Premier’s Champions Challenge at Turffontein.
Speaking from his Summerveld-base, the raiding Western Cape trainer said: “Only time will tell – we’ll see what happens on the (July) day,” he said, as he watched over his string that included Grade 1 Daily News 2000 contenders Rascallion and stable star Linebacker, winner of the Grade 1 Cape Derby and, more recently, the Grade 2 KZN Guineas.
“They’re both well and on track for next Saturday,” he added, referring to the Daily News meeting at Greyville that hit the headlines recently after the Hong Kong Jockey Club classified it as a World Pool event – commingling TAB’s Win, Place, Swinger and Quinella pools into the HKJC tote, which boasts the biggest pools in the world!
Marshall has also entered Scented Mistress in the Grade 1 Woolavington 2000. “She was very unlucky last time. Listen, if the big two (War Of Athena and Captain’s Ransom) don’t show up, Princess Calla will be hard to beat but we’ll take our chances.”
Black Knap, second to Crown Towers in his first start after gelding, is entered in the Grade 3 Lonsdale Stirrup Cup and is another from the yard who it could pay to follow.