54 entries for the 2021 Durban July

 

Securing a berth in the 18-horse field for this year’s Grade 1 R2-million Vodacom Durban July will be a scrap up until final acceptances on Monday 21 June, with 54 names on the list at the first entries stage this week.

All the country’s big guns have been entered for South Africa’s most famous horse race and it will be a game of chess for trainers as they try to make sure of a July gate and at the same time protect their merit ratings.

The July will be run at Hollywoodbets Greyville over 2200m on Saturday 3 July.

Rainbow Bridge, a touch disappointing last year when sixth but the recent winner of the Cape Town Met, will almost certainly top the handicap and will be back for another tilt, all being well.

Trainer 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 to 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 Grade 1 HSH Charlene Empress Club winner and last year’s Equus Horse of the

Year Summer Pudding; facile Wilgerbosdrift Triple Tiara heroine War Of Athena; Captain’s Ransom, winner of both the Grade 1 Cape Fillies Guineas and the Grade 1 Majorca Stakes, and Running Brave, second to Summer Pudding in the Empress Club and the Grade 1 Gauteng Summer Cup. Other notable female entries are last Sunday’s WSB Scarlet Lady winner She’s A Keeper and the highly rated Princess Calla.

Master trainer Mike de Kock has indicated that Triple Crown winner Malmoos may not take his place in the July, 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 Grade 1 Emperors Palace Charity Mile back in November 2019.

Snaith’s highest-rated three-year-old, Jet Dark, winner of the Grade 1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate beating Rainbow Bridge, has been entered along with three-year-old stable companions Hoedspruit, The Gatekeeper and Sachdev.

Unbeaten Grade 2 Politician Stakes winner Kommetdieding, trained by father and daughter combination of Harold Crawford and Michelle Rix, is already based at Summerveld in KwaZulu-Natal and could have his first outing in the province the Grade 2 WSB Guineas on Saturday 2 May.

Vaughan Marshall has entered Cape Derby winner Linebacker and Derby runner-up Rascallion, while fellow Capetonian Dean Kannemeyer has entered Cape Guineas champ Russian Rock.

National champion trainer Sean Tarry has entered eight runners and Johan Janse van Vuuren’s three entries include the progressive

Argentine import Puerto Manzano.

In all, this year’s Vodacom Durban July field could stack up into one of the strongest in many a year. – Gold Circle

First entries for the Grade 1, R2-million, 2200m VODACOM DURBAN JULY (horse, trainer, merit rating): 

AFRICAN NIGHT SKY   Justin Snaith    107

ATYAAB        Zietsman Oosthuizen   115

AZORES             Dean Kannemeyer   107

BABY SHOOZ         Peter Muscutt     96

BARAHIN            Mike de Kock     119

BELGARION          Justin Snaith    130

BLACKBALL          Gavin van Zyl    110

CAPTAIN’S RANSOM   Justin Snaith    126

CIRILLO            Sean Tarry       120

CROWN TOWERS    Justin Snaith    115

DIVINE ODYSSEY     JA Janse van Vuuren   110

DO IT AGAIN        Justin Snaith    129

DOUBLEMINT         Justin Snaith    118

DR DOOLITTLE       Paul Peter       105

EXPRESSFROMTHEUS   Stuart Pettigrew   118

FLYING CARPET      Sean Tarry       108

FULL BLAST         Michael Miller    86

GOLDEN DUCAT       Eric Sands       128

GOT THE GREENLIGHT Joe Soma         124

HOEDSPRUIT         Justin Snaith    108

JET DARK           Justin Snaith    130

KOMMETDIEDING      HWJ Crawford/M Rix   117

LEGITIMATE         Dean Kannemeyer   101

LINEBACKER         Vaughan Marshal   115

MALMOOS            Mike de Kock     125

MARCHINGONTOGETHER Gavin van Zyl    106

MATTERHORN         Alyson Wright    100

NETTA              Paul Peter       102

PACK LEADER        Alec Laird       109

PRINCESS CALLA     Adam Marcus      118

PROMISEOFAMASTER   Candice Dawson   101

PUERTO MANZANO   JA Janse van Vuuren   110

RAINBOW BRIDGE     Eric Sands       134

RASCALLION         Vaughan Marshal   111

RUNNING BRAVE      Fanie Bronkhorst   119

RUSSIAN ROCK       Dean Kannemeyer   114

SACHDEV            Justin Snaith    108

SECOND BASE        JA Janse van Vuuren   116

SEEHAAM            Sean Tarry       107

SHAH AKBAR         Sean Tarry       108

SHANGO             Sean Tarry       116

SHE’S A KEEPER     Gareth van Zyl     90

SILVER HOST        Justin Snaith    110

SOVEREIGN SPIRIT   Candice Bass-Robinson   124

SUMMER PUDDING     Paul Peter       129

SUPER SILVANO      Brett Crawford   104

THE GATEKEEPER     Justin Snaith    110

TIERRA DEL FUEGO   Sean Tarry       116

TREE TUMBO         Sean Tarry       109

TRIP TO AFRICA     Duncan Howells   101

TRISTFUL           Tony Rivalland   113

WAR OF ATHENA      Paul Matchett    122

YOUCANTHURRYLOVE   Fabian Habib     112

ZILLZAAL           Sean Tarry       116

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Published by
By Thembinkosi Sekgaphane
Read more on these topics: Durban JulyHorse NewsMike de Kock