How Belgarion was ‘Enabled’ to deny Do It Again

It was the fastest start to a Durban July in living memory. As the starting gates clanged open, the pace horses were on the job, hitting warp speed and grabbing positions up front on the inside rail. The first 400m of the historic 2020 “behind-closed-doors” renewal – up the Greyville back straight to the Drill Hall – was over in a flash and the stage was set for what racing experts call a true-run race.

The July is very often a rough-house, with scrimmaging and strong-arm tactics from the jockeys – all desperate to win South Africa’s premier horse race. The pace can be erratic and confusing as riders strive to carry out individual game plans. Every year, one hears hard-luck stories of good horses being baulked or cut into.

Not this time. The Vodacom Durban July 2020 on Saturday was fast and furious but remarkably tidy – and “the right horse won”, according to wise old men of the game.

That right horse was Belgarion, the 9-2 second favourite who had been meticulously primed for the moment by trainer Justin Snaith. Not only did Snaith plot Belgarion’s route into the July with a very handy galloping weight, but he had a speedster in the race that ensured the cracking pace to suit his gelding and his other big gun, Do It Again, from their wide draws.

Racing filmmaker extraordinaire Andrew Bon has posted a brilliant, jockey’s-eye-view video on YouTube, captured by a Go-Pro on the helmet of Gareth Wright as he steered no-hoper Camphoratus around the Greyville 2200m.

Robbie Hill-trained Camphoratus gets rolling from the No 16 gate, with Belgarion and Do It Again on his outside and Silvano’s Pride on his inside. All three of those rivals are trained by Snaith.

Silvano’s Pride soon disappears from the viewfinder – rounding all the better-drawn runners and streaking into a lead of eight lengths. The video doesn’t immediately pick up Belgarion and Do It Again as they slip into place behind Camphoratus, biding their time as stablemate Silvano’s Pride stretches out the field.

With 1000m to run, the commentator informs us that Belgarion is 20 lengths off the pace. Slipping up the inside we spot ace jockey Anton Marcus and Do It Again, easing into a striking position. He is closely followed by Muzi Yeni and Got The Greenlight, cleverly tracking the master rider.

As they start turning for home, the red and gold silks of Belgarion flash past, seemingly going at twice the speed of everyone else. These three protagonists vanish in the maelstrom up ahead, grabbing the first three places: Belgarion, Got The Greenlight and Do It Again.

The Bon-Wright video is a thrilling watch, giving a view of the Durban July that generations of racing fans in days of yore could only play in their imaginations. Notably, it illustrates how the Snaith strategy was brilliantly executed – overcoming wide draws and avoiding the usual rough and tumble.

Two-time champ Do It Again narrowly failed to perform the first July hat-trick, but his close-up third under a superb ride from Marcus was a magnificent achievement.

On the same day, another horse did clinch a historic triple: the mare Enable landed her third King George V and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot in the UK.

Only two other horses were brave enough to take on Europe’s “queen”: Sovereign and Japan, both high-class males. They were made to look ordinary as Frankie Dettori shook Enable’s reins and she scooted away to win by a street.

It’s interesting to note that the King George is a weight-for-age affair, whereas the July is a handicap, which is unusual for a Grade 1 race in most countries. If WFA conditions had pertained in Durban, Belgarion would not have had a 6.5kg advantage over Do It Again and the latter might have been “Enabled” to triple-up and make history.

If. Maybe. Perhaps. Such words don’t appear in official results records.

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