Snaith targets Durban July record

Covid-19 has put tomorrow’s Vodacom Durban July race meeting at Greyville Racecourse behind closed doors for the second year running, but for countless television viewers within South Africa’s borders and beyond, Africa’s greatest horse racing event will be nearly as riveting as always.

Greyville itself will resemble a ghost town, compared to the vibrant sea of people and gleaming thoroughbreds of pre-pandemic days, with spectators limited to trainers, jockeys, grooms and officials.

But the combination of vintage horse racing action, big TAB pools and numerous chances to win loads of cash will generate 5½ hours of potent excitement.

The 10 races carded are all feature events and there are six TAB carryover pools, including the Pick 6, which starts with R5 million in the kitty and should soar high above the R10 million mark.

The Quartet pool on the Durban July gets a R2 million carryover boost and players can bank on an inflated payout no matter which runners fill the first four places.

There are full details about how to play the bet on Page 4 of this July special. Those planning to bet on the July at a TAB should note that betting outlets in Gauteng, North West, Limpopo and the
Eastern and Western Cape are closed because of level 4 lockdown restrictions.

The sure way to get a bet on the July is to open an account with TAB. Call 0861-0888-422 or go to tabonline.co.za andtap “Open an Account” on the home page.

This year’s July has all the ingredients of a epic thriller and top Cape trainer Justin Snaith will saddle four runners in a bid to win the country’s glamour race for the sixth time in his career and a record four times running.

They include Belgarion, who scored a decisive victory in the race last year, but stable jockey Richard Fourie has opted to partner long-time stable star Do It Again.

This striking gelding won the July in 2018 and 2019 and finished a gallant third last year, when he had a tough task at the weights. He carries 2.5kg less now and is weighted to reverse the 2020 result with both Belgarion and runner-up Got The Greenlight, the high-class Joburg-based four-year-old currently topping betting boards.

The race also pits this season’s champion three-year-old Linebacker, from Vaughan Marshall’s yard, against the best older horses for the first time. Only the race will show how the three-year- olds measure up against their elders and Linebacker is not much superior to contemporaries Rascallion and Kommetdieding.

Add in long-time star Rainbow Bridge, winner of this year’s Met, and the stage is set for a nailbiter in which Do It Again may prove aptly named!

Info

• Tomorrow’s Greyville race meeting kicks off at 11.15am and will be televised live on Tellytrack on
  DStv channel 249.
• There will be dedicated coverage of the meeting on SuperSport 4 (DStv channel 204 from 1pm to 4pm or go to www.tellytrack.com for a live video stream of the action. The July is due off at 3pm.