Christophe Soumillon is set to be a part of this year's Durban July. Picture: Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images
Racing fans’ secret hopes for Charles Dickens to be supplemented into the Hollywoodbets Durban July, following his victory in Saturday’s Gold Challenge, have been dashed.
Yet there were pleasant surprises at the weight-allotment stage – with Charles Dickens’s excellent stablemate Trip Of Fortune opting in at the last gasp and ace Belgian jockey Christophe Soumillon being booked for the big day on 1 July.
Soumillon was declared by trainer Mike de Kock for his four-year-old Safe Passage, who was third in last year’s race and appears to be coming back to best form after a long rest.
Cape-based Trip Of Fortune took to the country’s highways in April, impressively landing the Grade 1 Horse Chestnut in Joburg before heading to Durban and giving a repeat performance in the Drill Hall Stakes.
Trainer Candice Bass-Robinson has been unsure of the stamina capabilities of both her stars, but clearly thinks the year-older Trip Of Fortune might be ready for the 2200m challenge of the July. The gelding by speed sire Trippi hasn’t been seriously tried beyond 1600m, but the manner of his triumph at the testing Turffontein circuit in the Chestnut suggests an abundance of heart and muscle.
There might have been similar thoughts after Charles Dickens displayed oodles of late speed in the 1600m Gold Challenge at Greyville, but the connections are understandably protective of a golden ticket and must reckon the July too much of a roughhouse for the youngster.
Whether Charles Dickens will tackle the 1800m Champions Cup at Greyville at the end of July remains to be seen, with Bass-Robinson saying that the Gold Challenge was his primary target.
Charles Dickens has now won eight of 10 starts with two seconds and will be much in demand at stud – even if he retired from the track now. However, someone should have a word with owner-breeder Gaynor Rupert and remind her that South Africa’s still-fragile racing needs action heroes to bolster its recovery.
Fans would love to see Charles Dickens racing again next season – possibly in the Met and the July.
To be frank, Rupert doesn’t need the money from covering fees and would be doing the game a favour by letting her marvel of a horse wow the fans. Interestingly, regular jockey Aldo Domeyer noted in his post-race comments that Gaynor’s husband Johann – he of the EFF’s wrath, despite being the biggest philanthropist in the country – has started to take an interest in the gee-gees as a result of Charles Dickens’s exploits.
Charles Dickens didn’t get any rating correction after the Gold Challenge, being declared the line horse by the handicappers and staying at 132. Runner-up Al Muthana was dropped two points to 130 – to the same level as Golden Horse Sprint hero Gimme A Prince and making them the joint second-best horses in the country after the chestnut champ.
The arrival of Trip Of Fortune in the Durban July picture – and good performances by a few other hopefuls at the weekend, notably sometime no-hoper Winchester Mansion – threw the selection panel curve balls.
Zapatillas, a fast-finishing third in the Challenge, was hiked four points to 126 and was therefore in line to be the July topweight. But Trip Of Fortune – fourth in the same race and on 127 – got lumped with the 60kg at the top of the pile.
Brett Crawford-trained Zapatillas, returning from a 105-day holiday, piqued some betting interest after his showing. He will carry 59.5kg.
Among entries to fall by the wayside in this week’s declarations was one-time July ante-post favourite Cousin Casey, who finished last in the Challenge and has clearly lost his way after a promising career start. Others were Rockpool, Quasiforsure and Rule By Force, who had a few supporters early on.
The ruling July favourite, Michael Roberts-trained See It Again, was allocated 56.5kg – a kilo or two more than his fellow three-year-olds thanks to his two Grade 1 victories.
Final declarations for the Durban July close at 11am on Monday 19 June and the final field and draws will be unveiled at a televised event the following day.
Download our app and read this and other great stories on the move. Available for Android and iOS.
