The connections of the Grade 3 Hollywoodbets Dolphins Cup Trial winner Airways Law (Legislate) have thrown the cat among the pigeons by supplementing him for the Hollywoodbets Durban July.
The Andre Nel-trained Sabine Plattner homebred four-year-old gelding was said by jockey Gareth Wright and assistant trainer Byron Forster to still be immature and Wright said he believed the horse would be even better next year.
However, he said he felt the big horse was still good enough to be a contestant this year.
The handicappers awarded Airways Law a 108 merit rating after he had come from last to win the Cup Trial over 1800m by 0,25 lengths from the consistent Mount Anderson (Vercingetorix).
He will be 3,5kg under sufferance in the July and merit rated lower than many other borderline horses.
However, he is progressive and the Cup Trial is listed as one of three races where the winner is given preferential consideration for inclusion in the final field (there are ten races where the winner is given automatic inclusion.)
It is not unprecedented for the winner of a race where the winner is given preferential condsideration to be left out of the final field.
This happened to the 2017 Grade 3 Jubilee Hanidcap winner Coral Fever, who was supplemented after winning the latter race (that race is now called the Jubilee Stakes and the winner is no longer given preferential consideration).
Howevever, the final field selectors later had egg on their face in that instance because Coral Fever went on to win the Grade 1 Premier’s Champions Challenge the following year.
Therefore, they would probably be reluctant to make the same mistake and there is a good chance Airways Law will be in the top 18 of the final field.
He certainly looked the part when running on with big strides to win on Saturday.
If he were to win the July, his sire Legislate will join his own sire Dynasty as the winner of a July to sire a July winner.
July winners who have sired July winners are King’s Favourite (1909 winner who produced 1915 winner Winnipeg), Sadri II (1941 winner who produced 1951 winner Gay Jane and 1954 winner C’Est si Bon), Kipling (1940 winner who produced 1952 winner Mowgli), Bush Telegraph (1987 winner who produced 1996 winner London News) and Dynasty (2003 winner who has to date produced 2014 winner Legislate and 2020 winner Belgarion).
If Airways Law were to win he would be the first July winner to have July winners as his sire and grandsire and Dynasty will become the first July winner to sire three July winners.
Al Muthana was also outside of the the top 20 on the log so will also leap frog into the top 18.
The two top 18 incumbents who will now be under pressure for a place are Second Base (position 17) and Marina (position 18). They both finished unplaced over the weekend, Second Base finishing fifth, beaten 4,80 lengths in the Grade 3 WSB Jubilee Stakes, and Marina finishing last over the too sharp 1400m of the Grade 2 East Coast Radio Tibouchina Stakes.
Picture: The WSB Met one-two Kommetdieding And Jet Dark will be joint Hollywoodbets Durban July topweights (Wayne Marks)
