Rainbow Lorikeet will be the only female in the Hollywoodbets Durban July and has landed a good draw of seven. (Picture: Wayne Marks).
Candice Bass-Robinson became the first female trainer to win the Durban July when successful with Marinaresco in 2017 and in this year’s Hollywooodbets Durban July she is appropriately the trainer of the only female in the race, the Wilgerbosdtift and Mauritzfotein-bred four-year-old Querari filly Rainbow Lorikeet.
Assistant trainer Terry Fripp did the draw and said afterwards about landing the barrier position of seven, “My morning was pretty smooth until I got to the parade ring and had to go and pull a ticket. I wasn’t nervous about getting into the final field, because if a filly was going to get in she was the one who deserved a spot. Her run in the Woolavington 2000 was top class, she suffered slight interference late and was still not disgraced. I think she has peaked at the right time for the race and I couldn’t be happier with the draw. It was actually an omen. I said to Candice last night seven is my favourite number and out popped number seven!”
Rainbow Lorikeet is out of Silvano mare Nightingale, who won the Gr 1 Majorca Stakes for Bass-Robinson in 2017 before finishing a 0,75 length fourth to Marinaresco in the July.
Silvano is the most successful sire in July history, with Marinaresco being one of his five winners.
Apart from his 2015 July trifecta, he also got the exacta in 2017, first and third in 2013 and first and third in 2022, while his son Vercingetorix sired the 2024 winner.
It augurs well for Rainbow Lorikeet that she is out of a July-performing Silvano mare.
She is currently a 50/1 shot with the sponsor and will be ridden by Diego De Gouveia, who had his first ride in the big race last year on the Mike de Kock-trained Shoemaker, who had to be eased out of the race, so he will be hoping for better fortune this year.
