In an intriguing repeat of last year, a Justin Snaith-trained horse, Future Swing, won this year’s WSB 1900 (picture above Candiese Lenferna Photography) and goes straight from there into the Hollywoodbets Durban July, while the Brett Crawford-trained runner up Oriental Charm went on to win the Gr 3 Hollywoodbets Dolphins Cup Trial, just like the Crawford-trained WSB 1900 runner up Winchester Mansion did last year. Of course Winchester Mansion went on to win the July too, while WSB 1900 winner Pacaya ran unplaced. This year Future Swing and Oriental Charm are locked together as joint third favourites in the July and although this does not make sense on paper (due to a big weight swing in favour of Oriental Charm), Future Swing has the advantage of Richard Fourie aboard. This good looking Futura gelding is ultra progressive too and is overall a more reliable sort than the somewhat enigmatic Pacaya.
The scratching today of Main Defender left the 131-rated See It Again as the lone topweight in the Hollywoodbets Durban July as things stand. Royal Aussie has also been scratched, which has left two places up for grabs in the top 20 on the final log as they were both incumbents in the top 20.
Two horses are currently in the handicap with the minimum weight for their age and gender: they are Oriental Charm, whose 121 merit rating means he scrapes into the handicap with the minimum weight for a three-year-old of 53kg.
Son Of Raj is merit rated 119 and this sees him scraping into the handicap with the minimum weight for a four-year-old male of 54kg.
The others who are officially in the handicap as things stand are:
See It Again (who is rated 131 and will carry 60kg)
Dave The King (rated 127, 58kg)
Royal Victory (125, 57kg)
Double Superlative (124, 56,5kg)
Winchester Mansion (124, 56,5kg)
Green With Envy (127, 56kg)
Cousin Casey (123, 56kg)
Flag Man (126, 55,5kg)
Without Question (120, 54,5kg)
Son Of Raj (119, 54kg)
Barbaresco (122, 53,5kg)
Oriental Charm (121, 53kg)
The other 17 will all carry the minimum weight for their age and gender i.e 54kg for males of four years and older, 53 kg for three-year-old males as well as females of four years and older, and 52kg for three-year-old females, and they will all be under sufferance to varying degrees.
Displayed below are their weights as things stand and how much they are under sufferance:
Purple Pitcher (rated 120, carries 53kg, 0,5kg under sufferance)
Francis Ethel (118, 52kg, 0,5kg under sufferance)
Aragosta (118, 54kg, 0,5kg under sufferance)
Silver Sanctuary (116, 52kg, 1,5kg under sufferance)
Future Pearl (116, 54kg, 1,5kg under sufferance)
Master Redoute (115, 54kg, 2kg under sufferance)
Hluhluwe (116, 53kg, 2,5kg under sufferance)
Hotarubi (116, 53kg, 2,5kg under sufferance)
Meridius (113, 54kg, 3kg under sufferance)
Shoemaker (111, 54kg, 4kg under sufferance)
Future Swing (110, 54kg, 4,5kg under sufferance)
Mucho Dinero (110, 54kg, 4,5kg under sufferance)
Cape Eagle (105, 54kg, 7kg under sufferance)
Imilenzeyokududuma (105, 54kg, 7kg under sufferance)
Narina Trogon (100, 54kg, 9,5kg under sufferance)
Indian Ocean (95, 53kg, 11kg under sufferance)
Pomodoro’s Jet (93, 54kg, 13kg under sufferance).
The betting is shown below and has one or two anomalies.
For example, Future Swing is not only 4,5kg under sufferance, but he will be 3kg worse off with Oriental Charm for a mere 0,30 length beating and the latter will have had two months of weight for age growth since they met. However, Future Swing is ultra progressive and this impressive looking individual will also be ridden by Richard Fourie.
Hollywoodbets Durban July odds with the sponsor:
The final log published on Tuesday in order is: 1) See It Again 2) Royal Victory 3) Winchester Mansion 4) Double Superlative 5) Green With Envy 6) Flag Man 7) Dave The King 8) Cousin Casey 9) Oriental Charm 10) Main Defender (scratched) 11) Purple Pitcher 12) Royal Aussie (scratched) 13) Barbaresco 14) Future Swing 15) Master Redoute 16) Without Question 17) Silver Sanctuary 18) Francis Ethel 19) Shoemaker 20) Son Of Raj.
The five listed on the outside looking in, in alphabetical order, are: Aragosta, Hluhluwe, Hotarubi, Meridius and Mucho Dinero.
Two top 20 incumbents, Main Defender and Royal Aussie, have been scratched, leaving two places in the top 20 up for grabs.
Meridius could be the favourite of the outside-looking-in quintet to come in to the top 20, considering he won a traditional Hollywoodbets Durban July pointer on Saturday, the Gr 3 Jubilee Stakes over 1800m at Turffontein Standside, although he failed in the Gr 1 Premier’s Champions Challenge over 2000m (beaten 19,25 lengths).
Hluhluwe won the Gr 2 Cape Punters Cup over 1600m, so will also come in for consideration, although he has failed to shine when stepped up to 2000m in both the Gr 1 Splashout Cape Derby and Gr 1 Daily News 2000, despite it being believed he was looking for that step up in trip.
Hotarubi was narrowly behind Hluhluwe in the Daily News, when suffering a nightmare wide trip, but he had earlier finished a three length fifth and a 2,5 length fourth in the Gr 1 SA Classic over 1800m and Gr 1 SA Derby over 2450m respectively and followed that with a narrow second in the Gr 2 Colorado King Stakes over 2000m. He was also third in a Gr 3 over 1400m and second in the Gr 2 Gauteng Guineas.
Aragosta won a Listed race over 2500m at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth and was recently a 3,75 length third in the Gr 1 wfa Premier’s Champions Challenge. He was beaten 2,40 lengths by Future Swing over 2500m when giving the latter 10kg, but he was beaten 3,30 lengths on weight for age terms by Hotarubi in the Colorado King and finished last in the Lonsdale Stirrup Cup over 2400m last time out and he was earlier also well beaten by Shoemaker in a Pinnacle over 1800m.
Mucho Dinero was one of the most fancied horses in the early July betting after four wins on the trot in Cape Town, including a Listed event over 2400m and a Gr 2 over 1800m. However, he has run unplaced in all three of his subsequent KZN starts, and this saw him dropping out of the top 20 on the log.
Without Question, Aragosta, Future Pearl and Cape Eagle are running in Saturday’s Gr 3 Track And Ball Derby.
Without Question is in 14th position on the log and looks reasonably safe. He should be a big runner in Saturday’s 2400m event at Hollywoodbets Greyville anyway.
Aragosta, Future Pearl and Cape Eagle will be going all out to win in an attempt to force their way into the Hollywoodbets Durban July field.
