Cousin Casey remains the firm favourite for the Hollywoodbets Durban July despite the absence of Al Muthana among the entries, which is going to make the Glen Kotzen-trained three-year-old colt’s task tougher. (Picture: Candiese Lenferna).
60-Strong Hollywoodbets Durban July Entry
The Hollywoodbets Durban July has attracted a 60-strong entry and there is plenty of intrigue.
Bookmakers have not reacted to the significant absence among the entries of Al Muthana.
They should have because his absence dampens the chances of the ante-post favourite, the Glen Kotzen-trained Cousin Casey, whose price has remained firm.
Al Muthana not being in the field means Cousin Casey will now have to give weight to his fellow three-year-olds, which he would not have had to do if Al Muthana was going to be a runner.
Cousin Casey is to date following in the footsteps of the SA Champions Season campaign of Kotzen’s only July winner Big City Life, who, like him, finished second in the Byerley Turk in his pipe opener.
The highest rated three-year-old in the country See It Again will, as things stand, carry the same weight as Cousin Casey, 57kg, whereas he would have had to give Cousin Casey half-a-kilogram had Al Muthana been in. See It Again’s trainer Michael Roberts will be out to join a select band who have won the July as both a jockey and a trainer and he has a fine chance of doing so. The Grade 1 Splashout Cape Derby winner is a three-parts brother to Do It Again and could provide Piere Strydom with a fairytale swansong to his glittering career by winning him a record-equaling fifth July.
The winners of the undermentioned Grade 1 races in the current season will qualify automatically, save that, where appropriate, Gold Circle reserves the right to request a public gallop to determine the well-being / fitness in the event that any of these winners have not raced within three months of the date of final declaration.
Public gallops (compulsory) will be held on Thursday, 22 June.
The Mike de Kock-trained Bold Silvano wins the July in the memorable season of the Football World Cup, 2010, under Anthony Delpech (Picture: Gold Circle).
Can 2010 July History Repeat Itself?
In 2010 Mike de Kock inherited a promising three-year-old colt called Bold Silvano after the Cape Summer Season and this robust son of Silvano proved to be the perfect scopey sort of individual which the master trainer was able to bring the best out of.
Bold Silvano was bred by the Ascot Stud of Rose and Ashley Parker and went on to win the July for original owner Gill Thompson running in the colours of new shareholder and De Kock’s chief client at the time, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum.
Now, once again after the Cape Summer Season, De Kock has inherited a big, scopey three-year-old colt and his name is Dave The King.
He is by Galileo sire Global View who stands at Ascot Stud, which is a coincidence some will have picked up, and he is entered in the Hollywoodbets Durban July.
The big Gary Player Stud-bred colt made a fine debut for De Kock on Tuesday, winning a 1200m event on the Turffontein Inside course.
The 2010 July was in fact redemption for Rose and Ashley Parker, because they went desperately close to winning the July with their own horse Al Mufti in 1991. He had looked all over the winner but the Chris Snaith-trained Flaming Rock caught him on the line after producing a blistering finish from last to first under Karl Neisius.
An Al Mufti victory would have been one of the all time July fairytale stories.
After being acquired by Ascot and imported, Al Mufti covered a book of 50 mares in 1990, but the legendary champion trainer Terence Millard then persuaded the syndicate owners to give the six-year-old another chance at racing.
He won the first three races of his comeback and two runs later, in his final start before the July, finished fourth in the Listed Mainstay Trial.
That saw him getting into the July with 53kg.
Al Mufti went on to become a Champion Sire and sire of a Champion Sire, Captain Al.
Incidentally, Rakeen, the first son of Northern Dancer to race in this country, finished third in that 1991 July, to make it a one-two-three for imports, and Dave The King is out of a dam by Rakeen’s legendary son Jet Master.
Dave The King is currently 25/1 for the July with the sponsor.
Trippi Half-sister To Grade 1 Winner Impresses At Hollywoodbets Kenilworth
Miss October was an ultra quick daughter of Var who won the Grade 3 Tommy Hotspur Handicap over 1000m and she has gone on to produce some decent runners at stud, including the Grade 1 Gold Medallion winner Tempting Fate.
Her Candice Bass-Robinson-trained daughter October Morn by superstar sire Trippi is shaping up to be a big race contender after an impressive win at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth today.
She was just off the pace in the early stages but was doing it easily.
She was still green when asked to quicken, but soon got the hang of it and swept past the 11/10 favourite Golden Sickle and won easing up under Craig Zackey by 2,25 lengths.
It was a Juvenile Plate, so she was receiving 3kg from the previous winner Golden Sickle.
However, the latter is well performed having won comfortably on debut and followed by finishing fourth in the Listed Summer Juvenile Stakes over 1100m and third in the BSA Sales Cup over 1200m, both at Kenilworth.
Zackey spoke of October Morn’s elastic-like action and believes she will continue to improve as she matures.
Assistant trainer Melissa Arnold commented on her having been more backward than some of the yard’s “early” fillies, so it the odds are probably against her following in Tempting Fate’s footsteps and going for a Hollywoodbets Scottsville two-year-old Grade 1.
October Morn is an Avontuur and David Abery homebred.
Sean Levey can afford to celebrate as he wins easily on Mammas Girl (Credit: Sky Sports).
Mammas Girl motors to deeply impressive Nell Gwyn success
Next stop the 1000 Guineas for flying Amo-owned filly.
“That means I’ve got to decide whether to go there or come here, but it’s a good decision to have to make.”
Lancaster Bomber Stretches Lead In New Season Sires Champs
Lancaster Bomber is going to be a big loss to the industry as was proven again today when a colt by the late Drakenstein Stud-based sire impressed on debut.
The Vaughan Marshall-trained Lammerskraal Stud-bred colt Paratrooper found some support in the betting to start at 9/2 in today’s first race at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth over 1100m.
He showed good pace to be just off the early pacesetter Speeding Bullet.
Craig Zackey was content to sit on him, allowing the others to set the fractions.
When asked the question he came from just over a length back to join his stablemate Dumbledore (William Longsword) in front with the favourite Blue Holly on his outside.
A couple of backhanders was all Zackey required to get the colt to quicken away from the filly Blue Holly and he then found extra to beat Dumbledore by 0,30 lengths.
He was receiving 3kg from the one-time winner Dumbledore and 2,5kg from the twice winner Blue Holly, whom he beat by 2,55 lengths.
However, his time was 0,34 seconds quicker than the time subsequently recorded by the promising October Morn in the next race.
Lancaster Bomber has now had five individual winners, who have won six races.
He leads the stakes earnings of the new season sires and that is what decided the championship.
Football “Super Agent” Kia Joorabchian Scores Newmarket Treble
Kia Joorabchien is one of the world’s most prominent football association “super agents”, although he is not officially an agent and describes his business as advising players on their rights and clubs on transfers and contracts.
The lifetime Arsenal fan is also one of Britain’s leading flat race owners and today scored a 636/1 treble at the big Newmarket Craven week meeting, winning the first race with the Dominic Ffrench Davis-trained Surely Not (National Defense) at 9/1 under Hollie Doyle, then later the Group 3-trained Nell Gwynn Stakes with the Richard Hannon-trained 16/1 shot Mammas Girl (Havana Grey) under Sean Levey and then a Maiden with the Ffrench Davis-trained 11/4 shot Persian Dreamer (Calyx) ridden by Kevin Stott.
He is hoping Mammas Girl can provide him with a first classic winner in the 1000 Guineas next month.
Winter Greeting (closest) has been selected to win Race 5 by the At The Races tipster (JC Photos)
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Just Before Dawn (Silvano), ridden by JP van der Merwe, gives Justin Snaith his 100th win of the season (Picture: Wayne Marks).
Snaith Ton Up, Doubles Also For Zackey, Van Niekerk, Marshall
Justin Snaith reached 100 wins for the season at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth today and later made it 101.
There were also doubles for all of Craig Zackey, Grant Van Niekerk and Vaughan Marshall.
Snaith’s 101 wins for the season have come at a strike rate of 12.64%.
Zackey is on 26 wins for the season at a strike rate of 9.89%.
Van Niekerk is on 29 wins at 11.89%.
Marshall is on 26 wins at 7.28%.
Today’s Question
Mike de Kock
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