* Newsflash – Airways Law In The Hollywoodbets Durban July – Zapatillas Scratched *
Do All The Two’s Point To Do It Again?
The Hollywoodbets Durban July is a race that captures the nation.
However, not a high percentage of people placing bets will know the ins-and-outs of the game.
Some go for their favourite colour.
Others will look for a topical name.
There will be many who will go with their lucky number.
This year of course saw the once in a millenium date 22/2/2022.
The number 2 in the big race on Saturday is Do It Again.
Due to the numbers system employed in KZN racing these days he is also drawn 2.
He has won the July 2 times.
The race is run over 2200m.
He has had 28 starts and finished in the frame 22 times.
And last but not least his sire is called Twice Over!
Furthermore the date of tomorrow’s big race is July 2.
Written in the format 2/7/2022, the 7 is alone among the 2’s and Do It Again also fits into that sequence.
He will be attempting to become the 7-year-old in 77 years to win the July, the last to have done it being St Seiriol in 1945.
Sparkling Water also has a few 2-related credentials.
She has the other race number ending in a 2, number 12.
She is hence drawn 12.
She was born on 22 October 2017.
Her trainer Mike de Kock won his first July in 2002 and also with a filly, Ipi Tombe.
Picture: Do It Again winning his 2nd July (Candiese Lenferna).
Hollywoodbets Durban July Broadcast Schedule
Twice Over Enjoying A Successful Season
PEDIGREE PROFILE -YOUNG LOVE
By Sarah Whitelaw
When Young Love, previously successful in the Listed WSB Sweet Chestnut Stakes, captured Saturday’s Listed World Sports Betting River Jetez Stakes, she provided her sire Twice Over with a seventh black type win of the season.
At the time of writing, Twice Over ranks below only Vercingetorix, Silvano,Gimmethegreenlight, Flower Alley and Trippi in terms of black type races won for the 2021-2022 season.
It has been Twice Over’s most successful year in terms of individual stakes winners and stakes races won, with his three-year-olds enjoying particular success. This season, thus far, Twice Over has had more stakes winning three-year-olds than such standout stallions as Vercingetorix, Rafeef, Silvano and Querari -which is no mean feat!
However, Young Love also owes plenty of her ability to her female line. She is out of the useful Rosie Tibb, who won four times up to 2000 metres. A daughter of the increasingly successful broodmare sire Casey Tibbs, Rosie Tibb numbers G2 Gold Bracelet/G3 Victress Stakes winner Razzle Dazzle Rose as a half-sister, as well as the smart Silver Rose -twice placed in the G3 Lonsdale Stirrup Cup.
Rosie Tibb was produced by the smart racemare, and Listed Jockey Club Stakes third place-getter, Sydney Rose, a daughter of G1 Breeders’ Cup Mile winner and champion Australian sire Last Tycoon.
The latter enjoyed plenty of success with his handful of runners in South Africa headed by multiple G1 winning champion Tracy’s Element, G1 Star Sprint winner Super Sheila, G2 Gold Circle Derby winner Double Reef and the G1 winning Equus Champion Tytola. Last Tycoon was also an outstanding broodmare sire -his broodmare daughters have produced numerous high-class performers including champion Japanese sire King Kamehameha and South African raced champion, and former Dubai Sheema Classic winner, Sun Classique, to name but two.
His daughter Sydney Rose, a granddaughter of G1 Western Australian Oaks winner Lowanna Rose, was a half-sister to G1 Karrakatta Plate runner up Rose Of Dane.
Intriguingly, Rosie Tibb is closely inbred to mighty racehorse and sire Mill Reef -with the latter broodmare sire of both Rosie Tibb’s sire Casey Tibbs and her broodmare sire Last Tycoon. (Last Tycoon’s aforementioned son Double Reef was another sharing this Mill Reef inbreeding pattern).
Young Love herself is bred on the same Twice Over/Casey Tibbs cross as both Saturday’s G1 Hollywoodbets Durban July contender, and already dual July winner, Do It Again and her own smart stablemate Double Charge. (In fact, Young Love is a three-parts sister to Double Charge -with both horses sporting Sydney Rose as their granddam).
Picture: Young Love (Wayne Marks)
Mercantour Franks BSA Sales Cup Favourite Now I Got You’s Form
Grade 1-winning trainer Corrie Lensley has a fine chance of winning the R400,000 BSA Sales Cup with Now I Got You on Hollywoodbets Durban July day on Saturday.
The Admiral Kitten colt finished a 0,90 length second on debut to the Stuart Pettigrew-trained Mercantour (Var) over 1200m at the Vaal before finishing second in the Grade 1 Gold Medallion at Hollywoodbets Scottsville over 1200m.
Today Mercantour came out and franked his form by winning easily over 1200m at Turffontein Inside under Kabelo Matsunyane.
Maysunyane was happy to sit off the pace and allow market rival Ridgerunner to lead.
However, despite giving Ridgerunner 2kg and the rest of the field lumps of weight, Mercantour moved through a gap effortlessly and went on to win by a cosy 0,80 lengths easing up.
It was his 3rd win in his 6th start.
Now I Got You was receiving 3kg from Mercantour on that debut effort, but in third place 1,2 lengths behind him was the useful River Queraress.
He was receiving 4,5kg from the latter, but she went on to finish third in Grade 1 Allan Robertson.
Now I Got You ran roundabout the same time in the Gold Medallion as River Queraress achieved.
To be exact, he was just 0,08 seconds slower but did have to ease and switch in the closing stages.
Now I Got You in fact ran a quite astonishing race in the Gold Medallion.
He bounced out and led early, but got swamped at about the halfway mark.
For all money he looked like he was going to disappear out the back door.
However, he fought back and passed them all again to get up for second.
That suggests he will relish the slight step up in trip to 1300m and from draw two he is going to be hard to beat under Muzi Yeni.
Lensley has always struck as being a fine trainer and Now I Got You’s supporters will be confident of him arriving in tip top shape.
However, he has shortened into even money with Hollywoodbets.
Picture: Mercantour winning today at Turffontein Inside (JC Photos).
Freeman Buys R1,1 million Vercingetorix Colt
Bloodstock Agent John Freeman bought the only lot to go for a seven figure amount at today’s BSA KZN Yearling Sale, a Vercingetorix colt bred by Boland Stud.
The Sale saw a good upturn.
The aggregate of R18,095,000 was below the record 2019 aggregate of R21,505,000.
However, the average of R123,938 was above the 2019 average of R89,979.
The median of R75,000 was also above the 2019 median of R60,000.
Freeman was the highest buyer spending R1,73 million on four lots.
His R1.1 million colt’s pedigree:
Picture: The R1,1 million Vercingetorix colt (Candiese Lenferna).
Astrix Doing Well, Says Peter
Jack Milner (4Racing)
Astrix caused a major upset when he won the Grade 1 Premier’s Champions Challenge at Turffontein on 30 April and trainer Paul Peter is hoping his charge can put in a repeat performance in Saturday’s Hollywoodbets Durban July (Grade 1) over 2200m at Hollywoodbets Greyville.
“He is very well,” said Peter yesterday. “He galloped exceptionally well at Greyville last week and we know he likes the course.”
Interestingly, the five-year-old Vercingetorix gelding has run twice at Greyville for a win and a second. He won his maiden at the course as a juvenile in his second race by 3.25 lengths and then finished a 0.65-length second behind Gentleman’s Wager, giving him 3kg, in a Pinnacle Stakes over 1600m in September last year.
As Astrix won the Champions Challenge sitting second behind a runaway pacemaker, most people are looking to him as the horse to lead the field in the Durban July. But Peter issued a warning. “We’re not going to kill him to get to the front, if he manages to get there, he gets there. Otherwise, we’ll slot him in. He has won from off them, but I’m going to leave it to (jockey) JP (Van der Merwe).
“But from No 17 draw you have to commit a little bit.”
Peter is quite surprised to see his charge at the bottom of the bookmakers’ boards, trading currently at 80-1.
“He beat Sparkling Water a head in the Champions Challenge and is now 0.5kg worse off. She is short in the betting (9-1), so on that we must have a chance.
“I feel punters must include him in the Quartet.”
As there is a R2 million carryover to that Quartet, with a likely pool of R10 million, Astrix running into the places will boost the payout enormously.
Peter, though, will be looking to the two juvenile features for his best results on the card. Unbeaten Maharanee runs in Race 5, the Grade 2 Zulu Kingdom Explorer Golden Slipper, and Miss Cool in Race 6, the Durban Golden Horseshoe, both over 1400m.
Maharanee proved the distance would not be an issue last time with a victory over 1400m at Turffontein. “This is her first run in Durban,” said Peter. “She’s very, very smart but an uptight filly, so we have to keep her as quiet as possible, which might not be easy on the day with lot of noise going on. But she is top class.”
“I am a bit worried about the draw, but not worried about her ability. She has good gate speed, that’s in her favour, but she doesn’t have to lead. I’m not going to give Warren Kennedy any instructions.”
Miss Cool has already raced in KwaZulu-Natal, and although she finished unplaced in the Grade 1 Allan Robertson Championship at Scottsville, Peter remains unperturbed. “She didn’t like Scottsville and 1200m is a bit on the short side for her these days.
“Gavin Lerena said from the moment she hit the ground running she lost her footing, but she still managed to produce the second fastest 400m to finish. I nominated her for the fillies’ race as well, but she drew shockingly so we decided to take on the colts where she drew well. She loves 1400m and I think she’s going to make the colts work.
“She put up a great final fast gallop and Warren was very happy with her.”
Of his other runners on the card, Peter is hoping Flying Bull can improve on his runner-up spot in the Grade 3 Lonsdale Stirrup Cup when he runs in Race 3, the Vodacom 2200m while he is expecting a big effort from Grimaldi in Race 11 who has taken to the Polytrack where he is unbeaten in two starts.
Time Is Running Out For July Reserves
Will there be 2022 Kentucky Derby-like reprieves for Airways Law (Legislate) and Nebraas (Vercingetorix)?
They were condemned to be first and second reserve respectively by the Holywoodbets Durban July final field panelists and there will need to be a scratching or scratchings before 8:15 a.m tomorrow if that status is to change.
Rich Strike got into the Kentucky Derby when Ethereal Road scratched with literally minutes to go before the deadline for acceptance and he famously went on to win the race.
The last reserve runner to get into the July was Camphoratus in 2019 after the Justin Snaith-trained Magnificent Seven was scratched the day after the final field announcement, ten days before the big race.
Airways Law’s best hope this year was also likely via the Snaith yard as Belgarion made the long journey from Cape Town just over a week ago.
However, it looks unlikely there will be any scratchings.
Airways Law has been backed into 2/1 favourite for the Grade 3 Vodacom 2200m. He has a wide draw and will likely have to employ his good turn of foot from the back, as he did when winning the Grade 3 Hollywoodbets Dolphins Cup Trial over 1800m.
Meanwhile, Nebraas is engaged to run over 2400m at Turffontein Standside on Sunday.
This Pinnacle event is obviously intended chiefly as a preparation for the Marshalls World Of Sport’s Gold Cup, but he is in the winning habit and can make it four wins on the trot.
Picture: Airways Law (left) (Candiese Lenferna).
The Citizen Publish Their July Quartet Suggestion
The Durban July, sponsored this year by Hollywoodbets, traditionally sparks South Africa’s biggest betting splurge, and it will no different this Saturday – with hundreds of millions of rands changing hands within a few hours.
TAB has allocated two massive carryovers to the race meeting. The Pick 6 starts with R2 million in the pool and so does the Quartet on the Durban July. Each pool should total more than R10 million and taking a punt on the July Quartet will appeal to many.
Perhaps the best way to pick your horses in this year’s July is to look for consistent placegetters.
Justin Snaith and Mike de Kock train half the field between them and most of their runners have chances.
The De Kock-trained Safe Passage is 4-1 favourite and looks the horse to beat. He has run nine times for six wins and two places, so the consistency is there and he has proved he will stay the distance – a natural choice for a floating banker.
Others to consider are the first two past the post last year – Kommetdieding and Linebacker – but both carry more weight this time.
Snaith is out to land his sixth July winner and is expecting a massive performance from Pomp And Power. But beware stablemate Do It Again, who has run in the Durban July four times for two wins and two places.
Suggested Quartet: Double Float 2-Do It Again and 10-Safe Passage with 1-Aragosta, 3-Hoedspruit, 4-Linebacker, 6-Zapatillas, 8-Pomp And Power, 12-Sparkling Water and 13-Kommetdieding.
The cost is R504 but the bet can be played for say R51 or just over 10%.
Picture: Anthony Grote (Gameplan Media).
Janse Van Vuuren’s Promising Gobsmacked Remains Unbeaten
The first race at Turffontein Inside today, a Juvenile Plate for fillies over 1200m, saw the good looking daughter of Querari, Gobsmacked, defying a 3kg win penalty and winning easily under Keagan de Melo, despite jumping from a wide draw.
She did not beat much but the Laurence Wernars-owned Maine Chance Farms-bred filly looks the part and is one to follow.
De Melo said the team appeared to be on top of the temperamental issues she had and felt she had a bright future.
She displayed a lovely, flowing action.
She is a half-sister to Janse van Vuuren’s Grade 1 winner Mighty High (Pathfork), who won the Allan Robertson second time out.
He said Mighty High had been a hot filly, so wondered whether this filly had inherited her temperamental issues from the female side.
However, he pointed out she was smart and did not waste energy during the race but only beforehand, so hoped to be able to iron those issues out.
Janse Van Vuuren and De Melo combined for a double and so did Stuart Pettigrew and Kabelo Matsunyane.
Picture: Gobsmacked winning today (JC Photos)
Today’s Question
Which three Durban July winners have likely been the most topical winners in the last fifty years going on names and numbers?
