Blue skies greeted Durban residents this morning as the countdown commenced to the launch of the SA Champions Season at Hollywoodbets Greyville.
The 2021 SA Champions Season offers R16-million in feature race stakes during the three-month festival of high-class thoroughbred racing from May to July.
Today we have nine Vodacom Durban July runners on show at the Independent On Saturday race meeting featuring the IOS Drill Hall Stakes, the World Sports Betting Guineas and the World Sports Betting Fillies Guineas.
It’s an early start with the first going off at 11h30!
Heavy rain in Durban last week was expected to take the sting out of the ground and the going has been officially posted as ‘good to soft’ with a pen of 23.
Today a 40% chance of light rain is forecast, and this could change things later on in the programme.
Andrew Harrison writes on www.goldcircle.co.za that the South African Guineas was always a Gr1 contest and the start of South Africa’s Champion Season – that is until Mr Jooste stuck his unwanted nose into racing and replaced the John Skeaping Trophy with an inflated purse for the Premier’s Champions Challenge, ostensibly in a bid to give Champions Season the finger.
The inflated prize money for the races on the day was too tempting for many resulting in the quality of the South African Guineas being affected and down-graded to Gr2 status.
The ballast in a listing ship has since shifted and today’s Gr2 WSB Guineas and Gr2 WSB Fillies Guineas are both worthy of Gr1 status given the quality of the fields.
Kommetdieding – a big test today (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
With the Gr1 Daily News and VDJ in mind, it may be asking a little much of the unbeaten Kommetdieding in the Guineas, so it will not come as much of a surprise should he lose his unbeaten record. But such has been the manner of his wins, that it’s hard not to look past him – head and heart!
He was the short-priced ante-post favourite for the Gr1 Jonsson Workwear Cape Derby before injury put paid to his race and he has not been out since the Politician Stakes back in January.
This will be the first time that he faces some of the cream of the current sophomore crop and just how he copes will be closely watched. He has had a gallop at Hollywoodbets Greyville so looks well prepared.
MK’S Pride has been the ‘pride’ of Gauteng this season and it may be hype versus ability come Sunday. He was good enough to get the better of proven class and yesterday’s impressive Premier’s Champions Challenge winner Got The Greenlight in the Hawaii Stakes – even though the latter may have been short of a gallop and a furlong or two.
From a pole position draw, he has it all to prove.
Vaughan Marshall will be out to prove that the Cape sophomore form is as strong as it is purported to be.
Russian Rock and Rascallion have let the side down in their seasonal KZN debuts so the spotlight will be on Linebacker, runner-up in the Cape Guineas but remedied in the Jonsson Workwear Cape Derby.
Linebacker – Cape form reputation relies on him (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
His form is hard to fault and he cannot be left out of anything along with stable companion Seeking The Stars who was a comfortable winner last run and not far back in the Cape Guineas.
Cape Guineas winner Russian Rock will also be under the spotlight again.
In golfing terms, the Gr2 WSB Fillies Guineas looks something of a ‘gimme’ for Captain’s Ransom. Justin Snaith’s filly looks exceptional and has already taken on and beaten older runners at Gr1 level.
She galloped impressively on the course last week and from a plum draw she will be difficult to beat and will be many a punter’s banker.
Of the balance Princess Calla and possibly Only The Brave could provide some opposition.
Eric Sands has opted to get his charges, Rainbow Bridge and Golden Ducat, going early in what will be a path to the Vodacom Durban July with both horses owned by Mike Rattray who is desperate for a win in a race he has always converted.
Rainbow Bridge is rated way better than his rivals in the Independent On Saturday Drill Hall Stakes but the seven furlongs is on the short side and Sands will be banking on class to get him home as the gelding faces two 1400m specialists in Catch Twentytwo and Pinkerton.
