Justin Snaith’s smashing Gr1 Jonsson Workwear Cape Derby champion Pomp And Power has firmed into 14-1 in the ante-post betting for the R5 million Gr1 Hollywoodbets Durban July to be contested at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Saturday 2 July.
The historic 2200m contest, billed as Africa’s greatest horseracing event, has taken on a new dimension of intrigue with the news earlier this month that the 2022 stake has been increased to R5 million, making it Africa’s richest stakes race.
Pomp And Power (Richard Fourie) is led in by his elated connections (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
New sponsors Hollywoodbets set the pace by opening the ante-post betting for the big race some weeks ago.
And after Saturday’s Kenilworth feature fireworks, there were some movers – and shakers!
Cape Derby winner Pomp And Power is into 14-1, while heroic pacemaker and dogged runner-up Universal is now available at 16-1.
Cape Guineas winner Double Superlative appeared to be flat after his big Cape Town Met showing when running fourth, and plodded into third behind stablemate Pomp And Power and Universal on Saturday.
While it is too early to write the handsome son of Twice Over off, he has drifted out to 16-1.
Cape Derby fourth-placer Senso Unico was running on steadily on Saturday, and may be worth considering at 66-1.
Kommetdieding remains at the top of the boards at 6-1 in defence of his title and it is worthwhile noting that his dedicated personal workrider Grant Behr mentioned on Saturday that the son of Elusive Fort is even better now than he was when winning the Cape Town Met at the end of last month.
On the flipside, talk on the ground of a possible US campaign, and the news that he is travelling to Gauteng on Monday, won’t exactly excite his supporters at this stage.
