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The countdown has begun for the highlight of South Africa's Champions Season, the R3 million, Grade 1 Vodacom Durban July to be run over 2200m at Greyville, Durban, on July 7th.
Photo by Liesl King
This coming Saturday sees the first of the lead-up races to the Vodacom Durban July, the R500 000, Grade 2 KRA Guineas (1600m), the R250 000, Grade 2 KRA Fillies Guineas (1600m) and the R300 000, Grade 2 Drill Hall Stakes (1400m) being run at Greyville.
A number of July contenders will be out trying to enhance their chances of making the final field for the Vodacom Durban July.
An unusual feature of the Vodacom Durban July is that the final field of 20 is determined by what is called the July log.
The position of a horse on the log is determined by a panel of three and takes into account the merit rating, current performance and Group race performance of each horse. With a host of Group races leading up to the feature event the log is ever changing, and just one major win can propel a horse right up the list.
For the trainers involved, this entails planning their star's campaign with military precision. If they run their horses in too few lead-up races and they may not be in the top 20 on the log when the field is announced. But the more a horse wins the more weight he carries with all Group victories, prior to the weights being announced on June 12th, incurring penalties.
With the top weight set at 60kg, a trainer can gamble on a late sterling performance by their horse and only enter the races after the weights are announced, but this strategy has backfired on many a trainer in the past.
Current Vodacom Durban July favourite, the Brett Crawford trained Jackson, starts his Durban campaign in the KRA Guineas, where he meets another Cape star; the Joey Ramsden trained Variety Club.
Variety Club dominated the three-year-old Group races during the Cape's Sizzling Summer Season at Kenilworth, winning the R300 000, Grade 2 Selangor Cup (1600m) and the R1 million, Grade 1 Cape Guineas (1600m) before the lightly raced Jackson ended his reign in the R600 000, Group 1 Investec Cape Derby (2000m).
After finishing fifth on debut over 1200m, Jackson won his next four starts, before taking the Cape Derby with a scintillating victory where he lowered Variety Club's colours beating him by two lengths.
Jackson will attempt to emulate the success of his sire Dynasty, who achieved what was considered impossible, winning the Vodacom Durban July as a three-year-old, and from barrier 20. Having won over distances from 1400m to 2000m, Jackson will certainly be competitive over the 1600m of the KRA Guineas on Saturday.
Variety Club does however appear to have an edge over Jackson, especially over the 1600m, as he is racing fit, having won the Group 3 Winter Guineas (1600m) at Kenilworth when resuming in April and a distance specialist, his only defeat coming in the Group 1 L'Ormarins Queens Plate where he was beaten a neck by Gimmethegreenlight(AUS).
Other July contenders stepping out in the KRA Guineas include Astro News, Golden Chateau (AUS), Northern Emperor (AUS)and Premium Wood.
Cape Juvenile Champion, Depardieu, steps out in the Drill Hall Stakes, where he is the only three-year-old, with trainer Dean Kannemeyer electing to rather sidestep the fierce battle of the KRA Guineas and take on the older horses instead.
Depardieu started his Champions Season campaign in fine style; winning the R200 000 Group 2 Byerley Turk (1400m) for three-year-olds at Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg.
The Dupont colt will be up against four July contenders in the Vaughan Marshall trained Tales of Bravery, Chesalon from the Mike Bass stable, Lion In Winter from the Ramsden yard and the ever consistent Kavanagh trained by Mike de Kock.
With the Brett Crawford trained Thunder Dance, winner of the R1 million, Grade 1 WFA TBA Paddock Stakes (1800m) and Sean Tarry's classy Hidden Beauty both scratched, the KRA Fillies Guineas field will be headed by the Dennis Drier trained Bambina Stripes(ARG).
The three-year-old daughter of Equal Stripes is lightly raced, but she stepped up in class to win the R1 million, Grade 1 SA Fillies Classic (1800m) at Turffontein at the end of March.
It is hard to see her getting headed, but one can never discount the Mike de Kock factor. The master trainer saddles the lightly raced Nadeem daughter, Tajmeel (AUS), who won her last two starts by a combined eleven lengths and looks to be something special.
As the first of the Classic level-weight races for three-year-olds during Champions Season, the KRA Guineas has long been considered as a pointer for the season ahead and with the country's top three-year-olds in action, Saturday's meeting is certain to provide exciting, top-class racing.