Durban July trainer comments

Thanks Dev you guys are just getting better and better

We approached the Hollywood and Winning Form sponsored trainers to get their comments on this year's Durban July. Who did they see as stealing the show? Did they think anyone could beat the favourite Pomodoro? A top group including the likes of Duncan Howells, Mike Azzie, Dorrie Sham, Paul Matchett, Craig Eudey and more give us their comments.

Winning Form & Hollywood Sponsored Trainer Comments - Durban July 2013

Joey Soma reckoned his Summer Cup winner Wagner was “the best outsider” in the Vodacom Durban July and added that the Tiger Ridge gelding had been doing “extremely well” at Summerveld.
“His work over the last two weeks has impressed me,” he said. “A lot will depend on the pace of the race. I hope they allow him to go and make the pace. But I hope they leave him alone in front. We don’t want another horse like Seal to come alongside and cut throats. He enjoys it out in front and those were the tactics that won him the Summer Cup.”
The question of many pundits was whether the Greyville course would suit Wagner.
He won the Summer Cup at Turffontein, a galloping course that allows a front-runner to increase the tempo bit by bit.
However, at Greyville a horse requires a kick to maintain the advantage or must otherwise begin its run earlier.
The latter tactic is risky as precious fuel is then burnt coming up the hill.
One of the July Gallops panellists, Kevin Shea, was obviously not concerned about Wagner’s course suitability and tipped him in the first three.
On paper, Wagner will be 7kg better off with the second favourite Run For It on their last meeting at Greyville over the too sharp 1600m, although Run For It was being eased up at the line.
Soma concluded, “He is well and is drawn well. I think he will be in the first four. A win will be a bonus.”
Wagner has found support since the final field announcement last Tuesday and has shortened in from 25-1 to 16-1.
He will be ridden by Champion Apprentice Nooresh Juglall from barrier five, a perfect draw from which to implement the front running plan.

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The Grade 1 weight for age Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes over 1600m on Vodacom Durban July day could well be the race of the season as it has attracted six Grade 1 winners.
The brilliant Dennis Drier-trained Beach Beauty, who finished just a length behind the world class miler Variety Club at weight for age terms in the Rising Sun Gold Challenge over 1600m at Clairwood last month, is the favourite with Betting World at 12-10.
She put in her final serious work on Saturday and Drier said he was “very, very happy”, while jockey Sean Cormack confirmed that the small five-year-old Dynasty mare “never puts a foot wrong.”
She is drawn wide in 16, but this is not of too much concern as she has superb gate speed and there is a lot of pace in the race, while her obvious affinity with Cormack means she will have enough fuel in the tank to unleash the tremendous acceleration and sustained finish she has become known for.
The Joey Ramsden-trained three-year-old Giant’s Causeway filly Blueridge Mountain is next best in the betting at 7-2.
She has grown into a bull of a horse and will have improved since her Grade 1 weight for age Majorca Stakes win over 1600m on J&B Met day.
She made her first appearance at Greyville in the Woolavington 2000 last month and it was probably only her inexperience of the city course that cost her victory as she looked around in the straight, costing her a crucial length or so, and failed by a head when rallying back.
That run also came in the same week of her arduous journey from Cape Town, although she did travel well.
She does look more suited to the mile, despite the stamina influence of Giant’s Causeway, and the highly professional Ramsden yard will have her in tip top condition.
Lorenzo Karriem, Ramsden’s Clairwood assistant, confirmed on Monday that the chestnut filly had been doing very well.
Anton Marcus is booked for the ride, but will decide today (Thursday) whether he goes ahead with his July day rides, as his injured thumb is still painful.
Princess Victoria, who is a 7-1 shot, put in a sparkling piece of work under big race rider Bernard Fayd’herbe on the bottom sand track at Summerveld on Tuesday morning, and her superb action was as impressive as ever.
Fayd’herbe returned and said to trainer Glen Kotzen, “That’s the best work she’s done.”
The four-time Grade 1-winning Victory Moon filly is raring to go and her last run in the Tibouchina can be ignored as she had no luck in running.
The winner of two years ago, Happy Archer, loves this course and has been doing well at Clairwood.
She has a tricky draw, but Piere Strydom is in the irons, and will give her every chance of settling in a good position from where she can unwind her powerful finish.
Mike de Kock has two Grade 1 winners in the field, Viva Maria and Thunder Dance, but they are behind his other pair, Halfway To Heaven and Espumanti, in the betting.
Thunder Dance won the Grade 1 weight for Age Empress Club Stakes over this trip at Turffontein last time out when being care taken of by the De Kock yard, and having done well on the Highveld, is being prepared up there for the race.
However, she does have a very tough draw of 17 to overcome.
Viva Maria, the winner of last year’s Woolavington, could be the key horse in the race, as not only does she go to the front, but she likes to really bowl along and it is therefore unlikely that there will be rush and grab tactics in this race.
De Kock said that all of his runners had been doing well.
Vaughan Marshall runs the improving Europe To Africa, but she has a wide draw to overcome.
Muzi Yeni was pleased with the work of the Justin Snaith-trained Earth’s Orbit, another outsider that could sneak a place.
Duncan Howells said that Tibouchina winner Louvre was looking “a million dollars”, but he questioned her suitability to the course and reckoned she could prefer a touch shorter.

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Justin Snaith had intended to run his two Vodacom Durban July candidates Run For It and Jet Explorer on the inside sand track at Clairwood on Monday morning, but changed his mind when seeing that it was still wet from the recent rain.
Looking at the weather forecast at the time, he said, “This week won’t be normal training, it’s now all about gut feel.”
On Monday he decided to give his two charges “in between work”, delaying their pacework for Tuesday.
The bulk of the preparation for both horses is behind them and their well-being was obvious at the July Gallops and at the track on Monday.
Comparing the pair, Snaith said, “Jet Explorer has been more consistent and could be a Greyville specialist. But Run For It has lightened up with gelding, which is without doubt in his favour, and has never run from a good draw in his life.”
Run For it is drawn in pole position and Jet Explorer is just one outside of him, a dream situation for the yard, and they are currently at 11-2 and 15-2 respectively with Betting World.
Furthermore, they will be ridden by two high flying jockeys, Sean Cormack and Anthony Delpech respectively.
Casual Var was put through his paces by MJ Byleveld on Monday in preparation for the Non-BlackType eThekwini Sprint over 1200m, and the rider returned bubbling with enthusiasm over the piece of work he put in.
“That was very impressive,” he said.
However, Snaith was a bit circumspect and said, “He is a horse with a future, so you have to be careful from a wide draw like that as it could break a horse.”
Cormack rides him on the day.
Snaith reckoned the last race of the meeting, the KZN Yearling Sale Million, should have been the first race on the card.
“It will be the first time at the course for many of them and will be on a cut up course under lights,” he said.
He reckoned his charge He’s a Nadoe, who won going away after losing a length on debut at Fairview, albeit in quite a slow time, faced “a mammoth task” in this race.
Muzi Yeni keeps the ride.
He said Earth’s Orbit had been doing well too, but she also faced a tough task against a very strong field in the Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes.
Snaith concluded by saying that all of his other runners were “doing fine”, before singling out Shimmer And Shine in the first as one that would run well.

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Weiho Marwing’s Vodacom Durban July hopeful Wylie Hall will travel down to Durban from the Highveld on Friday.
“He’s fit and well and has done everything we’ve asked of him,” said Marwing. “We’re hopeful.”
Regarding his wide draw of 14, he said, “There’s nothing we can do about it, we’ve got that draw and we have to take it.”
The three-year-old Australian-bred colt by Redoute’s Choice followed his Grade 1 SA Derby win with an eyecatching run in the Grade 1 Daily News 2000.
He finished strongly in both races and in the latter, despite jumping from draw 13, was just a neck back at the line.
Jockey MJ Odendaal is bullish and said, “His prep has all gone well. He has a good big race temperament. He is a calm relaxed type and I don’t mind the draw at all. He is the type that comes from off the pace and has tremendous acceleration. He’s ready.”
This will be the fifth time in succession that Wylie Hall will be ridden by Odendaal.
The striking bay colt certainly has a classy look about him and it would be no surprise to see him leading the three-year-olds home.
Marwing brought Wylie Hall down himself from his Turffontein base for the Daily News and took him back the following day.
There has never been any formal research done on the impact of altitude on racehorses as South Africa is the only major racing country in the world where it is relevant.
However, Marwing’s method would be advocated by the probable most travelled trainer in the country, Corne’ Spies, who said last year after transporting his Grade 1 two-year-old contestants between the Highveld and Durban, “Going from altitude to sea level is advantageous due to the increased oxygen content of the air, but if the horses stay at the coast after their runs they tend to go flat. It would take about six weeks or two months for them to acclimatise and they would then begin to thrive. But taking them in and out is not a problem, so I ship them up and down to keep the positive effect of high altitude training.”
Gavin van Zyl also uses this method, although he added that while a horse could raid the coast from the Highveld twice, it should “never” be attempted three times.
Van Zyl will duly travel his Turffontein-based July pair, Seal and Shogunnar, straight back to the Highveld after the race to prepare for the Gold Cup, despite having his main yard at Summerveld.

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Dennis Drier was bullish about the chances of his Grade 1 Durban Golden Horseshoe contender Captain Of All, who was an impressive winner of the Grade 1 Tsogo Sun Medallion over 1200m at Scottsville last time out.
The Captain Al two-year-old colt is very speedy, but Drier was confident he would stay the 1400m trip, saying, “He didn’t fall over the line in the Medallion and found extra when challenged.”
Furthermore his half-sister Intimateconnection, who is by the sprinter Lake Coniston, finished second in a Listed race over 1400m as a two-year-old and a close fourth in a Grade 2 over 1400m as a three-year-old behind the classy All Is Secret.
Captain Of All has a fair draw of eight.
Jockey Sean Cormack said recently, “He came out of that last run very strongly, he’s been awesome.”
He added, “He’s a speedy sort, so it’s going to be a bit tricky over this distance. We tried it last year with Schiffer in the Golden Slipper and she got caught late. But he does have a good temperament, he’s pretty relaxed.”
Drier and Cormack are both thrilled with Beach Beauty ahead of her bid to land favouritism in one of the races of the season, The Grade 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes over 1600m.
Without Malice also runs in the Garden Province and Drier said she had needed her last run and would run an “improved race.”
She is a front-running sort, but might get a lead this time from the likes of Viva Maria.
The yard contest three other races on the day.
Cormack was in two minds about whether he had chosen the right one in the tenth race, a MR 104 Handicap over 1000m, where he rides Tipo Tinto at the expense of Torra Bay.
“Tipo has been good to me and has been more consistent lately. But if Torra Bay is at the top of her game then I could well be on the wrong one.”
Drier was hopeful that Torra Bay would indeed be at the top of her game and she certainly has a fine record at this track with two wins and a second in three starts.
The yard run Top Mark in the Grade 3 Mango 2200.
Drier said, “He is an honest sort. However, despite has niggles, he acts when the going is as hard as a rock hard and has disappointed us when he got what we thought would be more suitable soft going.”
They run Pacific Dynasty in the Listed Thukela Handicap over 1600m.
Drier said, “The 2500m was much too far last time. We’re very happy with her, but she is up against the boys. At best she will be thereabouts,”
They have Put The Kettle On as a reserve here and Drier felt the race may be a bit strong for her.
The meeting will fall 40 years after Drier’s legendary Uncle Syd Laird sent out the three-year-old Yataghan to win the July and 21 years after Drier’s only July victory with Spanish Galliard.
Drier recalled that Yataghan, who was the sixth of Laird’s record seven July winners, did not really stay 2200m and only won due to a brilliant ride by Bertie Hayden, who followed Laird’s instruction to go at the top of the straight and make the field come and fetch him.
Spanish Galliard was an ultra consistent horse, who always gave of his best, and he finally rid himself of the bridesmaid tag when landing the 1992 July as a five-year-old.

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Alec Laird reckoned that the run of Forest Indigo in the Grade 1 Durban Golden Horseshoe over 1400m would give him another clue about the mindset of the colt, while Kevin Shea has been impressed with what he has seen of this horse.
Laird said about the Judpot colt, “He worked out long ago that training is just training and isn’t a race, so he’s very lazy at home and doesn’t give anything away. It’s usually only older horses that do that, so he’s bright enough. He moved up well and then faded in his last start in the Gatecrasher Stakes. I wasn’t sure whether it was because he was tired or whether it was a coltish issue and he is a fitter horse this time, so this race will tell.”
Shea reckoned Forest Indigo had lost to two good horses in that last race and clearly thinks a lot of him, so he could be a contender from a reasonable draw of ten, despite a Betting World quote of 20-1.
Laird said that his two Grade 3 Mango 2200 contenders Master Plan and Pessoa had been “working very well.”
Master Plan won the Grade 1 Champions Cup over 1800m at this course last season and will have no problem with the 2200m trip, having also won last year’s Grade 2 Betting World Derby over 2400m at Clairwood.
Laird, who acquired him in March, said, “He is a good horse and has earned his topweight. He is one of the bravest horses I’ve known and will always try his heart out.”
Master Plan has been plagued with feet problems, but Laird said last week, “His prep hasn’t been trouble free and his foot problems are always something to worry about, but they are definitely improving.”
Laird reckoned Pessoa was not a certainty to stay the trip, but rated him a “lively contender”, who could do better than in the Betting World 1900, where he was caught too far back in a slow run race.
Master Plan has to carry 61kg, but jumps from pole position under Shea and is quoted at 5-1.
Pessoa jumps from draw 6 under Stuart Randolph and is a 16-1 chance.

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Sean Cormack is riding the crest of a wave and has many good rides at Saturday’s Vodacom Durban July meeting, including the Mike Bass-trained River Crossing in the Grade 3 Mango 2200.
There were also some bullish remarks from various trainers about their charges at the meeting.
River Crossing has won his last two starts, including the Grade 3 Lonsdale Stirrup Cup over 2400m at Greyville, and Cormack said, “He will run a nice race. I don’t think it’s too sharp for him. He has a good turn of foot.”
Glen Kotzen is very pleased with Princess Victoria ahead of the Grade 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes.
He also runs the Grade 1 Allan Robertson third-placed Masked Lady in the Grade 1 Zulu Kingdom Explorer Golden Slipper and said this Casey Tibbs filly would “definitely” enjoy the step up in trip.
Kotzen took her to Greyville last week to show her the bend.
She will be ridden from a decent draw by Grant van Niekerk and is quoted at generous odds of 40-1 by Betting World.
Kotzen said that Beloved Betty could not go with them when they “crawled and sprinted” in the Listed Queen Palm and her run in the Grade 2 Gold Vase over 3000m would tell the yard more about whether she stayed and was worth chancing in the Gold Cup.
Alyson Wright runs the Grade 1 Tsogo Sun Medallion fourth-placed Kochka in the Grade 1 Durban Golden Horseshoe over 1400m.
Kevin Wright said last week about the rangy Black Minnaloushe gelding, “The 1400m will suit him much better and will be prefect for him. He has come on from that last run and I think he’ll run very well.”
Alyson said at earlier this week about Kochka, “The draw (9) might be a problem. He’s doing well, but it will be very tough.”
The yard run the debut winner Act Of Valor in the KZN Yearling Million over 1300m and Anthony Delpech stays aboard.
Alyson said he had also been doing well, but lamented his wide draw.
His formline has also not worked out too well.
Tony Rivalland sends out some lively contenders on the day, including Royal Zulu Guard in the first and Territorial Waters in the Listed Thukela Handicap over 1600m.
He said, “I’ve been running Royal Zulu Guard over too far. If the right Royal Zulu Guard comes to the track he will win.”
He said he was “very happy” with Territorial Waters, who has been priced up second favourite for the Thukela.
Garth Puller runs the Atso debut winner, Risky Rosco, in the Grade 1 Durban Golden Horseshoe, and said, “He’s doing nicely. He gave 1kg to a winner when running on strongly to win over 1200m on debut and the second-placed horse then ran a good third next time out. Therefore that run was full of merit. He is now up against the best, but that is okay. He has a top jockey aboard (Robbie Fradd) from pole position and will enjoy the step up in trip.”
Puller and the owners were disappointed that Ice Machine didn’t make the July field, especially considering he has now got the Silvano gelding “right”, “He is very well, and although he carries 62kg and does not have a good draw, he will definitely give a good account of himself.”
The yard run course and distance specialist Tetelestai in the tenth, a MR 104 Handicap over 1000m, a race in which he finished second last year off a three point higher merit rating.
Puller said, “He showed his first glimpse of a return to form last time, even after a false start. He couldn’t get through and then flew for a close third. He went close last year and won over the course and distance on Gold Cup day and, although he is now nearly seven, he is well and we are hoping for a nice race.”
Yogas Govender said he was happy with Silk Master and gave him a chance in the first race.

..anonymous owner/trainer/jock ...

I don't know how my horse made the July given the historical standard required to gain entrance, but hey, its not what you got, its who you know and how much you support the industry... and with the July becoming a C division up step, lets hope the three year olds dominate for years and years so we can export them in time for a race in sing.. snip snip snip ..