No. 1836 ISSN 1023 / 6996
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MONDAY 21st - THURSDAY 24th MAY 2012 Titanic:Polar Bound looks to cement his July claims in Gr2 Betting World 1900 the De Kock bow is Gauteng Guineas winner Golden Chateau, who jumps from the 13 gate. He didn’t run too badly when third and staying on 6,50 lengths behind Variety Club in the KRA Guineas last time, but doesn’t inspire too much confidence.
FLAMINGO PARK
12:20pm (Monday) p.7
VAAL TURF
Composed
11:50am (Tuesday) p.14
GREYVIILE NIGHT
4:50pm (Tuesday) p.22
DURBANVILLE
12:45pm (Wednesday) p.35
VAAL SAND
11:30am (Thursday) p.43
Gr2 BETTING WORLD 1900 at Greyville on Tuesday night Modern history shows that we are unlikely to find the 2012 Vodacom Durban July winner amongst the sixteen horses lining up on Tuesday evening at Greyville for the R300 000 Gr2 Betting World 1900. Bold Silvano is the only 1900 winner in the 21st century to have gone on and won the July. The race has also produced Gold Cup glory in the 2005 victor Reveille Boy.
C
ape trainer Brett Crawford is in sensational form and he has a great opportunity to repeat his dream win in 2005. He runs the upwardly mobile Western Winter gelding Polar Bound, who looks to have everything in his favour.
Master It is not surprising that Mike De Kock masterminded the Bold Silvano 2010 1900-July double. We should be used by now to the man bucking trends and setting the standards and he sends out three runners under the lights on Tuesday evening, where this feature serves the dual purpose of a stepping stone for some and a July log points-booster for others. The Betting World 1900 has a colourful recent past. It was known as the Greyville 1900 until Astrapak came on board in 2004. With the enthusiastic corporate sponsor involved we were entertained by side-shows of Highland bands and Sharks rugby players riding ponies and quad-bikes down the Greyville home straight. Betting World took over the brand in 2009 and the side-shows are a thing of the past
The much publicised victory by seven year old His Nibs in 2000 caused quite a stir. Controversial trainer Anil Maharaj and jockey Gift Funeka scored a sensational 20-1 victory for the underdog and declared their assault on the Rothmans July. Funeka was the first jockey of colour to ride in the July, but the dream sadly came to nought when the New Zealand-bred gelding subsequently ran stone last behind El Picha. The His Nibs legend has a place in modern racing folklore, but the fairytale is clouded if we look at the stakes picture. The son of Sky Chase won the Greyville 1900 for a gross stake of R250 000. El Picha won the July the same season when it was worth R1 250 000. Today the July pays out R3 million, while the 1900 stake has been static at R300 000 since Mark Khan and Geoff Woodruff won it with Monet in 2003. That is not a happy story. While only one past winner in His Lordship(2004) gave the July a miss, the 1900 statistics don’t paint a pretty achievement picture generally. Of the twelve winners since 2000, six
Main Aim Oasis Dream – Orford Miss by Selkirk
Timeform 123
went unplaced in the July and another four registered places. Third places were achieved by Double Reef(2001) and Tytola(2002), while Reveille Boy(2005) and River Jetez(2008) managed fourth places in the big race.
Poles Apart We keep coming back to Polar Bound in our search for a likely winner of this race. He fits the profile of the patiently developing and improving athlete, and a likely winner of Tuesday’s event. He has won six of his eighteen starts and it was his win in the Gr2 Peninsula Handicap run over 1800m at Kenilworth at end November 2011 that showed his true potential. His well-being and fitness were underlined at his first KZN start when he easily beat the improving three year old Taipan by 2,25 lengths in an MR 95 Handicap over a mile at Greyville. Fair enough, Taipan was easily beaten at his next outing when meeting English Garden on tough terms, but Polar Bound would not have been tuned to the moment and will have improved further. One worrying aspect is the riding arrangement. Stuart
Randolph is top-class but Karis Teetan knows Polar Bound like the back of his hand. Teetan rides the longshot Orchard House for Joey Ramsden, when he could have stayed with Polar Bound. Or is this Crawford’s bone to Randolph to get to know the horse before he gets a possible chance to ride him on 7 July? Let’s not see spooks where they don’t exist. The biggest danger to Brett Crawford’s planned celebrations could well be provided by the four year old filly Beach Beauty. Dennis Drier’s Dynasty ran a cracker of a prep over too short last time when finishing with a burst to get within 1,50 lengths of champion filly Princess Victoria in the Poinsettia Stakes. Excuses are worthless but she was bumped late and rather unlucky when finishing right on top of Igugu in the J&B Met. She is well drawn right next door Polar Bound and Alec Forbes will be keeping a close eye on his friend and colleague, Commander Stu Randolph.
Flourish Mike Bass would have been thrilled with his Winter Classic and Premier’s Trophy winner Chesalon’s return to racing in the Drill Hall Stakes. The son of Fort Wood finished with a flourish to run a 1,75 length second to Tales Of Bravery over a trip too short for him. Bernard Fayd’herbe rides him from a 1 draw and if he is not flat in his second-from-a-rest outing, he could go close. Gavin Van Zyl’s Bulsara ran right on Chesalon’s heels, but will have to prove to us that it was not a flash-in-the-pan.
Gold Onyx and Top Seller finished first and second in the Listed Sledgehammer run over 1800m at Scottsville earlier this month. Sean Tarry’s Gold Onyx is a former Gr1 winner and has won his last two races on the trot. He is drawn at 12, but gets the services of Anton Marcus, so has to be considered. He is a course and distance winner and reserves his best for Greyville. We would also be half silly to ignore the claims of the electric Vaughan Marshall and MJ Byleveld combination. They come to the game with Top Seller. The Al Mufti gelding won the 2011 Cape Derby and also ran a cracker in the SA Derby behind Seal three months later. He has been very lightly campaigned but is being spoken about as a possible July candidate. He is well drawn and well weighted for a big showing.
Gunfighter Mike De Kock heads into town on the back of a threeway coupling of July marginals. Former Snaith campaigner Solo Traveller now flies under the De Kock banner and has really been a terrible disappointment. He has not won a race since his victory over a year ago in an incident-filled Gr2 KRA Guineas. He did run on for fourth behind Gold Onyx in the Sledgehammer, but will have to up his game further. Anthony Delpech rides the promising Danehill Dancer filly Berry Blaze who is well drawn, but has only won two races and may battle against some of the better ones. The third string in
Dean Kannemeyer is represented by the revitalised stayer In Writing, who appears to have found his calling over ground and has won his last two races over 3200m and 2500m respectively. He showed his ability and versatility when going down a narrow third to dead-heaters Golden Chariot and Safwan in this race last year. He is a far happier and fitter horse this time round and could make his presence felt. Greg Ennion sends out the three year old coupling of Astro News and Master Plan, who both race in the Crabbia red and black. Master Plan is drawn widest, which probably negates his chances after a fair fourth behind Variety Club in the Winter Guineas at Kenilworth. Astro News ran a never threatening fourth 8,25 lengths behind Variety Club in the KRA Guineas, and while it is always in the back of the mind that he managed a Gr3 win late last year in the Graham Beck Stakes at Turffontein, he always seems to be lurking in the shadows. He could get lucky and run a drum.
Poser We are siding with the improving and talented Polar Bound to give trainer Brett Crawford a powerful back-up to his ruling July favourite Jackson. He should fight it out with the smart Beach Beauty who has a home-ground advantage and is fit and well. The scramble for the balance of the cheques could be a dog-fight between Chesalon, Top Seller and the fit as a fiddle, In Writing. A great race awaits us.
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