Sergeant Hardy marches to new odds
JUSTIN SNAITH, odds-on to win a third Vodacom Durban July with one of his five runners in the great race, has the favourite in a third of the 12 races at Greyville on Saturday.
In addition to African Night Sky (2-1 in the big one), Betting World makes Sergeant Hardy 5-2 for the tabGold Pinnacle, Platinum Prince 7-2 in the Betting Word 2200 and Snowdance a prohibitive 1-2 for the Jonsson Workwear Garden Province.
Interestingly two of those who didn’t make the cut for the July’s final field head the market in their respective consolation races.
It’s My Turn
The Dean Kannemeyer-trained It’s My Turn is 4-1 favourite for the DStv Gold Vase and Perovskia is 5-1 joint favourite with Cape Derby winner Eyes Wide Open in the concluding Greyville Convention Centre Handicap.
Jeff Lloyd will have his final South African ride on Harold Crawford’s Drill Hall winner.
World Sports Betting, which has Snaith at 11-20 to win the July, quotes Sean Tarry next best at 15-2 and goes 10-1 Brett Crawford, 11-1 Paul Peter, 12-1 Mike and Adam Azzie,22-1 Paul Lafferty, 25-1 Mike de Kock, 33-1 and upwards others.
WSB is even betting on which horse finishes last. Secret Potion and the Snaithtrained Star Express share an unenviable favouritism at 9-2 while other leading contenders are the 11-2 shots Gold Standard, Liege, Fiorella and Rocket Countdown.
The threat by the Public Servants Association union to stage a protest at the meeting over Markus Jooste’s possible involvement has proved to be an empty one.
Last Friday the PSA issued a press release stating that it had written to both the National Horseracing Authority and Vodacom stating that horses linked to Jooste should not be allowed to run, with general manager Ivan Fredericks saying: “Vodacom, as an international brand, has a responsibility to society not to be associated with, or perceived to be purporting, the unethical behaviour that Mr Jooste is known for.” However there is not one horse in the 12 races owned or partowned either by Jooste or his Mayfair Speculators racing company.
Most of the PSA’s 240,000-plus members belong to the Government Employees Pension Fund which invested heavily in Steinhoff International and which has seen its investment virtually wiped out by the collapse in share price since Jooste’s shock resignation as ceo last December.
Last Friday the company published its results for the first time since Jooste’s departure.
These show a total loss for the six months to March 31 of R9.6 billion.
It was also revealed that the total value of overstated assets, coupled with the reversal of non arms-length transactions, was R98 billion.
Even in international terms this is a staggering figure.
Smart Call
(6€ .1 bil lion)
Smart Call won for the first time since her triumph in the 2016 Met when scoring at Newcastle on Friday evening.
The ten furlong Stobbart Energy Hoppings Fillies Stakes was her ninth race since leaving South Africa and was only a Group 3, and on the all-weather at that, but she quickened well when looking boxed in to lead inside the final furlong and justify 7-4 favouritism.
She was ridden by Jim Crowley for Sir Michael Stoute.