July day supporting races jam-packed with talent
SNOWDANCE. BRILLIANT FILLY IS HOT FAVOURITE FOR GARDEN PROVINCE
Cue The Music, Barahin, Soqrat in Horseshoe mix
The thousands of people packed into Greyville in Durban on 7 July will be treated to an exceptional day’s thoroughbred racing, with seven feature events supporting the country’s premier race, the R4.25-million, Grade 1 Vodacom Durban July.
The supporting programme includes the R1-million, Grade 1 Jonsson Garden Province Stakes for fillies and mares at weight-for-age over 1600m, a famous contest that has attracted 26 fillies and mares this time around.
The star attraction is the muchvaunted daughter of Captain Al, Snowdance, who has narrowly failed to win her two outings in the current KwaZulu-Natal season – going off as a strong favourite on both occasions.
Snowdance, trained by Justin Snaith, was installed as a hot 17-20 favourite when the Garden Province betting opened this week. The next horse on the boards is Dennis Drier-trained Lady In Black at 12-1 – while it is 16-1 and upwards the rest of the field.
Many well-performed fillies and mares, such as Neptune’s Rain, The Secret Is Out, Ngaga, Redberry Lane, Star Express, Premier Dance, Final Judgement and Sylvan On Fire are also entered.
Two races sure to be fiercely contested are the Grade 2 clashes for two-year-olds over 1400m – the Durban Golden Horseshoe and the Golden Slipper – both of which boast packs of young talent.
In the Golden Horseshoe, Dennis Bosch has entered his Oratorio colt Cue The Music, who ran a very good race in the Grade 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion recently, being beaten a neck into second place by Van Halen after not enjoying an easy passage.
Barahin, winner of the Listed Gatecrasher Stakes for Mike de Kock, tops the Golden Horseshoe boards at 4-1, with unbeaten stable companion Soqrat at 5-1. Cue The Music is 11-2.
Among fillies nominated for the Golden Slipper is Sean Tarry-trained Celtic Sea, who was beaten half a length into second place by Mighty High in the Grade 1 Allan Robertson Championship at Scottsville. Fourth in that race, Canukeepitsecret from the Vaughan Marshall stable, is also entered – as are Ronnie’s Candy, winner of the SA Fillies Nursery at Turffontein. –