Last chance for July
A COMPACT field of nine runners, including the exciting three-year-old filly Snowdance, will face the starter for the R1-million, Grade 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge over 1 600m at Greyville on Saturday where a total of 10 Vodacom Durban July hopefuls will feature on the programme in a final bid for a place in the premier event on July 7.
Just three July contenders will compete in the Rising Sun Gold Challenge with the other seven running in the R300 000, Grade 3 Cup Trial over 1 800m which has a field of 12 that includes current favourite African Night Sky.
Snowdance, the Justin Snaith-trained winner of the Cape Fillies Guineas and the Majorca Stakes before being upstaged in the Daisy Fillies Guineas at Greyville by Fiorella, is supported in the race by stable companion Copper Force but the pair face a formidable team of three from the Brett Crawford yard comprising Captain America, Sail South and Undercover Agent. None are July entries but all three are highly accomplished in their careers with the three-year-old just being touched off by Perovskia in the Independent On Saturday Drill Hall Stakes and the other two finishing within a length of Legal Eagle in the Grade 1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate.
The Grade 3 Cup Trial will be followed with great interest with July favourite African Night Sky in the field. This four-year-old Dynasty gelding was just touched off by Star Express in a Pinnacle Stakes race over 1 600m in his only local run this season but is highly rated on his exposed ability and as long as he gives a good account of himself on Saturday his July place is secure.
Among his opposition is the Russian Sage gelding Perovskia from the Harold Crawford stable who caused an upset when winning the Independent On Saturday Drill Hall Stakes and the Querari gelding Head Honcho who has won his last three starts including the Sledgehammer.
Betting on the Grade 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge over 1 600m at Greyville on Saturday:
12-10 SNOWDANCE; 3-1 CAPTAIN AMERICA; 9-2 UNDERCOVER AGENT; 8-1 SAIL SOUTH; 10-1 COPPER FORCE; 14-1 GOLD STANDARD; 16-1 LIEGE, TRIP TO HEAVEN; 40-1 ROY HAD ENOUGH
Final field for the R1-million Rising Sun Gold Challenge (Grade 1) over 1 600m at Greyville on Saturday
1 - 4 CAPTAIN AMERICA (B Crawford) C Orffer 60.0 - 124
2 - 1 SAIL SOUTH (B Crawford) B Fayd'Herbe 60.0 123
3 - 8 GOLD STANDARD (G S Kotzen) R Fourie 60.0 - 117
4 - 9 COPPER FORCE (S J Snaith) C Murray 60.0 - 111
5 - 6 LIEGE (S G Tarry) CARD SCRATCHING 60.0 110
6 - 7 TRIP TO HEAVEN (S G Tarry) S Khumalo 60.0 110
7 - 2 UNDERCOVER AGENT (B Crawford) L Hewitson 58.5 - 111
8 - 5 ROY HAD ENOUGH (F Robinson) S Veale 58.5 - 107
9 - 3 SNOWDANCE (S J Snaith) G van Niekerk 56.0 - 114
Same Trainer: (1,2,7) (4,9) (5,6) -