Snaith holds aces for Durban July

RUNNERS: RAINBOW BRIDGE, BUNKER HUNT FAVOURITES

Soqrat’s odds slashed to win final race of his career.

Five-year-olds Rainbow Bridge and Do It Again stand out in terms of sheer class and accomplishments in today’s Vodacom Durban July at Greyville, but it’s been 12 long years since a horse aged five or older won the event.

Three- and four-year-olds have dominated since 2008, when then five-year-old Pocket Power snatched a deadheat with year-younger Dancer’s Daughter.

More recently, four-year-olds have ruled the roost, winning four times in the past five years, and it’s on the cards that trend will be extended this afternoon.

Backing handily weighted four-year-olds with a touch of class has regularly proved a successful formula in the July and top Cape trainer Justin Snaith has two such contenders this year in Belgarion and Bunker Hunt, both sons of 2003 July hero Dynasty.

Snaith reckons both runners are extremely well weighted, particularly Belgarion, whose lead-up races have been carefully chosen to ensure he qualified for the July field with as light a weight as possible.

The plan has come together because Belgarion will carry only 53kg, including stable jockey Richard Fourie, this afternoon and if the gelding is half as good as Snaith believes, he will be a tough nut to crack.

Many punters are following Snaith’s advice and the lion’s share of money wagered on the race yesterday with corporate fixed-odds operator Betting World was for Belgarion, who is generally second favourite at 9-2.

The bulk of other bets laid were on 4-1 favourite Rainbow Bridge, Bunker Hunt and trainer Mike de Kock’s charge Soqrat, who was priced up at 20-1 in the early betting.

Soqrat is now at half those odds to win the final race of his career before heading off to enjoy a new career as a stallion.

The graphic below shows TAB win and place payouts at 5pm yesterday for the Durban July. At that stage, Rainbow Bridge was tote favourite, paying R5.60 for a win and R1.30 for a place. The TAB win pool should swell to some R7 million by the time the runners break from the starting gate, but the payouts above are unlikely to alter drastically.

Picture: Candiese Lenferna GOT A CHANCE. Bunker Hunt may not have won past 1 600m, but many believe he is the pick of Justin Snaith’s five horses to win the Durban July at Greyville racecourse this afternoon. Included in those five horses is Do It Again, who is bidding to become the first horse to win the July three times in a row.