‘Night Sky’ a worthy VDJ favourite
AFRICAN NIGHT SKY came out of his facile Cup Trial win in great shape and, unless there are any surprises when the weights are published tomorrow, he could well start one of the shortest priced Vodacom Durban July favourites this century.
Jono Snaith said at the weekend: “African Night Sky couldn’t be better, he is doing amazingly well and he is going into the July as his third run after a rest.”
The general consensus is that last year’s Winter Series winner is exceptionally well handicapped on a mark of 112.
De Kock
Indeed Mike de Kock calculated on his website last week that the horse’s true rating is more like 121 - and nine points, or 4.5kg, over the July trip is roughly the equivalent of six lengths!
Little wonder that the four-year-old’s price is as short as 18-10 (with Betting World) and 2-1 with World Sports Betting and certain other layers.
The shortest priced July favourite since 2001 was Yard-Arm when he flopped at 8-10 14 years ago.
It is looking odds-against Drill Hall winner Perovskia making the line-up.
Harold Crawford, asked on Saturday how the horse is progressing, produced a photograph of the damaged left fetlock on his phone showing a red circular area with the skin torn off.
He said: “I have got until final declarations on June 25 to make a decision.
“If it hasn’t healed, or nearly healed, by then I will have to scratch him.”
Justin Snaith has Saturday week’s Highlands Stud Winter Derby as well as the July in his sights and he has entered three including Politician winner Doublemint who was third to the unbeaten Rainbow Bridge in the Winter Classic and fourth to him in the Winter Guineas.
Snaith
Snaith is bidding for his third consecutive win in the race but Joey Ramsden, who has already won it three times, has entered the filly Fresnaye who is 4kg toprated even before taking into account the 2.5kg sex allowance.
Third in both the Cape Fillies Guineas and the Paddock Stakes, she won the Stormsvlei Mile last time.
Durban-based owner Mario Ferriera paid the top price of R1 million at Friday evening’s Klawervlei Farm Sale for a Captain Al half-brother to Ramsden’s 2016 Cape Fillies Guineas winner Just Sensual.
No less than 121 of the 126 lots catalogued found buyers at an average of R76 909. COMMENTATOR Sheldon Peters had all a-twitter before the first at Scottsville yesterday, broadcasting that hot favourite Sigismund had been kicked behind the pens.
So adamant was Peters that he asked his television producer to rewind and show the incident.
In his defence, one of the runners did lash out at Sigismund and from the camera angle it did appear to make contact.
Murray
However, rider Callan Murray was unperturbed or unaware of his mount being kicked and continued to circle with the balance of the runners. The incident was relayed to the stipendiary stewards who in turn contacted the starter via twoway radio.
Starter Paul Hepworth and course vet Roehaan Sutherland were both adamant on the radio that, “no horse has been kicked at the start.”
To compound matters, Sigismund
After two weeks in an induced coma, Gunter Wrogemann was finally brought around on Friday.
A fortnight back, Wrogemann had taken a horrific fall and had been kicked in the face.
His wife Sam posted yesterday that for two days he “wasn’t calm and completetley incoherent but by yesterday morning he was fully coherent”.
He had no idea what had happened and that he had been in a coma for two weeks but was hopefully on the mend.
She thanked all for their terrific support.