Anton Marcus is the Vodacom Durban July record-holder, with five victories in the race spanning back to Dancing Duel in 1993.
He also won on El Picha (2000), Dunford (2005), Hunting Tower (2007) and Do It Again, last year.
Marcus rides Hawwaam on Saturday and is probably best positioned to provide insight into a likely outcome.
That’s because he has partnered fourteen of the eighteen runners – the only 2019 renewal prospects that he has never ridden are Tilbury Fort, Lady In Black, Camphoratus and Zillzaal.