July The Target

The traditional Greyville opening salvo in the race for a place in Africa’s greatest race, the R4.25-million, Gr1 Vodacom Durban July, will be fired in the World Sports Betting 1900 at the central Durban  course on Saturday, May 18 and no less than 20 big race candidates have been nominated for the  R500 000, Gr2 event.

Doublemint – could be a dark horse this season (Pic – Chase Liebenberg Photography)

Surprisingly to some, the Justin Snaith star contender, last year’s Vodacom Durban July winner Do It Again, is not among the 28 entries.

The four-year-old Twice Over gelding that followed up his July win with victory in the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate and a flying second in the Sun Met, had initially been nominated for the Independent On Saturday Drill Hall Stakes this Friday as his start to Champions Season.

However, the stable did not go through with that possibility and he will not feature on Friday evening. His only possible testing season opener, unless he is supplemented into the “1900” next Monday, could now only be in the R1-million, Grade 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge over 1 600m or the 1 800m, Grade 3 Cup Trial on June 6.

But there is no shortage of interesting and exciting July contenders among the entries where there are five three-year-olds including the Australian-bred Alyaasaat and the Dynasty gelding Protea Paradise from the Mike de Kock stable and the Sean Tarry-trained Silvano colt Zillzaal.

Tarry has also nominated the Pomodoro gelding Royal Italian and Duncan Howells has entered his three-year-old Gimmethegreenlight colt, Mr Greenlight.

Silva’s Bullet

Dean Kannemeyer has entered his Silvano gelding Silva’s Bullet that ran below general expectations in the Sledgehammer last weekend and Glen Kotzen has nominated Eyes Wide Open that finished an uninspiring fourth in the same race won by the Mike-Azzie-trained Orpheus. Second in that race, the Frank Robinson-trained Roy Had Enough and stable companion Roy’s Riviera, are among the entries for the World Sports Betting 1900.

The Listed East Coast Cup, to be run over 2 000m on the same day, has received 17 entries that include four July nominees of which three – Flichity By Farr, Roy’s Riviera and the Duncan Howells-trained filly Fiorella – are also entries for the main event.