Splittheeights out of Durban July, Snaith trio top the betting
Splittheeights has sensationally been scratched from the Group 1 Durban July, with the 22-1 shot and bottom weight having attracted strong interest heading into the South African racing feature.
In total, there were 19 scratchings announced for the July 4 Durban July, while the much-anticipated Festival Of Speed meeting at Scottsville has also attracted a quality cast despite several prominent non-entries.
The biggest shock scratching from the Hollywoodbets Durban July was the Mike and Mathew de Kock-trained Splittheeights, who won the Gauteng Guineas Group 2 and was an eye-catching running-on third in the SA Classic Group 1. He was set to carry bottom weight of 52kg in the Durban July, which put him in with a strong chance.
The other most notable scratchings are two females, the Candice Bass-trained Rainbow Lorikeet and the James Crawford-trained Reet Petite, although this might simply be due to there being the Ridgemont Garden Province Stakes Group 1 on the same day as the Hollywoodbets Durban July Group 1.
Justin Snaith currently holds the top top three places in Durban July betting, with Note To Self, See It Again and Eight On Eighteen all priced at 6.25 with Hollywoodbets (HollywoodBets review).
Nieuwenhuizen-trained Pressonregardless wins Pinnacle Stakes race
David Nieuwenhuizen-trained Pressonregardless, an admirable long-striding Lancaster Bomber gelding, won a Pinnacle Stakes race over 1800m under a fine ride by Craig Zackey at Turffontein on Sunday.
However, the Mike and Mathew de Kock-trained Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas Group 1 winner Jan Van Goyen was eye-catching and was having his first run as a gelding. The three-year-old faced Pressonregardless at level weights, which put him 2.5kg worse off than weight for age.
Jan Van Goyen, priced at about 14.50 with South African betting sites, looked ominous at the top of the straight as he was still being held together and began moving up strongly.
However, champion jockey elect Craig Zackey showed what a deserved champion he would be by riding a brilliant tactical race in which he led from start to finish, an unusual style for Pressonregardless, who usually comes from off the pace.
“Being a small field and knowing Jan Van Goyen’s going to need it, I said I’m doing everything different today, I’m going to go and I’m going to pick it up at the top of the straight and go out, so the whole field hits that wind together, no one’s going to hide and creep up behind me,” Zackey said.
The tactics worked well because Jan Van Goyen could not find a clear run until eventually having to switch to the inside, where he faced the brunt of the wind.
He only lost by 0.80 lengths with all that, plus the weight against him, so this smart son of Master Of My Fate looks to be back on track after two disappointing runs in the Group 1 L’Ormarins King’s Plate and the Group 1 Wilgerbosdrift HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes respectively.
The race served as a good preparation race for the Durban July, although he will likely have another run before then.
Impressive De Kock runner wins on debut in Maiden
The De Kock yard had an impressive debut winner in the first race on Sunday, a Maiden Juvenile Plate over 1000m. The Rafeef colt Haute Couture ran out a 10.5-length winner under Callan Murray and looks the part.
Haute Couture comes from the family of the Mike de Kock-trained Equus Horse Of The Year Ilha Da Vitoria. He himself is out of a one-time-winning Var mare called Isle De France, who is in turn out of Ilha Da Vitoria’s SA Oaks Group 2-winning daughter Ilha Bela.
The way he won made it no surprise to see him entered for the Gold Medallion Group 1 at Hollywoodbets Scottsville at the Festival Of Speed meeting on May 23, for which first entries were on Monday.
The Gold Medallion is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated races of the South African racing season, with the exciting Rich Man’s World among the entries, but it is disappointing to see the crack colt Turn It Up not among them. Nevertheless, Haute Couture’s entry keeps the race interesting.
Also from the Turffontein Sunday meeting, the De Kock-trained Rafeef filly Flower Island is now unbeaten in two starts after winning the 4Racing SA Sales Cup for fillies over 1160m under Callan Murray by an easy two lengths from the Mano Pandaram-trained Kavady.
Both horses are among the Allan Robertson entries at the Festival Of Speed meeting, although that race is now a Group 2. They join the likes of the Sean Tarry-trained Pretty Polly Stakes Group 3 winner Get Up among the entries.
The Fabian Habib-trained Gimmethegreenlight colt Gimme Some Luck beat the Bo Ngcobo-trained SA Nursery winner Better Never Ends in the 4Racing Sales Cup over 1160m, ridden by Muzi Yeni. The favourite Heath House did not quite see out the trip, not surprisingly considering his exceptional speed, and he lost his unbeaten record in third place. Only Better Never Ends is among the Gold Medallion entries of the first three in that race.
Later, King Harald, the classy Roy Magner-trained Erik The Red colt, beat the promising Tarry-trained Fire Storm to win the Secretariat Stakes Listed over 1400m for three-year-olds, despite carrying joint topweight of 61kg under Richard Fourie and giving the runner-up 2kg.
Back to the Festival Of Speed entries, champion mare Double Grand Slam is entered in the SA Fillies Sprint Group 1 and will try to exact revenge on last year’s winner Mia Moo after suffering terrible luck when unplaced in that race.
The Golden Horse Sprint Group 2 has a number of interesting entries, including Group 1 winner Cosmic Speed, useful three-year-old One Eye On Vegas and last year’s winner Tenango.
