WHO WILL BE IN THE HOLLYWOODBETS DURBAN JULY FINAL FIELD?
David Thiselton
The Hollywoodbets Durban July final field will be selected today (Monday) and announced tomorrow (Tuesday).
The Hollywoodbets Durban July final field announcement and draw ceremony will take place at the Hollywoodbets offices in Umhlanga.
The final field panelists looked to have an impossible task at the beginning of last week and it was made even harder when Trip Of Fortune was supplemented.
However, the subsequent scratching of Cousin Casey and Zapatillas has made their task slightly easier.
Nevertheless, there are going to be one or two gripes as usual after the announcement.
The "final field" includes 20 horses, but two of them are reserves.
It is unlikely in a race of such importance that a reserve gets a run, although it did happen last year when Zapatillas came out allowing Airways Law to line up on the day and he proved a point by finishing sixth, which was good enough for a Tote place payout.
There are only 23 horses still standing this year and the three who have not done enough to improve their qualifying positions from outside the top 20 are Electric Gold, who was second in the Gr 3 London News Stakes and third in both the Gr 2 WSB Gauteng Guineas and Gr 3 Jubilee Stakes; Union Square, who won the prestigious Gr 2 Jonsson Workwear Dingaans Stakes over 1600m and has subsequently finished unplaced in the admittedly ultra strong Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas, but was also unplaced in the recent Gr 3 Hollywoodbets Dolphins Cup Trial; and Aragosta, who has always been thereabouts in his starts this season including a close third in the Gr 1 Betway Summer Cup, but he would have needed to have won either the Gr 3 Lonsdale Stirrup Cup or Saturday's Gr 3 Track & Ball Derby to have improved his position and he only finished third in both events.
The difficulty for the panelists is they put the current joint third favourite for the big race, Pacaya, only at position 20 on the final log.
That was after Pacaya gave Winchester Mansion 2kg and a 0,30 length beating in the Gr 2 WSB 1900.
How can they justify elevating 110-rated Pacaya into a top 18 position if he has not raced since being put in that number 20 position?
Well they can probably justify it by pointing to Winchester Mansion, who was nowhere on the final log, subsequently coming out and easily winning the Gr 3 Hollywoodbets Dolphins Cup Trial by 3,10 lengths.
He was only running off a 103 merit rating in that race, but has been raised to 112.
The horses above Pacaya on the final log were:
- the 118 rated Billy Bowlegs, who won the Gr 3 Sea Cottage Stakes and was third in the Gr 1 WSB SA Classic, second in the Gr 1 WSB SA Derby and a close fourth in the Gr 1 Premier's Champions Challenge.
- the progressive 117-rated Gr 1 Woolavington 2000 runner up Time Flies.
- the 117-rated Silver Darling, winner of last year's Woolavington and third this season in both the Gr 1 Cartier Paddock Stakes and the Woolavington.
- the 116-rated Jimmy Don, runner up in the Gr 1 WSB SA Classic plus Gr 2 and Gr 3 Places over shorter.
- the 117-rated Nebraas, winner of the Gr 3 WSB Caradoc Gold Cup over 2850m and runner up in both the Gr 2 New Turf Carriers Western Cape Stayers over 2800m and in the Gr 2 Colorado King Stakes over 2000m.
There would probably be a public outcry if the joint third favourites Pacaya and Winchester Mansion did not both make the top 18.
In the panelists favour is that both respective races they won, the WSB 1900 and the Hollywoodbets Dolphins Cup Trial, carry a condition that says the winner will be given preferential consideration for the final field.
However, that did not stop them making Cup Trial winner Airways Law the first reserve last year.
Nebraas and Jimmy Don are probably the favourites to be the two reserves based on running unplaced in their last respective starts.
Nebraas was beaten 19,50 lengths in the Gr 3 WSB Gold Bowl over 3200m and Jimmy Don was beaten four lengths when only fifth in the Gr 3 Jubliee Stakes over 1800m.
However, in Jimmy Don's case that was clearly intended as a July preparation outing, and connections will point to him having beaten Billy Bowlegs in the Gr 1 WSB SA Classic.
Nebraas's last run was well below par, but, importantly, the final log was published after that race and he was still placed above Pacaya.
The form of the Gr 1 WSB SA Derby, in which Billy Bowlegs was runner up, has not worked out exceptionally well, but the formlines of the subsequent Gr 1 Premier's Champions Challenge, in which he finished a close fourth, put him ahead of Jimmy Don on their most recent races.
Are the Gr 1 third place finishes Of Silver Darling deemed good enough? In her favour is she comfortably beat Rain In Holland in the Paddock Stakes.
Time Flies has a progressive profile and beat Silver Darling in the Woolavington.
Supplementary entry Trip Of Fortune has never run beyond 1600m, but it would be rare for a July topweight to not make the final field.
The 120-rated Second Base, who was 13th on the final log, was a hair's breadth second in the Gr 1 Premier's Champion's Challenge, but the rest of his form this season has been well below par.
The winners of the automatic qualifying races are See It Again, Puerto Manzano, Rain In Holland, Son Of Raj and Bless My Stars.
The remaining horses vying for 13 places in the top 18 plus two reserves are Trip Of Fortune, Do It Again, Safe Passage, Pomp And Power, Dave The King, Rascallion, Second Base, Without Question, Billy Bowlegs, Times Flies, Silver Darling, Jimmy Don, Nebraas, Pacaya, Winchester Mansion, Electric Gold, Union Square and Aragosta.
Picture: Pacaya and Winchester Mansion, pictured finishing first and second in the Gr 2 WSB 1900, are the joint third favourites for the Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Durban July. But will they be in the top 18 when the final field is announced at Hollywoodbets' Umhlanga Offices tomorrow? (Picture: Candiese Lenferna).
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