The return match of the century is on the cards. Last year’s Vodacom Durban July dead-heating winners, Pocket Power and Dancer’s Daughter, head the forty-five strong entries received for Africa’s Greatest Horseracing Event, the 2009 R3 million Grade 1 Vodacom Durban July to be run on Saturday, 4 July, at Greyville Racecourse and the stage looks set for a titanic battle.
The entries were unveiled to the media and invited guests at a festive and well attended Champions Season launch luncheon at Greyville Racecourse yesterday. Guests were entertained to a display of flamboyant dancing highlighting the 2009 Vodacom Durban July theme of ‘Games People Play’.
Racing Director Graeme Hawkins said that Gold Circle was proud to host the greatest racing extravaganza on the African continent and said that Champions Season really was the very best of what South African horseracing had to offer. He went on to express his delight with the first entries received for the Vodacom Durban July and noted that Africa’s Greatest Horserace always attracted the best horses.
Hawkins went on to say that the return match of the two victors of the 2008 race would add plenty of interest, although he warned that it was no secret that every owner and trainer in the country wanted to win the race: “As true professionals, both Mike Bass and Justin Snaith will be aiming to lay to rest the ghost of last year’s tie and will not be resting on their laurels. There is however plenty of depth right through the field and I am pleased to see that the three-year-olds are particularly well represented this year. I also feel that the minor change in conditions, where no penalties can be incurred after 9 June, will give trainers more freedom to approach their programmes positively. I must also thank all the participating connections and particularly those of the optimistic entries. Winning the Vodacom Durban July is, after all, about the realization of dreams,” he said.
Addressing the gathering, Gold Circle KwaZulu-Natal Racing Board Chairman Moga Pillay said that Gold Circle had earmarked R18.4 million to be paid out in feature race stakes during the forthcoming season which comprised 53 feature races, of which sixteen were Grade 1 events. He pointed out that the jewel in the crown was the R3-million Vodacom Durban July and said, Africa’s greatest horseracing event had a magical appeal all of its own and he expected this year’s big raceday on 4 July to be a bumper event in spite of the recession and economic downturn.
Deputy Mayor of Durban Logie Naidoo said that the Vodacom Durban July ranked amongst the five top horseracing events internationally and played a major role in boosting the local economy through tourism spin-offs. He said that as the event was all about horses, people and fashion it had a mass appeal that would ensure its continued growth. He commended Gold Circle and Vodacom on the logistical and marketing effort that went into the planning of this major sporting and social event and said that he was looking forward to attending the race at Greyville on 4 July.
The entries attracted plenty of initial media speculation and discussion and the memory of the 2008 Vodacom Durban July finish, where the record breaking son of champion sire Jet Master, Pocket Power, dead-heated with the flying grey filly from the Justin Snaith yard in the Western Cape, Dancer’s Daughter, will be fresh in the minds of all those that watched the pulsating battle for supremacy in the final two hundred meters of that absorbing battle. The two arch rivals have met only twice since that historic day in July, with Pocket Power taming the lioness in both the Grade 1 Champions Cup and the 2009 J&B Met. Dancer’s Daughter, however, sounded an ominous warning that she is back on the warpath when she travelled North to Gauteng to defy the odds and record a meritorious and impressive win in the Grade 1 Empress Club Stakes at the end of February.
All of South Africa’s top trainers and geographic regions are represented at this early stage with Gauteng based horses making up close to fifty percent of the nominations. Dancer’s Daughter is one of eight members of the fairer sex who have taken the first step to glory, amongst them being Pocket Power’s full sister River Jetez who ran fourth in the big one last year as well as up-and-coming three-year-olds in the shape of the Paul Lafferty trained Goat and Mike de Kock’s talented daughter of Jallad, Zirconeum.
Randjesfontein-based trained Charles Laird has the highest number of entries and has nominated an intriguing group of six horses headed by the unbeaten boom three-year-old Oracy. Sean Tarry has entered a quartet headed by Buy And Sell, who will be having his third attempt to win a prize which has to date eluded his loyal owner Chris Van Niekerk. An interesting inclusion in Tarry’s entries is Dual Alliance, a colt by Second Empire who has had only two career starts, winning his maiden at his second outing in November 2008.
KwaZulu-Natal trainers, which include Mike de Kock, are represented by twelve horses. An interesting inclusion is the Mike Miller-trained daughter of Muhtafal, Outcome. Steve Sturlese’ talented five year old mare has certainly earned a crack at the Vodacom Durban July as she loves the Greyville circuit and has recorded all of her ten wins there.
The full list of entries in alphabetical order is:
HORSE
AGE
TRAINER
ALUMINIUM (ARG)
(4G)
Geoff Woodruff
ALWAYS
(3G)
Charles Laird
BIG CITY LIFE
(3C)
Glen Kotzen
BOUQUET-GARNI
(3G)
Mike de Kock
BUY AND SELL
(5G)
Sean Tarry
CAPTAIN SCOTT
(3C)
Alec Laird
CAPTAIN'S TABLE
(3G)
Dominic Zaki
CASEY'S SON
(4G)
James Butterworth
CATMANDU
(5G)
Andre Kirsten
CROWN OF POWER
(4G)
Charles Laird
DANCER'S DAUGHTER
(5M)
Justin Snaith
DUAL ALLIANCE
(3G)
Sean Tarry
EL PADRINO
(4G)
Dave Goss
FENERBAHCE
(3C)
Gary Alexander
FOREST PATH
(3G)
Mike de Kock
FULL POWER (ARG)
(4G)
Geoff Woodruff
GILMORE GIRL (BRZ)
(3F)
Dylan Cunha
GOAT
(3F)
Paul Lafferty
GYPSY'S WARNING
(3F)
Ormond Ferraris
JUST LIKE AL
(4G)
Brett Crawford
KAPIL
(6G)
Stan Elley
KEEN WARRIOR (NZ)
(5G)
Tony Rivalland
LIKEITHOT
(6G)
Charles Laird
LITTLEREDCORVETTE
(4G)
Glen Puller
LONDON GUEST
(6G)
Tony Rivalland
MAGICAL
(3G)
Ormond Ferraris
METEOR SHOWER (IRE
(6H)
Mike Bass
NECO
(4G)
Sean Tarry
ORACY (NZ)
(3C)
Charles Laird
OUTCOME
(5M)
Michael Miller
PIRATE'S GOLD
(5G)
Glen Kotzen
POCKET POWER
(6G)
Mike Bass
RAY SAUCE
(4G)
Sean Tarry
RIVER JETEZ
(5M)
Mike Bass
ROYAL REZ
(3G)
Tyrone Zackey
SENOR VERSACE
(4G)
Charles Laird
SINGING SWORD
(6H)
Tyrone Zackey
SMART BANKER
(4G)
Charles Laird
SPORTING BOY
(3G)
Alec Laird
SPRING GARLAND
(5M)
Gary Alexander
SURFIN' USA
(5G)
Mark Dixon
THUNDERING JET
(4G)
Mike Bass
TROPICAL EMPIRE (A
(6H)
Duncan Howells
VISION OF GRANDEUR
(5H)
Justin Snaith
ZIRCONEUM
(3F)
Mike de Kock
Please note:
First Supplementary Entries close at 11am on Monday, 4 May 2009
Second Supplementary Entries close at 11am on Monday, 8 June 2009
Weights will be published on Tuesday, 9 June 2009
The final field will be announced live on Tellytrack on Thursday, 18 June 2009
Public Gallops will take place at Greyville Racecourse on Thursday, 25 June 2009
www.championsseason.co.za
www.vodacomdurbanjuly.co.za
ends
Gill Simpkins
