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Capacity field for South Africa’s great race
Jul 30 2010
South Africa’s answer to the Melbourne Cup, the Durban July, has always attracted outstanding fields – but this year looks like a once in a decade lineup as the country’s best young horses take on several proven superstars.
This Saturday’s Group 1 Durban July brings together a capacity field of 20 and the entries are so strong that the legendary Pocket Power has not been in the first three in the market for the past month. He will, of course, carry topweight in the 2200m Greyville feature.
Nominal favouritism belongs to the brilliant Irish Flame but the Dynasty colt will need to be every bit the champion he is being heralded to win the race with a hefty 56 kg for a three-year-old. He is the winner of his past three starts, following up a remarkable nine and a half length win over the brilliant Pierre Jourdan with a narrow but emphatic victory over Bold Silvano and a strong win in the South African Derby.
High-class three-year-olds Bold Silvano and Orbison are also expected to be well suited by the 2000m trip and outstanding four-year-old Fort Vogue has been the subject of heavy support over the past week and could even press for favouritism.
Last year’s winner, champion mare River Jetez, is also in the right form to claim and historic double, while Rudra and Aslan are quality gallopers ideally suited at the conditions.
The race has many chances, several outstanding gallopers and one or two potential champions but only one turf immortal – Pocket Power. And while the great seven-year-old has been beaten at his past two starts, he has been close enough at the end of 1600m behind Big City Life and 1800m behind Orbison to suggest he will be ideally suited at his fourth run from a spell over the 2200m trip.
This Saturday’s Greyville meeting features three Group 1 races – the Durban July and the two-year-old double of the Thekwini Stakes and Premier’s Champion Stakes.
Shane McNally
All times quoted on this web site are based on scheduled race start times.
Sky Sports Radio endeavours to provide correct and up-to-date data, though it is possible to encounter inaccuracies throughout the day due to unforeseen delays at the track.
