Share

No surprises for Durban July

Durban - There were no surprises in the selection made by the Gold Circle Board for the final field of the R3.5 million Durban July Handicap to be run over 2200 metres at Greyville on July 5.

In all, 20 horses were chosen, sixteen of which form the final field and four were reserves.

Should there be any scratchings before July 4, the horses would be replaced by the reserves. All reserves would be withdrawn the day before the race.

While it was generally accepted that the low draws had an advantage, records showed that horses could win from any lane. Moreover, this year's field would be the smallest for many years, due to the narrowing of the grass track at Greyville which could now only accommodate 16 runners.

Legislate, one of the favourites, had a wide draw at 14 while Rake's Chestnut, which finished a close second to him in the recent Daily News 2000, had drawn stall gate 5.

Louis The King, only the second horse to win the Triple Crown, finished third in the Daily News 2000 and had drawn stall gate 10. Drawn nearest the inside and scraping in as number 16, was Futura who, earlier, appeared unlikely to make the final line-up but, because of the many scratchings, he had worked his way up the log.

Trainer Geoff Woodruff had the most runners with three starters -- Louis the King, Rake's Chestnut and Tellina -- while Sean Tarry, winner of the last two Julys, had two runners in Halve the Deficit and Whiteline Fever.

Justin Snaith had the favourite Legislate and the crack filly In The Fast Lane and the only other trainer with a dual entry was Brett Crawford with Futura and Captain America.

Last year's winning jockey, Smanga Khumalo would be riding Whiteline Fever.

King of Pain, trained by Joey Ramsden, Capetown Noir (Dean Kannemeyer), Wylie Hall (Aus) (Weiho Marwing), Espumanti (GB) (Mike de Kock), Puna Arenas (Stan Elley), Cherry on the Top (Ormond Ferraris) and Jet Belle (Glen Kotzen) made up the rest of the main field.

Reserves: Readytogorightnow (Snaith), Pomodoro (Tarry), Master Sabina (Woodruff) and Dylan's Promise (Charles Laird).

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
26% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1470 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2248 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE