Super seven for top trainer
That time of year is almost upon us and when the 20 horse field for the country’s greatest horse race, the Vodacom Durban July, was announced at Greyville’s Classic Room, champion trainer Mike de Kock – yet again – stole the headlines.
De Kock has no less than seven runners in this year’s race and a number of top contenders. The two Mikes, Mike de Kock and Mike Bass, have more than half the field between them.
The race will be run on July 31 this year instead of the traditional first Saturday of July, to accommodate the 2010 World Cup.
While there was joy and a fair share of disappointment as the selection was announced, and the draw for position made, De Kock’s entries showed his dominance in both numbers and quality. There’s a huge buzz around Irish Flame, the early favourite, a De Kock horse which was drawn in gate 6, while Bold Silvano, to be saddled by Anthony Delpesch, will jump from gate 2 and Rudra (19) is also fancied. Mike Bass has two horses with proven quality, Pocket Power (17) and this year’s J&B met winner River Jetez (9), to be piloted by Jeff Lloyd, although there are question marks over Pocket Power’s finishing power at the age of seven.
Final field with draw in brackets
1(17) Pocket Power (Mike Bass)
2(19) Rudra (Mike de Kock)
3(4) Fabiani (Glen Kotzen)
4(6) Irish Flame (Mike de Kock)
5(11) Fort Vogue (Mike Bass)
6(2) Bold Silvano (Mike de Kock)
7(16) Orbison (Herman Brown)
8(7) Red Rake (Mike de Kock)
9(13) Ancestral Fore (Mike de Kock)
10(9) River Jetez (Mike Bass)
11(10) Aslan (Sean Tarry)
12(5) Love Is In The Air (Mike Bass)
13(14) Happy Valley (Mike de Kock)
14(15) Captain Scott (Alec Laird)
15(20) Lizarre (Mike de Kock)
16(12) Russian Sage (Justin Snaith)
17(18) Flying Tristram (Charles Laird)
18(1) Service Ace (Mike Azzie)
19(8) Vertical Takeoff (Sean Tarry)
20(3) Goat (Paul Lafferty)