Local contender See It Again tops the log and the betting for Durban July

Not many racing fans can remember when last a KwaZulu-Natal-based horse topped a Durban July log – or for that matter headed the July betting boards.

There might have been one or two fancied KZN runners since the host province last produced a winner of its famous race – Space Walk in 1992 – but they don’t spring readily to mind.

So, publication of the 2023 Hollywoodbets Durban July log this week was a notable moment. Right at the top of the rankings is See It Again, a promising three-year-old trained at Summerveld by former jockey Michael ‘Muis’ Roberts. Come to think of it, it’s a long time since even the great Muis had anything to do with a July favourite.

Last week the race sponsors installed See It Again as a weak 6-1 July favourite, in a very uncertain market.

See It Again’s merit rating was shoved up a whopping 20 points – from 104 to 124 – after he delivered a 50-1 shock in February’s Grade 1 Cape Derby at Kenilworth. Prior to that he’d won only two races, and his two Cape season warm-ups were moderate. But he clearly relished the Derby’s 2000m and upset boom youngster Charles Dickens.

Charles Dickens exacted revenge 10 days ago in the KZN Guineas at Greyville, but See It Again nonetheless shone as a fast-finishing runner-up over a trip that now looks sharp for him.

Other contenders

Charles and his 132 MR are skipping the July, so Muis’s boy finds himself numero uno. Second on the July log is Joburg breeker Puerto Manzano with an MR of 123, ahead of two three-year-old Highveld raiders in Anfields Rocket and Son Of Raj, on 120 and 115 respectively.

Pacaya, one of Cape Town maestro Justin Snaith’s five entries on the log, is the 20th and last name on the list following his good win in the Greyville 1900 at the weekend – for which effort he was bumped from 104 to 110.

As it stands, Pacaya’s July weight would be a very handy 53kg – quite an advantage over the year-younger See It Again and his mandatory top weight of 60kg.

There are, of course, still six weeks to go to the July, and just over four until the final field is announced, so there’s time for the 28 hopefuls not on the first log to elbow their way into contention – including in the Daily News 2000 on 27 May.

Entries for this Grade 1 were unveiled this week and See It Again once again topped the charts – due to the mildly surprising absence of Charles Dickens. The latter’s trainer, Candice Bass-Robinson, has concluded that her superstar has a stamina cap at the moment and his targets for the KZN season will be the 1600m Gold Challenge and the 1800m Champion Stakes.

The Daily News will still boast a strong line-up, with See It Again likely to be taking on Cousin Casey, Anfields Rocket, Son Of Raj, Without Question and Dave The King in what will be a major testing ground for the three-year-old July candidates.

Hollywoodbets Durban July log (on 16 May 2023)

Position, name, age, gender, trainer, merit rating

1 SEE IT AGAIN (3C) Michael Roberts 124

2 PUERTO MANZANO (ARG) (5G) J A Janse van Vuuren 123

3 ANFIELDS ROCKET (3G) Grant Maroun 120

4 SON OF RAJ (3G) Weiho Marwing 115

5 BLESS MY STARS (3F) Sean Tarry 109

6 DO IT AGAIN (8G) Justin Snaith 124

7 POMP AND POWER (4G) Justin Snaith 124

8 SAFE PASSAGE (4G) Mike de Kock 124

9 COUSIN CASEY (3C) Glen Kotzen 122

10 DAVE THE KING (3C) Mike de Kock 122

11 RASCALLION (5G) Vaughan Marshall 122

12 ZAPATILLAS (4C) Brett Crawford 122

13 RAIN IN HOLLAND (4F) Sean Tarry 120

14 SECOND BASE (5G) Robyn Klaasen 120

15 SILVER DARLING (4F) Justin Snaith 120

16 WITHOUT QUESTION (3G) Justin Snaith 119

17 BILLY BOWLEGS (3C) Alec Laird 118

18 JIMMY DON (3C) Erico Verdonese 116

19 NEBRAAS (6G) Sean Tarry 117

20 PACAYA (4G) Justin Snaith 110

Second declaration: close 11am Monday 29 May 2023

Final suppl entries: close 11am Tuesday 13 June 2023

Weights published: Tuesday 13 June 2023

Final declaration: close 11am Monday 19 June 2023

Final field and draw announcement: Tuesday 20 June 2023