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SOUTH AFRICA: Cherry On The Top New July Favourite

Cherry On The Top has been promoted to favouritism for the Vodacom Durban July after the Triple Tiara winning three-year-old was supplemented to the premier G1 event.

Capetown Noir<br>Photo by Liesl King
Capetown Noir
Photo by Liesl King

Betting World priced up the Ormond Ferraris-trained filly at 4-1, usurping Vercingetorix at the top of the market for South Africa's most famous race.

The top four in the betting are three-year-olds with Vercingetorix now at 7-1, Capetown Noir at 15-2 and Yorker at 10-1.

The older trio of Run For It, Jackson and Pomodoro are at 16-1.

However Brett Crawford has warned that while he is attempting to get Jackson ready for the July, the horse was currently “behind schedule” and no certainty to be a starter

Jackson, who ran favourite in the July last year, is being taken care of by the Dennis Drier yard at Summerveld.

Drier is likely to scratch Beach Beauty from the July in preference for the G1 Grade Province for mares on the same day.

While Cherry On The Top is favourite she will have a difficult task at the weights as the race currently stands.

The highest merit horse in the field is last year’s winner Pomodoro on 113 with Cherry On The Top, who is merit rated 112, to carry the maximum weight for a three-year-old filly of 56kg.

Capetown Noir, merit rated 110, will carry 56,5kg and Vercingetorix, merit rated 107, will carry 55kg.

Ormond Ferraris has never won the July although his son David won the big race twice in 1997 and 1998 with Super Quality and Classic Flag.

Ormond’s last attempt at the July was in 2007 with Natural Selection, who dead-heated with Pocket Power for fourth.

Mike de Kock said that July second favourite Vercingetorix was doing well at Summerveld and his next start would be the G1 Daily News 2000 on June 4.

Geoff Woodruff has also supplemented his promising three-year-old colt Master Sabina for the Durban July, bringing his number of July entries up to seven.

Master Sabina has only had four starts and has won the last three.

Woodruff said: “He needs to do more, but we’ve put him in just in case he puts his hand up.”

Master Sabina will run in a handicap in Johannesburg before the G3 Betting World Jubilee Handicap over 1800m on June 9 at Turffontein, a race that is traditionally a last gasp qualifier for July hopefuls.

Woodruff's leading pair are the three-year-olds Yorker and Tellina with both set to run next in the Daily News 2000.

This will be a vital race for Yorker as he has had only five starts for three impressive wins in a maiden and two handicaps and needs to improve his current merit rating of 102 as it leaves him outside of the top 30 on the log.

Tellina won the G2 Gauteng Guineas and was then unlucky in the G1 SA Classic over 1800m when struck on the face before failing by only a short head.

He started favourite for the G1 SA Derby when he came from last, as he did in Gauteng Guineas, to finish fourth

Woodruff said Lockheed Jetstar would not be ready for the July as he had strained a suspensory ligament and he also was not enthusiastic about the chances of Sabadell qualifying for the race.

Woodruff's three-year-old filly Do You Remember, who finished second to the ruling July favourite Cherry On The Top in all three legs of the Triple Tiara, will go for the G1 Woolavington 2000 on June 4 and would likely have to win it to get into the July.

She is merit rated 101 and is among 10 horses just outside of the top 20 on the July log.

Woodruff's four-year-old gelding Red Fort has only had three starts but they include an impressive 14.25 length victory in an 1800m maiden and a third behind subsequent G1 winner Master Plan in last season's G2 Betting World Derby over 2400m at Clairwood.

That was his last run as he required surgery to remove a chip from his near fore fetlock.

Woodruff is likely to use the Jubilee as his qualifying race if he does decide to make a July bid.

R3.5 million Vodacom Durban July
Group One 2200m at Greyville Saturday July 6

Merit Rating Log as at May 20

1 POMODORO Sean Tarry 113
2 HILL FIFTY FOUR Vaughan Marshall 112
3 BEACH BEAUTY Dennis Drier 112
4 HEAVY METAL Sean Tarry 111
5 JACKSON Brett Crawford 113
6 THUNDER DANCE Brett Crawford 106
7 SHOGUNNAR Gavin van Zyl 106
8 CHERRY ON THE TOP Ormond Ferraris 112
9 WAGNER Joe Soma 99
10 TRIBAL DANCE Vaughan Marshall 107
11 WHITELINE FEVER Sean Tarry 109
12 CAPETOWN NOIR Dean Kannemeyer 110
13 VERCINGETORIX Mike de Kock 107
14 WYLIE HALL (AUS) Weiho Marwing 98
15 LOVE STRUCK Paul Lafferty 103
16 TELLINA Geoff Woodruff 103
17 GOTHIC Kumaran Naidoo 97
18 WILD ONE Jeff Freedman 95
19 KNOCK ON WOOD Ormond Ferraris 107
20 SEAL Gavin van Zyl 108
21 E-JET Sean Tarry 104
22 MASTER PLAN Alec Laird 110
23 SANSHAAWES Mike de Kock 99
24 DO YOU REMEMBER Geoff Woodruff 101
25 KING OF PAIN Joey Ramsden 104
26 RUN FOR IT Justin Snaith 106
27 PATRIOTIC REBEL Mike de Kock 95
28 PUNTA ARENAS Stan Elley 100
29 VIVA MARIA Mike de Kock 102
30 LIANCOURT ROCK (AUS) Dean Kannemeyer 102

Betting World Ante Post Market

4-1 Cherry On The Top 7-1 Vercingetorix, Capetown Noir 10-1 Yorker, 16-1 Run For It, Jackson, Pomodoro 20-1 Tellina, Hill Fifty Four, Sanshaawes, 25-1 Liancourt Rock 33-1 Tribal Dance, Beach Beauty, Patriotic Rebel, Heavy Metal, Do You Remember 40-1 Wylie hall, Cherry On The Cake, General Sherman, King Of Pain, 45-1 Love Struck 50-1 Whiteline Fever, 66-1 Knock On Wood, Wild One, Shogunnar, Thunder Dance, Master Plan, Pessoa, Abercrombie, E. Jet, Ice Machine, 75-1 Astro News 100-1 and upwards others.

 


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