Pierre Jourdan headed the weights for the big race on the first Saturday of July with favourite Jackson allocated a hefty 57kgs, just 3 kgs off the top, however in saying that he is also only 5 kgs off the bottom weight who are ironically another Brett Crawford inmate, Thunder Dance and De Kock's Atlantic Oak.

Mike de Kock has scratched his three-year-old gelding Silver Flyer from the race after the son of Silvano failed to feature in the Grade 3 Cup Trial over 1 800m at Clairwood on Saturday. The gelding, that had been one of the runners expected to feature strongly in the race, could only finish in 11th place with just two runners behind him. De Kock also scratched all of  Main Dane, Safwan, Right Beauty, Mozart's Giovanni, Red Barrel, Empenoso Henn, Flirtation, Checcetti and Berry Blaze.

Also taken out yesterday was the Joey Ramsden-trained Bravura with both horses having been in the top 20 on the Vodacom Durban July Log. No reason was given for either withdrawal.

The day also saw De Kock supplementing the three-year-old Jet Master filly Viva Maria into the race which came as no surprise after the filly thrashed the opposition in the R500 000, Grade 1 Woolavington 2000 at Greyville on June 2.

Also supplemented into the race was the Gavin van Zyl-trained three-year-old Eton Square that won the Grade 2 Betting World Jubilee Handicap over 1 800m at Turffontein on Sunday. The Miesque’s Approval gelding bred by Scott Bros had only run three times before the race for two seconds and a first and in winning the Betting World Jubilee Handicap he beat a number of Vodacom Durban July candidates.

His merit rating has been boosted from an 88 to 101 and as an improving three-year-old with obvious talent, he could challenge for a place in the final field.

HORSE A/S WGT M/R TRAINER

0 PIERRE JOURDAN (5G) 60.0 114 B Gary Alexander

0 TALES OF BRAVERY (5G) 59.5 113 Vaughan Marshall

0 CASTLETHORPE (AUS) (4G) 59.0 112 Mike Bass

0 BEACH BEAUTY (4F) 58.0 110 Dennis Drier

0 CHESALON (4G) 58.0 110 Mike Bass

0 ILSANPIETRO (BRZ) (5G) 57.5 109 C Mike de Kock

0 SEAL (4G) 57.5 109 B Gavin van Zyl

0 JACKSON (3C) 57.0 116 Brett Crawford

0 POLAR BOUND (4G) 57.0 108 Brett Crawford

0 SMANJEMANJE (5G) 57.0 108 B Tyrone Zackey

0 ENGLISH GARDEN (4G) 56.5 107 Mike Bass

0 TOP SELLER (4C) 56.5 107 B Vaughan Marshall

0 GALANTHUS (5G) 56.0 106 Tyrone Zackey

0 GOLD ONYX (NZ) (4G) 56.0 106 Sean Tarry

0 LION IN WINTER (5G) 56.0 106 Joey Ramsden

0 SOLO TRAVELLER (4G) 56.0 106 Mike de Kock

0 BULSARA (5G) 55.5 105 B Gavin van Zyl

0 SAGE THRONE (4G) 55.5 105 Colin Scott

0 POMODORO (3C) 55.0 108 Sean Tarry

0 ROYAL BENCHER (3G) 55.0 108 Alec Laird

0 GALILEO'S DESTINY (4C) 55.0 104 Mike de Kock

0 JET JAMBOREE (4C) 55.0 104 Dominic Zaki

0 CAPTAIN'S WILD (5G) 54.0 102 Mike de Kock

0 HOUSE OF WAX (4G) 54.0 102 B Geoff Woodruff

0 TRIBAL DANCE (3C) 53.5 105 Vaughan Marshall

0 VETTEL (ARG) (3C) 53.5 105 Mike de Kock

0 VIVA MARIA (3F) 53.5 105 Mike de Kock

0 GORONGOSA (IRE) (5M) 53.5 101 B Mike de Kock

0 ILHA BELA (3F) 53.0 104 Mike de Kock

0 ZAMBUCCA (3C) 53.0 104 Saeed Mohideen

0 WHITELINE FEVER (3G) 53.0 103 Sean Tarry

0 ASTRO NEWS (3G) 53.0 102 Greg Ennion

0 GOLDEN CHATEAU (AU (3C) 53.0 102 B Mike de Kock

0 ETON SQUARE (3G) 53.0 101 Gavin van Zyl

0 BAY ROUTE (5G) 53.0 100 Deon Visser

0 PRINCESS OF LIGHT (4F) 53.0 100 Geoff Woodruff

0 SOUL MASTER (4G) 53.0 100 Geoff Woodruff

0 MASTER PLAN (3G) 53.0 99 Greg Ennion

0 BUY AND SELL (8G) 53.0 97 Sean Tarry

0 TAIPAN (3C) 53.0 97 Dean Kannemeyer

0 ICE DIAMOND (5G) 53.0 91 Glen Puller

0 EXTRA COVER (5G) 53.0 87 Alec Laird

0 GREY COSSACK (5G) 53.0 84 Herman Brown/Frank Robinson

0 CANTERBURY TALE (3G) 53.0 80 Mike de Kock

0 IRON GREY (4G) 53.0 78 Mike de Kock

0 THUNDER DANCE (3F) 52.0 102 Brett Crawford

0 ATLANTIC OAK (GB) (5M) 52.0 98 Mike de Kock

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