Trainer Sean Tarry and owner Chris van Niekerk notched up their first Vodacom Durban July victory as Pomodoro (SAF), under a brilliant ride from Piere Strydom, nosed out Smanjemanje (SAF) in a heart-stopping finish. Chesalon (SAF) gave jockey Jeff Lloyd yet another third placing in the country's premier race, ahead of the inexperienced Eton Square (SAF) who ran a blinder in fourth.

Vettel broke well and took an early lead but Top Seller, who had drawn very wide, tacked across and committed to setting the pace after the first furlong. Pomodoro, drawn widest of all, eventually slotted nicely into third place, one off the fence, with favoriite Jackson beating his poor draw to get into fourth place on the rails. Beach Beauty and Polar Bound were next best with Chesalon, Eton Square and Smanjemanje racing in midfield.

Top Seller was quickly swallowed up in the straight as Vettel slipped through to the inside and Pomodoro made his bid down the centre. Jackson was perfectly placed to mount a challenge, but it soon became clear that his usual acceleration was not forthcoming and he would struggle to run a place. Chesalon, meanwhile, kicked nicely to the outside with Smanjemanje also running a blinder.

Pomodoro had his nose in front 300m out but looked vulnerable to Vettel and Chesalon on either side. He rallied gamely, though, to shake them off only to then have Smanjemanje lunge in the dying strides. The result was impossible to call with the naked eye and it was only after the replays were shown that it became apparent that Pomodoro had done just enough to win by the proverbial whisker.

Both Tarry and van Niekerk will have found victory particularly sweet after going agonisingly close wiith Buy And Sell who had been beaten by an equally narrow margin in 2007.

As for Strydom, this was yet another demonstration of his outstanding talent as he succeeded in beating the extreme outside draw and coaxing something extra from his mount under extreme pressure. He admitted after the race that he hadn't thought Pomodoro was suited to the tight Greyville track and was worried about making too much use of his mount early on to beat the draw. Even in the straight, he had thought he might only run a place. He paid tribute to Tarry for having the winner turned out exceptionally well and his words were well borne out by the way Pomodoro found tremendous reserves when the heat was on.

This was certainly a win full of merit, as Pomodoro did plenty of hard work early on to get across, found the lead early in the straight, and still managed to rally when looking beaten at one stage. There's never been any doubt that he is a talented horse, especially after his flying finish in the SA Classic, where he would have won in another stride. His recent failure in the Daily News 2000 had put many off, but that was clearly not his form, and he chose the best possible stage on which to redeem himself.

Right now, he looks to have any number of options open to him. As a Derby winner, he can stay, but he also has the speed to drop back in trip. He is capable of a serious turn of foot and can race handy or come from off the pace. It will be interesting to see what path his connections map out for him, as an international campaign must surely be a real temptation.

The result represented another Gr 1 triumph for super-sire Jet Master and underlined - yet again - what a crushing blow his untimely death was for the sport.

One has to feel sympathy for Smanjemanje's connections. Tyrone Zackey prepped him brilliantly and young Grant van Niekerk rode the race of his life. It would have been by far the biggest success of their respective careers. As for the horse himself, he has come on in leaps and bounds since being gelded and his Gauteng form was hard to fault. He was still written off in many quarters - including in these columns - but he certainly made his detractors eat humble pie here.

Chesalon proved to be the pick of the Mike Bass runners and, as with all the horses in the first six, emerged with plenty of credit. He was conceding 3kg to the winner and showed here that he is a very capable Gr 1 performer. He's always had a touch of class about him and it was surprising, given his perfect preparation and the presence of Lloyd in the irons, that he was allowed to go off in double figures. If this effort hasn't taken too much out of him, he looks a big runner in the Champions Cup. Lloyd had a successful day anyway, having won the Gr 1 Golden Horseshoe an hour earlier, but he must be wondering what he needs to do to win the July after finishing third for the umpteenth time.

Eton Square vindicated trainer Gavin van Zyl's bold move in throwing him into the deep end. This was only his fifth career start and, on this evidence, he is going to win his share of big ones.

Solo Traveller deserves a mention for a fine effort in fifth. His form coming into the race was uninspiring, not to mention his stamina doubts, but there was nothing wrong with this run. Stablemate Vettel was also not disgraced, only beaten late for finishing speed, and more will be heard of him.

With the first four finishers starting in double figures, the result represented the biggest upset in recent memory. Inevitably, most of the post-race focus would have been on Jackson's failure to raise a gallop, beating only three horses home. As it turned out, the pre-race concerns about jockey Karis Teetan's inexperience proved unfounded, as he got his mount into a decent position and there was nothing to stop him winning at the top of the straight. The favourite simply never travelled as smoothly as he had done in his previous races and he clearly wasn't at his best. He's too good a horse to write off on the back of a single failure and he'll be back to fight another day.

3 b c Jet Master - Golden Apple by Northern Guest (USA)
Winning owner: Mr C J H van Niekerk
Bred by Mr C J H Van Niekerk

Winning trainer: Sean Tarry

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