The final round of the battle for a place in the Vodacom Durban July field will be fought at Greyville Racecourse on Saturday, 17 June 2016, when the R1-million, Grade 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge over 1 600m and the R250 000, Grade 3 Cup Trial over 1 800m are run.

Champion Legal Eagle and his Sean Tarry stable companion French Navy are among the 19 entries along with nine other big race nominees which include four other July entries from the Tarry yard. With Legal Eagle being declared a doubtful acceptor for the premier event on the first Saturday in July, this could be the race the four-year-old Greys Inn gelding is being aimed at.

Mike Bass has entered his July entry Paterfamilias into this race as well as his star filly Inara that has also been nominated for the R400 000, Grade 2 Tibouchina Stakes on the day.

Of the 36 entries for the Cup Trial, 18 are nominees for the Vodacom Durban July including last year’s runner-up Punta Arenas from the Dennis Drier stable and the Joey Ramsden-trained Australian gelding The Conglomerate that showed he was definitely on the comeback trail with a fourth place behind Solid Speed in the recent Betting World 1900.

Ramsden has also entered the Silvano gelding St Tropez that ran a spectacular race in the Betting World 1900, flying through in the straight to fail by about a head behind Solid Speed.

The runner that split the Ramsden pair in the Betting World 1900 to finish third, the six-year-old Dynasty gelding Dynamic, is also among the nominees for the Cup Trial.

A classy entry of 25 has been received for the Tibouchina Stakes including the Poinsettia Stakes winner from the Dean Kannemeyer yard, Real Princess, and the runner up in that race, Lanner Falcon from the Bass yard. Bass has also entered the Silvano filly Silver Mountain that ran a disappointing race in the Daisy Fillies Guineas and could show her real colours if she takes her place in this race.