The Gr 2 Betting World 1900 has long been considered a key preparatory event for the Vodacom Durban July and although the winners over the past 25 years have generally not fared too well in the Big One itself - Bold Silvano is the only horse to have completed the double in this period - it is a race with plenty riding on it, as victory here just about guarantees the winner a July berth. The 2012 edition, to be run at Greyville on Wednesday night, has a typically open look to it and the picture is further complicated by the fact that a number of key participants have drawn wide.

The one to be with may well be Sean Tarry's (pictured) General Sherman. The progressive son of Strike Smartly looked more of a sprinting type early in his career but has blossomed since being tried over more ground and comes into the race on the back two impressive listed victories, the Wolf Power Handicap, over a mile, and the Drum Star Stakes over 1800m. He is pretty handily weighted under 54kg - he races off a mark of 93 but his last two runs suggest he is almost certainly a few points better than that - and the extra 100m, which he encounters for the first time, is unlikely to pose too much of a problem. A dreadful draw is a more pressing concern, but he has a more than capable pilot in Raymond Danielson and his preferred style of running is to drop out early anyway, so starting wide should not prove an insurmountable obstacle. He'll still have to pull out all the stops, as this is the toughest field he's met thus far, but one gets the sense that we haven't yet seen the best of him and he could continue the Tarry yard's rich vein of form.

Stablemate E-Jet is a big threat and it's worth noting that Anton Marcus, who had a few options open to him here, has opted to stick with the son of Jet Master, having ridden him to victory in the Gr 2 Colorado King Stakes two runs back. E-Jet's 3-year-old form indicated that he was not far off the likes of Gr 1 winners Pomodoro and Slumdogmillionaire and his last run, when tiring late into fifth behind Heavy Metal in the Gr 1 Presidents Champions Challenge, was by no means a bad one. He's reasonably well drawn and seems to like racing up with the pace, which won't hurt his chances at this track.

Tarry has a third string to his bow in the capable but rather enigmatic Gold Onyx. A former winner of the Gr 1 Premiers Champion Stakes at this track, Gold Onyx has enjoyed a rather chequered career and seems to have had his share of problems, having only raced three times thus far this season. He's been thereabouts in two small-field Pinnacle efforts coming into this race and although he will need to show more than that to win here, a repeat of his July effort last year, when a creditable seventh, beaten just 2.65 lengths, would bring him right into the mix.

Jet Explorer will have plenty of supporters, as trainer Justin Snaith - like Tarry - is in red-hot form at the moment. The consistent 4-year-old is seldom far off them and packs a serious turn of foot, but he invariably seems to find something to beat him. He is 1kg worse off with Tribal Dance, who shaded him in the listed The Sledgehammer over 1800m last time out and there should not be much between them again. Jet Explorer is a must for the trifecta and quartet, but it remains to be seen whether he can finally get his head in front when it matters in a feature race.

It would be foolish to discount the Mike de Kock challenge in a race such as this and the champion trainer sends out a two-pronged attack. Rock Cocktail won well in handicap company last week and seems to be going the right way, but is still untried at this level and only the race will tell whether he is improving sufficiently rapidly to challenge this lot.
 
Viva Maria, on the other hand, is no stranger to bumping strong company, albeit against her own sex, and it’s worth noting that, in addition to having won the Gr 1 Woolavington 2000 at this track last year, she also finished third to Beach Beauty in the Paddock Stakes in January. Beach Beauty defied a big weight to win this very race last year, so Viva Maria is by no means a no-hoper here. Her last two efforts were uninspiring, but readily forgiven, as she would have found the trip on the sharp side on both occasions. She’s now back over a course and distance that will genuinely suit her, and a wide draw is of little consequence given that she usually races from the front. She’s not too badly weighted and could be a big runner here.

Tribal Dance is an admirable sort who seldom runs a bad race and has taken on some tough opposition, not least when finishing sixth in the J & B Met. He has build up a good feature race record when racing in this sort of class and, despite sharing top weight of 60kg, must be respected from a decent draw. His recent Sledgehammer victory indicated his wellbeing and he is comfortable with both course and distance. 

Straw Market is seldom far off them and, on a line through the likes of General Sherman, E-Jet and Wagner, must have every chance of disputing the finish here. He’s been placed in a number of pinnacle and feature events around this type of trip and wouldn’t be winning out of turn here. However, despite being well-drawn and reasonably well-weighted, there are still some doubts as to whether he can get his head in front when it matters in a big one, and he looks more of a place prospect here.
 
Wagner stunned the Turffontein crowd with an excellent front-running performance when winning the Summer Cup in December and although 4kg up in the weights now, is still not that badly in (at 56kg) for a horse with a win of that stature to his name. His two efforts since then were nowhere near as flashy, but they were prep runs over shorter and he should be closer to peak form now. He looks ideally course and distance suited here, given his front-running style, and is worth taking note of in this line-up.
 
Pessoa is difficult to assess, given his rather inconsistent recent form, but would have to go into larger permutations on his best form. He’s won the Michaelmas Handicap and King’s Cup, so he’s certainly not out of place in this line-up, but he’s also disappointed a few times, notably in the Victory Moon Stakes late last year and in the Sledgehammer last time out, where he drifted alarmingly in the betting and ran accordingly. He’s clearly not the easiest customer to catch right and a lot will depend on whether he brings his A-game to the track.
 
Taipan is the joint-highest rated runner in the race and kicked off the current season in good style, leading to him being spoken off as a J & B Met contender. Things went a bit pear-shaped after that, though, and he comes into race on the back of a trio of disappointing efforts. He’s hinted at genuine ability in the past but is now under pressure to deliver the goods and silence his detractors in the process.

Penhaligon, Fourth Estate and Territorial Waters all come into the race with good recent form but still need to prove they can really mix it at this level.
 
Hammie’s Dynasty and Pacific Dynasty complete the line-up and while the latter was not disgraced last time out when third against her own sex in the Gr 2 Gerald Rosenberg Stakes, their overall form leaves them with a fair bit to do here.
 
It’s a very open contest and one can expect a host of runners to be in contention in the closing stages. The Tarry pair of General Sherman and E-Jet are probably the two to stick with, but Viva Maria is another one with genuine winning claims. Tribal Dance, Jet Explorer and Straw Market should be added for quartet purposes, in a race where one needs to go as wide as possible.