Do It Again Goes for Durban July Repeat

While the favorites for the July 6 Vodacom Durban July (G1) are well drawn, their trainers have some other concerns heading into Africa's iconic racing event.

Do It Again, last year's winner, will try to do it again from gate 10 while the general favorite, Hawwaam, will leave from gate 3. Rainbow Bridge, winner of the Sun Met Celebrated With G.H. Mumm (G1) in January, was installed in gate 4.

The race is 2,200 meters (about 1 3/8 miles) around the Greyville turf course, which features a narrow stretch that can be a bottleneck for runners who fail to establish position.

Justin Snaith, the third-generation trainer who handles Do It Again, said last year's victory "narrows our options" because of the handicap penalty assigned his runner. Given 125 pounds, Do It Again is giving weight to the rest of the field.

"The idea is to have everyone have a chance to win," he said at the Summerveld Training Center near Durban two days out from the race. "Like the Melbourne Cup, the idea is to try to make it even. It's purely for the punters, not the racing purists.

"At level weights, (Do It Again) always seems to win," Snaith said. "But we think he can win even under these terms. If it does, it will be a tremendous accomplishment."

The 4-year-old Twice Over gelding enters the July off a win in the Rising Sun Gold Challenge (G1) on the course June 8.

Hawwaam, a 3-year-old colt by 2001 Arlington Million Stakes (G1T) winner Silvano owned by Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, comes off a victory in the June 1 Daily News 2000 (G1). His trainer, Mike de Kock, said his concern has to do with immaturity.

"He's shown himself to be a quirky horse," de Kock said. "He's just a man. He wants to do it his way. The last time, nothing went his way and he still won."

That quality, the trainer said, could be an issue in the July with a full field and a tight course.

"He's never been in a big scrum," de Kock said. "They've all been smaller fields."

The 18-horse field also features 7-year-old Greys Inn gelding Legal Eagle, who finished fifth as the favorite in 2015 and has not contested the race since.

The Durban July is one of South Africa's most coveted prizes but is unique in that it brings together horses from around the country. It also has developed a special place within the racing industry and has become a fashion and lifestyle event for the Durban area.

"It's our Royal Ascot. It's the Melbourne Cup. It's our biggest race of the year," de Kock said. "It's a payday for racing, too, in terms of betting turnover."

Snaith agreed the July has "a massive, massive following" in South Africa but added it has special meaning for him since he has added his name to the list of winning trainers.

"My grandmother's brother won the race in 1904, and my father followed as a winner," he said. "It's a family business."