The famous Durban July Handicap will take place at Greyville Race Course today and every KZN’ener worth their collective salts will be having a flutter.

However, few realise that Dundee will have its own July Handicap today too.  No, not the Dundee July – that party is on July 15, this a special one held at a secret venue in a park somewhere:

The runners are:

CORONATION PARK:

Only gets trained after dark and is pushed to its limit over weekends. Fed mainly on alcohol and human excrement. Every time it looks like it will be scratched from the race, it makes it through. Odds: 5 to 1.

KREMLIN:

A hostile and undisciplined horse. Fed mainly KFC. It’s jockeys and trainers change on an ongoing basis.

THE AUTHORITIES:

This horse is unfit, hard of hearing and has difficulty in running. It should be put out to pasture. Odds: 100 to 1.

THE SHED:

This horse has bolted due to its liquid intake being removed. 33/1

TRAFFIC CIRCLE KING

A confused runner at the best of times.  This stallion is easily boxed in and has a bad habit of pushing into his fellow runners.  He is not a favourite and prone to bad accidents:  150/1

TENDER TOUCH

Sleek and hungry, this runner is a favourite.  He goes for the first prize and gallops after the highest stakes.  His jockey is light and flexible with a rubber arm.  You have to choose this horse.  An absolute stunner of a runner.  5/1

Okay now for the real Durban July…
For hardened punters, it is a way of honing all that knowledge for a big splurge on the big day. For the casual gambler, whose only knowledge is that horses have four legs, it is a case of choosing their lucky number, usually 7 in my case, or selecting a horse’s name you my fancy.

However, Al Sahem has been handed a horrible draw in barrier one and if he fails to get off to a fast start, he’ll have a lot of ground to make up on his fellow favourite, who’s handily placed in barrier 13.

But what are the favourites? We asked some of the punters at Curry Parlour what are their choices and here is what they said:
Sean Tarry claimed back-to-back Durban July titles in 2012 and 2013, so it’s no surprise to see his three-year-old, Al Sahem (4/1 SportingBet) leading the way in the betting.

The Silvano progeny has won three of his six career starts to date. They have all come Group 1 company and he is yet to finish outside the top two places. He beat Greyville rival, Pagoda (33/1 SportingBet) over a mile-and-a-half to win the South African Derby last month, so there is no doubting he has the speed and stamina to win a handicap of this calibre.
Edict Of Nantes (9/2 SportingBet) also has a Derby title to his name this season, after Frankie Dettori ventured to South Africa to ride the 11/2 shot to victory in the Cape Derby at Kenilworth in January.

Brett Crawford’s charge got the better of Al Sahem when they clashed horns in the Daily News 2000 earlier this month, but the gap between the two will be much shorter over this longer trip.
Black Arthur (9/2 SportingBet) struggled to a seventh place finish in this contest last season, after bringing some excellent form with him to Greyville. Five more uninspiring appearances have followed and it’s hard to see him returning to winning ways in this company.
Well-bred four-year-old, Ten Gun Salute (12/1 SportingBet) ended a long winless run on his last outing here at Greyville. He has struggled when stepping up over 10 furlongs, but that victory could serve as a much-needed shot of confidence.
Mr Winsome (16/1 SportingBet) finished third behind Ten Gun Salute here at Greyville last month. Two impressive wins, over the same trip he will tackle in this contest, sandwich that third place finish, but his record at Greyville doesn’t make for pleasant reading.
It’s proving impossible to split the favourite at the head of the market, despite Edict Of Nantes’ victory in the Daily News 2000. Proven stamina goes a long way in this 11 furlong sprint and Al Sahem just edges Edict Of Nantes in that department. However, Al Sahem has been handed a horrible draw in barrier one and if he fails to get off to a fast start, he’ll have a lot of ground to make up on his fellow favourite, who’s handily placed in barrier 13.
Horizon is in and that is our tip of the day! Followed by:  Its my turn, Ten gun salute and Nightingale.

How do you choose?  Tip from an insider?  Complicated  number formula?  Or do you just go the name of the horse that catches your fancy?  Let us know…

Full Durban July race card

1 MARINARESCO
2 FRENCH NAVY
3 MASTER SABINA
4 BRAZUCA
5 KRAMBAMBULI
6 SARATOGA DANCER
7 THE CONGLOMERATE
8 IT’S MY TURN
9 TEN GUN SALUTE
10 NIGHTINGALE
11 BLACK ARTHUR
12 EDICT OF NANTES
13 AL SAHEM HORIZON
14 MR WINSOME NEBULA
15 ELUSIVE SILVA
16 PAGODA
17 TILBURY FORT
18 SAFE HARBOUR
RES 1 HORIZON
RES 2 NEBULA