The Vodacom Durban July is upon us as Cherry On The Top joins the fray !

Gauteng Triple Tiara winner Cherry On The Top is to take her place in the R3.5-million Vodacom Durban July and has been installed by bookmakers as the favourite for the prestigious event.

Trainer Ormond Ferraris, who has yet to win Africa’s greatest race, supplemented the filly into the race on Tuesday along with another talented individual from his stable, Knock On Wood.

They join the Mike de Kock-trained Vercingetorix, Gothic from the Kumaran Naidoo stable and Master Sabina from the Geoff Woodruff yard that were supplemented into the race taking the total entry list at this stage to 79.


Trainers have two further opportunities to make late entries on June 4 and June 11 and declarations will close on June 24 with the final field being announced the following day on June 25.


Cherry On The Top will go into this year’s race following the path taken by another Triple Tiara winner, the champion filly Igugu from the De Kock stable, who went on to win the famous event and then the J&B Met before being exported to Dubai.

Cherry On The Top won the Gauteng Fillies Guineas, the SA Fillies Classic and the SA Derby and with a rating of 112 will join Hill Fifty Four and Beach Beauty as joint second highest rated entries behind last year’s Vodacom Durban July winner Pomodoro who is rated a 113.

Knock On Wood and Vercingetorix are each rated 107 with Gothic on 97 and Master Sabina an 88.
After his win over Capetown Noir in the KRA Guineas, Vercingetorix immediately deposed the smart Dean Kannemeyer-trained colt at the top of the betting boards at 4-1 but the inclusion of Cherry On The Top has seen the star filly installed as the 4-1 favourite with Vercingetorix at 7-1 and Capetown Noir at 15-2. The Geoff Woodruff-trained Yorker is at 10-1 with Run For It, Jackson and Pomodoro on 16-1 and the balance at 20-1 and upwards.

While Ormond Ferraris, the doyen of South African trainers, has never won the race, his son David won it two years running with Super Quality and Classic Flag in 1997 and 1998 and victory this year would be a well-earned “Cherry On The Top” for a man who has won most of the other major races in the country in his long and successful career.

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