July day eyes on Pick 6's R15m prize

The Citizen

11 hours ago

The problem with the Pick 6 is the ridiculously competitive nature of races that make up the popular bet, especially on Durban July day.
The Pick 6 on Durban July day is always tough to crack. Picture: Michel Bega / The Citizen
The Pick 6 is a front-of-mind wager for most players on Durban July day at Greyville on Saturday – thanks to an expected R15-million mega-pool.
The problem for anyone striving to win a slice of that treasure is the ridiculously competitive nature of races that make up the popular bet. Indeed, the July itself – Africa's greatest horse race and the highest aspiration of every owner, trainer and jockey – might prove the easiest of the six legs to negotiate!
The key to a puzzle like this is finding a banker – a surefire winner on which to pin all hopes and allow one to select a wider spread of runners in other, more tricky legs. And the standout hot-pot favourite on Saturday is Eight On Eighteen in the Durban July – Race 7 on the card and Leg 4 of the Pick 6 – so he is likely to be a banker in a vast number of exotics bets.
Options for Pick 6
Eight On Eighteen's odds on Wednesday morning were 16-10.
The remaining five legs include two juvenile races, which are always difficult as the form is somewhat unreliable due to young horses often making sudden improvements as they mature.
Also, there are two Grade 3 contests – the Gold Vase and the Post Merchants, longest and shortest features on the day – which are packed with top performers from around the country, all with connections desperate to lead in a winner on the big day.
Finally, there is the main supporting feature, the Grade 1 Garden Province Stakes, which is arguably the premier mile race for female horses in the country and carries valuable black type into the thoroughbred stud book and breeding arena.
Quite a few Garden Province hopefuls could easily have made it into the Durban July line-up, so the competition is red-hot. Some players will be tempted to include the entire field in their Pick 6 combinations, but 14 runners will send the cost of the bet soaring!
Another option is to trim the choice down to the best of the best. Rascova (10-1), Mon Petit Cherie (10-1), Double Grand Slam (11-2), Fatal Flaw (8-1) and Spumante Dolce (13-2) are the ones that have proven their worth in the highest company.
If one has the agonizing task of trimming that list down to fit a budget, perhaps the shortest-priced, Double Grand Slam, must go – if only because her regular rider, national champ Richard Fourie, has opted for Mon Petit Cherie over her.
A suggested Pick 6:
3,5,9,11,12,13 x 8,9,10 x 6,7,10,13 x 11 x 6,7,10,11 x 2,3,4,8,9,12 (R1,728)