Africa’s Greatest Horseracing Event, the Vodacom Durban July
is a mere week away and Trainer Alec Laird has been happy
with the progress of his runner in the big race, Malteme.
Laird said on Thursday that he would have been thrilled
to have been within three lengths of the winner in the recent
Grade I Gold Challenge over 1 600m at Clairwood so he had
been happy to finish just 4,4 lengths back.
The Summer Cup winner will be on 1,5kg better terms with
the winner of that race, Succesful Bidder.
Laird said that with the weight turnaround over a few of
the horses in the Gold Challenge and over the more suitable
Vodacom Durban July trip of 2 200m he believed Malteme would
have a shout.
He said that there didn’t appear to be much pace in the
race although he added that Kildonan was the sort who usually
raced handy.
He would like a strong pace as Malteme could be a bit keen.
He said that Malteme is not the sort who turned it on in
the straight but off a decent pace he “finds extra”.
Laird said that there are a lot of horses in the race with
chances but singled out Jagged Ice as one whose preparation
run had been very good and said that if Succesful Bidder
stayed the trip he would be a hard horse to peg back at
the weights.
Laird had not been mindful of this year’s running being
the 40th anniversary of his father’s win with the legendary
Sea Cottage but recalled that as a seven-year-old he had
actually been on the course that day.
Laird has won the Vodacom Durban July once himself with
London News in 1996.