Betting for the Grade 2 Post Merchants taking place at Greyville on Friday the 15th June 2018 is available now at Hollywoodbets. Trainer Brett Crawford took the honours in this race in 2017 with Search Party, and will look to repeat that feat this year with his duo of SUNSET EYES and BLACK CAT BACK. Read more below.
Image Credit: Gold Circle
Post Merchants (Grade 2)
Published by Gold Circle. Journalist: Richard McMillan
Cape trainer Brett Crawford picked up the main silverware after the recent Grade 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint at Scottsville when Bold Respect proved too good for the opposition and has a chance of doing the same at Greyville on Friday, June 15 when he runs the Western Winter gelding Sunset Eyes in the R400 000, Grade 2 Post Merchants over 1 200m.
The four-year-old has a full field of speedy opponents to deal with including the winner of the Grade 1 Computaform Sprint Attenborough but the Crawford stable will feel he has what will be necessary after his third place behind Bold Respect at Scottsville, particularly as he has the inside draw from which to jump.
Attenborough has been highly rated by trainer Joey Ramsden and is likely to have a better chance than at Scottsville where he was drawn right on the outside of the 15-horse field. He is from the same Western Winter crop as Sunset Eyes and they could be the pair to fight out the finish.
Former Vodacom Durban July winner Legislate is in the field having been withdrawn from the Vodacom Durban July entry list. The seven-year-old has only had a barrier trial outing since his last race in 2016 and this is likely to be another prep run for a race like the World Sports Betting Champions Cup at the end of the season.
Another Crawford stable inmate, Black Cat Back, is in the field and comes off a third place to Bold Respect and Sunset Eyes in the In Full Flight Handicap at Scottsville. The four-year-old Black Minnaloushe gelding is also well drawn at four and will face another opponent that has beaten him before, the three-year-old Judpot gelding Sniper Shot that won the Fever Tree Handicap over 1 400m for trainer Paul Lafferty at Scottsville in February.
Sniper Shot has run two top races since, finishing second in both the Byerley Turk and the Daisy Guineas, but might find the pace too hot to handle in the early stages. That, however, is not likely to be a problem with the Snaith-trained Western Winter gelding Bishop’s Bounty that will be a contender if repeating the effort that carried him to victory in the Diadem Stakes at Kenilworth in January.
| No | Dr | Horse | Odds | Jockey | Trainer |
|
1
|
(12) | Bishop’s Bounty | 20/1 | G van Niekerk | Justin Snaith |
| 2 | (2) | Legislate | 9/2 | B Fayd’Herbe | Justin Snaith |
| 3 | (7) | Attenborough | 7/1 | R Fourie | Joey Ramsden |
| 4 | (3) | Our Mate Art (AUS) | 25/1 | C Murray | Candice Bass-Robinson |
| 5 | (10) | Sniper Shot | 8/1 | K de Melo | Paul Lafferty |
| 6 | (8) | Pure Blonde | 12/1 | R Simons | Alec Laird |
| 7 | (4) | Black Cat Back | 33/10 | TBA | Brett Crawford |
| 8 | (14) | My Pal Al | 50/1 | S Veale | Alistair Gordon |
| 9 | (1) | Sunset Eyes | 3/1 | TBA | Brett Crawford |
| 10 | (5) | Wonderwall | 12/1 | *L Hewitson | Sean Tarry |
| 11 | (9) | Wynkelder | 16/1 | S Khumalo | Tony Rivalland |
| 12 | (11) | Rock Of Africa | 50/1 | M Byleveld | Vaughan Marshall |
| 13 | (15) | Too Phat To Fly | 20/1 | TBA | Glen Kotzen |
| 14 | (13) | Hoist The Mast | 50/1 | TBA | Andre Nel |
| 15 | (6) | Mombela | SP | Reserve 1 | Sean Tarry |
Betting is subject to change. E&OE.
Hollywoodbets will be paying 4 fixed odds places.
