A last-minute decision to go with Silver Sanctuary in the Ridgemont Garden Province Stakes, instead of in the Hollywoodbets Durban July, robbed the country’s biggest race of its customary female presence, but it has made for an excellent contest in the day’s main supporting feature. Trainer Mike de Kock scratched the three-year-old filly from the July at the final declaration stage on Tuesday morning and accepted for her run in the prestigious Grade 1 weight-for-age event for fillies and mares. Silver Sanctuary’s convincing win in the Grade 1 Woolavington 2000 in late May didn’t catch the imagination of July punters and she languished as a 50-1 hope for the big one.
Clearly her connections also figured the July was shooting for the stars and there was a much better chance of success among her own sex. She has slotted in as a 4-1 second favourite in the Garden Province, just below 22-10 shot Double Grand Slam on the boards. Third in the betting is Glen Kotzen’s Rascova, with fellow raiders from Cape Town Saartjie, Red Palace and Hold My Hand also finding support in the race that follows the July on the day’s programme.
The daughter of venerable stallion Silvano has won five of her 10 starts and had the misfortune to bump up against the phenomenon that was Gimme A Nother in the recent Classic season – finishing runner-up to her now-exported stablemate in both the SA Fillies Guineas and the SA Fillies Classic. De Kock’s second Garden Province runner Humdinger is .
