Kotzen chasing another Durban July victory with Cousin Casey

Fourteen years after winning the Durban July with Big City Life, trainer Glen Kotzen is housing the new favourite for SA’s most famous race with his three-year-old, Cousin Casey.

With Charles Dickens beaten in last Saturday’s SplashOut Cape Derby, the July picture has changed markedly. Candice Bass-Robinson’s colt has been pushed out to 7-1 by race sponsors Hollywoodbets and Cousin Casey promoted to favourite at 5-1.

Kotzen’s 2009 winner, Big City Life, was the same age when he won the Greyville race. Sadly, a year later the horse suffered a serious injury at the same track and had to be put down.

Born in Johannesburg and granted his licence in 1985, Kotzen sends out a steady stream of winners each season and this term he is in eighth place in the national trainers log.

What has been the 57-year-old’s major frustration for a while now is the number of high draws his top horses have had to overcome in big races.

Cousin Casey is one of the major sufferers — he was drawn 11 out of 14 when beating Royal Victory at Greyville on July day last year and the bad luck has continued in two Cape races — the Guineas and WSB Met.

When beaten by Charles Dickens in the Cape Guineas, Cousin Casey was drawn 14 out of 15, and it did not get much better in the Met when the son of Vercingetorix was drawn 14 out of 19.

Despite that disadvantage, Cousin Casey, who cost owner Ravi Naidoo R375,000 when purchased as a yearling from Riyo Stud, managed to finish fifth behind Jet Dark, beaten by less than two lengths.

This performance puts Cousin Casey right in the mix for the July, but it would be no surprise if Kotzen gave the draw function a miss and simply prayed for some good news.

While the July sponsors quote Charles Dickens and Pomp And Power as the 7-1 second favourites, there’s going to be no stampede by punters to take those odds.

The July might not even be on the agenda for Charles Dickens — despite a good run in the Met — is a temperamental sort and backing him comes with risks.

No surprise that Mike de Kock’s four-year-old, Safe Passage, has been cut to 8-1 as he gave the Cape season a miss and Muis Roberts’s Cape Derby victor, See It Again, is quoted at 13-1.

Rascallion — so unlucky in the Met — has already been advised as an early July fancy for Business Day readers when his odds were 16-1. Hollywood now make the Vaughan Marshall inmate a 13-1 chance.

Trainer Brett Crawford was gutted when his 2022 July fancy, Zapatillas, had a setback two days before the race, but he’ll be back for another try with the four-year-old son of Master Of My Fate.

Starting at 16-1, Zapatillas finished an eye-catching third behind Pacaya in last Saturday’s Jet Master Stakes at Kenilworth and the run will have delighted Crawford who is in second place in the national trainers log.

Zapatillas’ July price has been trimmed to 16-1 and both Puerto Manzano and Rockpool are on the same mark. It seems unlikely many punters will want to back Rockpool as he finished seven lengths behind See It Again in the Cape Derby.