Do It Again will go into the Durban July as the defending champion and likely favourite after his top class performance to win the G1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge at Greyville on June 8.
Do It Again played up in the parade ring pre-race but that didn't affect him in the final 200m as he collared the game Cirrilo in an epic renewal of the Gold Challenge over 1600m.
Proving he is the best weight-for-age horse in South Africa, Do It Again had to find a gap along the inside rail to run down Cirillo with a driving finish in the last 200m.
His rider Richard Fourie acclaimed the performance.
"I had four lengths to make up and I had to look for parking, he's a true champion,” Fourie said.
"He does not need too many gallops to be ready for the July. A lot more people will be confident in him now.”
His trainer Justin Snaith admitted to nerves during the race.
"I was very nervous after a few hiccups in the parade, but he's a very intelligent horse,” Snaith said.
“This is the best weight for age horse in the country.”
Do It Again heads the Durban July log with his merit rating unchanged on 125 after Gold Challenge.
Do It Again, fourth placed Soqrat and fifth home Undercover Agent all ran to their rating and as such no changes were made to the rating of all three.
Runner-up Cirillo ran to 124 but the handicappers were cognisant of the fact that he was given a very enterprising ride from the front on a day when a strong tailwind was blowing down the straight and may have been a little flattered by the bare numbers.
As such, he was given a rating of 121, equal for now with fellow three-year-old Soqrat who has beaten Cirillo on the same weight terms three times in the past.
Third placed Rainbow Bridge did not enjoy the best of luck and also remains unaltered on 124.
G2 Tibouchina Stakes
Oh Susanna had her rating trimmed from 118 to 116 after she made virtually all the running to narrowly win the fillies and mares feature over 1400m at Greyville on Saturday.
This drop in the four-year-old’s rating reflects an overall re-assessment of her form this season where she has never equalled her rating of 118.
The G3 Cup Trial winner Kampala Campari had his rating raised from 107 to 109 after his narrow win over 1800m at Greyville.
The handicappers took the view that the Cup Trial was something of a false-run race with the first two finishers occupying the first two places for virtually the entire race and benefitting from a strong tailwind in the straight.
