For the second successive year we had to do our Vodacom Durban July family and friends sweepstake online and although I missed the socializing we traditionally do for this great race I did at least make some money.

The real money didn’t come in the draw though but there were no doubt cyberspace shouts of “its rigged” as my son calmly drew me the favourite Got The Greenlight which eventually ran 3^rd to deliver a small profit.

On the Thursday night I had hosted a You Tube preview with Jason Dedekind and Alan Moscrop, the latter known as Southpaw on the Goodforthegame forum and with a reputation for finding double digit feature race winners and the former one of the most knowledgeable racing men in the country.

Southpaw liked Kommetdieding a 12/1 outsider at the time we filmed the show and given it was trained by one of the smaller stables a somewhat romantic pick. I managed to grab some 10/1 just before they loaded and the runners were sent on their way over the 2200m distance.

I was watching with my wife and son where I would once again show that racing commentary will never be a potential profession. I pointed to a horse flying up the straight and started shouting “Go Kommetdieding” repeatedly only to groan when it finished a close up 3^rd.

At the same time I heard the commentator call Kommetdieding the winner and I realized I had been shouting home the favourite who had similar colours (at least that is my excuse). My son was rolling on the floor laughing as I started celebrating a great win as if I had shouted the winner home all the way.

Although I missed the swinger with Jason’s horse Do It Again (who was unlucky down the straight and finished 4th) I managed to catch swingers with the 2^nd horse Linebacker to cap a profitable Durban July.

Things would improve even further a couple of hours later when my best bet of the weekend the British & Irish Lions to score at least 7 tries arrived with some room to spare in their match against the local Lions at Ellis Park.

To cap off a great weekend I broke what was becoming an expensive Tour de France drought when Ben O’Conner came home for me at 16/1 in the mountainous 8^th stage.

Twitter: @BrentGraham.

This article was written for the CitiGaming supplement of the Citizen Newspaper and was published on the 8 July 2021.

Brent Graham is a blogger on www.goodforthegame.co.za and sends a free weekly e-mail list just CLICK HERE to register