Punters can benefit from bookies rivalry

Betting World and market rival World Sports Betting are engaging in a battle royal with their prices on the Vodacom Durban July and punters are the beneficiaries.

When the country’s biggest bookmaker posted its prices on the great race over the Easter weekend most of the leading fancies were half a point or so shorter than those quoted by WSB. Favourite Do It Again was 9-2 compared with WSB’S 5-1 while Hawwaam and Rainbow Bridge were on 6-1 as against 13-2.

However by mid-morning yesterday

the position had changed completely with Betting World extending the favourite’s odds to 11-2 and, while Rainbow Bridge was still on 6-1, Hawwaam was out to 7-1. WSB, on the other hand, had cut Do It Again to 9-2. If this sort of thing is anything to go by there will be plenty more competitioninduced fluctuations over the next ten weeks, and that can only be good for the customer.

Undercover Agent

WSB has opened last year’s July winner 11-2 joint favourite with Undercover Agent for the Independent On Saturday Drill Hall Stakes at Greyville on Friday week while Sun Met winner Rainbow Bridge is on 13-2. Betting World does not normally bet on the race until nearer the time.

In this Saturday’s Kenilworth Winter Guineas (the race last season in which Rainbow Bridge first gave notice of his talents) WSB makes One World evens favourite.

Twist Of Fate, beaten a length and a half by One World in the R5 million CTS 1600, is next on 33-10 and Vardy (two and a quarter lengths further back third) is on 13-2. The Glen Kotzentrained Cape Derby third Herodotus is a 17-2 chance with 14-1 and upwards others.