Please note that betting is now OPEN for the Hollywoodbets Durban July 2025.

Please note: South African Quartet Pools with fractional betting offered at Pontefract and Windsor (UK) – 30 June 2025.

Andrew Harrison

It has been many a year since the race for the Jockey Championship has resulted in a three-way contest but with a month to go it is still tight at the top with Gavin Lerena, champion Richard Fourie and Craig Zackey all in contention.

Lerena hit a purple patch at Turffontein on Saturday, pulling four winners clear of the reining champion Fourie with Zackey sudden finding himself seven winners adrift to the log leaders going into yesterday’s Hollywoodbets Scottsville meeting.

But with the first three races done, the numbers stayed  the same as all three leading riders were on the board.

Zackey had the easiest ride as Dean Kannemeyer’s filly Princess Of Gaul made short work of her opposition in the first. Sent out favourite, Zackey tracked the pace as young Jacey Botes tried to run them off their feet on Perfume Power but once Zackey released the break a furlong out, it was just a matter of how far as the quickened away to win as she liked.

Fourie was in the winner’s circle in the second but had to work hard for his victory on Clinton Binda’s colt Chapbook. Still green, Fourie had to nurse him through the latter exchanges  but once finding his feet, the son of Rafeef finally got the message  to go through for a comfortable victory.

Lerena kept the status quo as far as the championship numbers were concerned as he deputized for an indisposed Andrew Fortune on the Yogas Govender-trained  Soho Star. Narrowly beaten at his last two over the Hollywoodbets Scottsville 1200m, Lerena extracted the best out of the gelding to get home ahead of stable companions Vihaan’s Web and Quandray.

Apprentice Brevan Plaatjies is currently leading in the apprentice championship ahead of Trent Mayhew. Plaatjies rode his 40^th winner last Wednesday losing his 2.5kg claim, but he was still competitive off his 1.5kg claim as he rode an excellent race on the Bo Ngcobo-trained Ralph The Rascal.

Caught up a blind alley, Plaatjies hunted a gap, shifting in before it opened and sent Ralph The Rascal through to a smart win.

Ngcobo has a small string but has shown that he knows how to train a racehorse in the short time that he has had his trainer’s brief and given better support he will not let his patrons down.

Some apprentices never get to ride out their claim but Plaatjies and Jacey Botes are likely to leave their apprenticeship having ridden over 60 winners and into the ‘big’ world when they are not so popular anymore.

So it is imperative for an apprentice to make a name for themselves as early into their careers as possible and Botes is going the right way. Still claiming 4kg he has a keen judge of pace and some tactical ‘nous’ as he showed aboard Paul Lafferty’s runner Forward Motion. 

Although only shouldering 48.5kg, Botes had his mount in front early but was no tearaway, judging the pace nicely and then keeping his mount running strongly to the line.

He has still got a long way to go and raceriding can be a fickle profession but Botes is going about it the right way.

David Thiselton

Gavin Lerena has ridden eight winners in the last two meetings on the Highveld, a treble at Turffontein Inside last Thursday and a five-timer on Saturday at the Standside track, to pull four clear of Richard Fourie and seven clear of Craig Zackey in the thrilling three way battle for the title.

Craig Zackey had responded to Lerena’s treble on Thursday by riding a four-timer at Fairview on Friday, while Richard Fourie’s double at the latter meeting had seen him reclaim the lead by one at the close of play on Friday.

Zackey went within three of the lead when winning the third race on the smart Tony Peter-trained William Longsword first-timer Titan Of The Turf on Saturday.

However, Lerena then rattled off five wins in the last six races to roar into the lead.

His run began in the first leg of the Pick 6 when the big Clinton Binda-trained Season’s Greeting built on his good third place finish in his previous start, a race which had already seen the second-placed and fourth-placed horses coming out and winning. It was clear a long way out Season’s Greeting’s pace had left the Zackey-ridden favourite Wise Counsel with too much to do and so it proved as Season’s Greeting ran out a 2,10 length winner with the 33/1 chance first-timer, the Mark Khan-trained Queensland (Querari), running second and Wise Counsel, who should win when going over further, third.

In the fifth race over 1000m Lerena had a low draw on the Johan Janse van Vuuren-trained Vercingetorix gelding Chieftain and although that is perceived to be the wrong side he was content to bide his time until the halfway mark at which stage he drove his mount forward. This turned out to be perfect timing as the 99-rated three-year-old ran on strongly to win the MR102 contest by a lengths from Troppo Veloce with the favourite Rodeo Drive once again disappointing and running a 2,25 length third.

In the sixth race over 1000m the Tony Peter-trained Rafa Bay looked to be the one to side with based on some good Cape Town form and a good Highveld debut and Lerena rode him with confidence to win by 2,70 lengths at 83/100 odds from the second favourite Hemisphere with Dontshootthebarman next best.

The Fabian Habib-trained Miss Hannigan with S’Manga Khumalo up spoilt the Lerena sequence by winning the seventh race over 1400m.

However, Lerena was back in the groove for the last two races, winning the eighth over 1400m on the 13/10 shot, the Fanie Bronkhorst-trained Pomodoro mare Princess Ilaria.

He then clinched the five-timer by winning the last over 1160m on the Johan Janse van Vuuren-trained topweight Ensuing, who carried 63kg to a one length victory having been backed in to 9/4. That was a second win for the underrated sire William Longsword.

Earlier in the day the unfashionable Jet Master sire Skit Skizzle produced the winner of the first race, the Robbie Sage-trained Valentina Balducci, who has high profile owners Larry Nestadt, “JJ” Van der Linden and M Lieveaux. She won at odds of 25/2 under Kaidan Brewer.

The second race saw a smart performance from the Paul Matchett-trained Duke Of Marmalade colt The Last Duke, who romped in over 1160m by 4,25 lengths. He looks to be one to follow.

Meanwhile, Lerena has given high praise to his Hollywoodbets Durban July runner Madison Valley. The Frank Robinson-trained Mambo In Seattle gelding put up a good gallop at the official Hollywoodbets Durban July gallops and Lerena said afterwards he felt he was a “massive runner”.

Madison Valley will be out to give Sid Moodley a dream win in the country’s biggest race with his  first July runner.

Madison Valley shorted in from an opening final field call of 33/1 in to 20/1 after the Gallops. However, the biggest mover in the Hollywoodbets Durban July marker has been another horse who also opened at 33/1 after the final field announcement, On MY Honour, who has halved in price to 16/1. 

There was a collective sigh of relief around the gathered crowd in the Hollywoodbets Greyville parade ring when the name of Eight On Eighteen was read out by Graeme Hawkins as being among the 18 runners for the R5 million Hollywoodbets Durban July.

Trainer Justin Snaith was always cagey about whether his star colt would take his place in the line-up given that he would carry top weight for a three-year-old of 57kg the highest since Abashiri lumped 59kg into 13^th place behind The Conglomerate in 2016.

But Snaith and owners Nick Jonsson and Johann Rupert have taken the plunge and Eight On Eighteen will make history should he win and become the first three-year-old in history to win the Gr1 WSB Cape Town Met and the Gr1 Hollywoodbets Durban July in the same year

Eight On Eighteen is also likely to start one of the shortest priced favourites in the 129-year history of the race and his chances were further enhanced when he was drawn 11 in the 18-horse field.

James Crawford has two runners in the race, last year’s winner Oriental Charm who drew pole position and Pomodoro’s Jet who drew 8. It would be an emotional win for James Crawford, who recently took over his father’s string with Brett now plying his trade in Hong Kong.

See It Again races in the same Nick Jonsson silks as Eight On Eighteen and has his third attempt after finishing second to Winchester Mansion two years back and an unlucky fifth last year behind Oriental Charm. He pulled a wide draw of 15.

Stuart Ferrie sends out his first July runner in the hard-knocking Gladatorian. A fast-finishing third behind Dave The King and Oriental Charm in the Gold Challenge, he pulled a wide gate of 16.

Dean Kannemeyer knows what it takes to train a July winner, successful with Dynasty, Eyeofthetiger and Power King and The Real Prince drew gate 5.

Royal Victory will have his supporters but Nathan Kotzen’s charge drew deep at 17. However,  he is a winner of the Gr1 Betway Summer Cup and the Gr1 Champion Challenge at Turffontein and finished third in the July last year behind Oriental Charm. 

Fabian Habib has his first July runner in Confederate. Relatively lightly raced the gelding has won four of his nine starts but has never finishing further back than second. He won the Gr1 SA Classic beating subsequent Gr1 Champions Challenge winner Fire Attack and will be ridden by two-time South African and current New Zealand champion jockey Warren Kennedy who has made the trip to ride in the race.  He drew gate 14.

Mike de Kock has a stellar record in this race and has joined forces with his son Mathew. They have their first July runner together in the three-year-old and recent Gr3 Jubilee Stakes winner Immediate Edge. He carries bottom weight for a three-year-old male of 53kg and has won four of his six starts to date. He drew alongside Eight On Eighteen in gate 10.

Snaith has two other runners in the race, namely Okavango and the one-time winner Native Ruler. Okavango will be ridden by Andrew Fortune and drew 13 while Tristan Godden will have to navigate Native Ruler from gate 18.

 Alec Laird and jockey Calvin Habib pin their hopes on Gr1 Betway Summer Cup winner Atticus Finch who drew favourably in 4.

Andre Nel was first up to do the draw for Selukwe and came out with gate 6. Serino Moodley will be doing the honours on Selukwe.

Alan Greef will fly the colours for the Eastern Cape with his star performer My Best Shot who has a midfield draw of 9.

Local owner Sid Moodley has his first July runner in Madison Valley and he drew gate 2 for his trainer Frank Robinson.

Rainbow Lorikeet is the only filly in the race and Candice Bass Robinson’s runner drew well in 7 and will have Deigo de Gouveia aboard.

Race Coast