David Thiselton

There was plenty to be excited about in South African racing over the weekend from both a racing and sales perspective.

The record-breaking BSA National Yearling Sales looked set to be the chief news until a Gaynor Rupert-homebred filly called I’m The One put up such an impressive debut at Newbury in the UK on Friday that she has been installed as the Epsom Oaks favourite.

The Sea The Stars filly pulled six lengths clear of the opposition in effortless fashion under William Buick in the Maiden Stakes event over a mile and two furlongs.

The win made headlines in many UK racing publications and newspaper racing pages.

The John and Thady Gosden-trained filly is out of  the German-bred Camelot mare Sunny Queen, whom Gaynor Rupert’s UK-based Cayton Park Stud purchased just before she won the Gr 1 Grosser Preis von Bayern over 2400m in Germany in November 2020.

Sea The Stars has German blood in him via his dam Urban Sea, who could claim to be the greatest broodmare of all time considering she is also the dam of Galileo and others, so the cross with this German-bred mare was always going to be interesting.

I’m The One started as even money favourite.

She had obviously been showing a lot at home and in fact there have been some observers at Newmarket who have been calling her “the next Enable”.

The win was particularly impressive because there was a big crowd and she also had to be used up early to some extent from a wide draw, both scenarios are not easy for a first-timer to overcome, but she took the preliminaries in her stride and looked superior to the opposition throughout the race.

She won as if she had been dropped into the race at the three furlong mark and displayed an impressive action.

Thady Gosden said after the win, “A trial for the Oaks would be the obvious next step and we’ll see how she comes out of this and there’s a couple of options. Very possibly we could go to York (for the Musidora, May 13) and there is the mile-and-a-quarter race back here as well (Childwickbury Stud Fillies’ Trial Stakes, May 16). But we will need to discuss it with Mrs Rupert.”

The BSA National Yearling Sales saw records tumbling with new marks set for all of aggregate (208,000,000), average (R647,975) and median (R425,000).

Vercingetorix was all the rage as usual and was leading sire with 29 lots sold raking in R46,200,000 for an average of 1,593,103 and he was followed by Gimmethegreenlight (27, R30,300,000, R1,122,222), Rafeef (29, R26,325,000, R907,759), Jet Dark (18, R13,150,000, R730,556) and Master Of My Fate (15, R11,380,000, R758,667).

Vercingetorix had the top colt and top filly on Day one. The former, a Lammerskraal Stud-bred son of Gr 1 Garden Province-winning Western Winter mare Redberry Lane, was purchased for R5,25 million by Form Bloodstock.

The topselling filly was a Varsfontein Stud-bred daughter of the Gr1 Premiers Champion Stakes winner Sentbydestiny (Master Of My Fate), which makes her a three-parts sister to the multiple Gr 1-winning Equus Champion Double Grand Slam. Adam Marcus Racing was the buyer for R4,75 million.

Vercingetorix had the top lot on Day 2 also, a Wilgerbosdrift Stud-bred filly out of Oasis Dream mare Welwitschia, who went for R4.6 million, purchased by Form Bloodstock.

Jet Dark, who had a Varsfontein Stud-bred filly bought by Al Khayl Breeders for R4 million, and Rafeef, who had a Boland Stud-bred colt bought by the Hong Kong Jockey Club for R3.4 million, were the only other sires who had lots go for over R3 million.

Varsfontein Stud were the top vendors, selling 30 yearlings at an aggregate of R32 150 000 for an average of R1 071 667.

Form Bloodstock were the biggest buyers, spending R29 650 000 on their 19 purchases at an average of R1 560 526, while Jonathan Snaith had another big Sale, buying 20 yearlings for R16 900 000 at an average of R845 000.

The overseas buyers were headed by the Hong Kong Jockey Club, who have become staunch supporters of South African racing, and their four yearlings cost them R7 300 000.

Jonathan Snaith said, ““Buyers were understandably selective, but once they identified the right individuals, they were prepared to compete strongly. That level of intent speaks volumes about the confidence in the yearlings on offer.”

He added, “It’s particularly pleasing to see correct, well-prepared horses consistently recognised and valued by the market, with breeders being handsomely rewarded. From a bloodstock perspective, the message is clear: quality continues to sell, and it sells well. There is genuine depth in the buying bench, along with a willingness to invest in the right horses. That’s a very positive signal for the strength and sustainability of the racing industry, and both 4Racing and Race Coast will be delighted with these results.”

The highlight of the Hollywoodbets Kenilworth meeting on Saturday was the victory of Vercingetorix colt Ferryman.

Eric Sands famously trained Rainbow Bridge (Ideal World) and his half-brother Golden Ducat (Philanthropist) to multiple Gr 1 wins and he has recently turned around the fortunes of another one of their siblings, Foudre (Fire Away), who is unbeaten in three starts since joining his yard as a non-winner in five starts.  Sands was grateful to Andre Nel and praised him for putting the horse and his owner first by recommending to owner Sabine Plattner that the latest sibling of those horses to race, Ferryman, be sent to Sands’ yard. The Wilgerbosdrift colt out of the wonder mare Halfway To Heaven (Jet Master) duly made a winning debut for Sands in his third career start, winning an Open Maiden over 1400m cosily under Calvin Habib. Hawwaam is another sibling of the family, so it is not surprising Ferryman cost R2,8 million. Hopefully he can follow in his best siblings’ footsteps.

Yesterday Craig Zackey passed the 200 mark for the season with a treble at Turffontein Standside taking him to 201 and in Hong Kong Zak Purton reached his century for the season.

Andrew Harrison

William Of Orange has been up and down in distance as is the want of exceptional horseman Garth Puller but the drop of 1200m after stretching to 2400m at his penultimate start saw him produce his best as he got the better of Owner Of Creation in a tough fight up the straight in the first on the poly at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Friday evening.

Placed only once in nine starts, William Of Orange was not an obvious choice but he kept running under Siphesihle Hlengwa to hold off his Dennis Bosch-trainer rival.

Bosch went one better in the second as Keagan de Melo, canny to Hong Kong tactics, got first run on Vaans Spirit to win the second rather comfortably. In truth, De Melo had the race sewn up a long way out and won with plenty in hand.

An apprentice allowance can go both ways. A 4kg claimer can be a liability but trainers that pick up on early talent will always benefit. Sean Tarry cottoned on early to Lyle Hewitson that paid huge dividends for the yard. Dezahn Louw has potential but it will be a long road in a cut-throat environment.

That said, he got the best out of Wonderful Tonight for Glen Kotzen in the first leg of the Pick 6. It was anyone’s race  with a furlong to run but Louw got the best out of the favourite when it counted and Wonderful Tonight stretched away to win well in a tough open  maiden.

Like any good red wine that improves with age, Fine Wine is proving to be the equine equivalent. Winless at the start of this season, Garth Puller’s filly now boasts three wins and three seconds from just five starts and showed a fine turn of foot when coming from the back end of the field to whistle past the opposition and win going away. Zena Rose was a touch unlucky as she found some traffic but in the final analysis, she was always going to finish second.

Cole Dicken produced a telling run up the outside of a tightly bunched field as Sweeper Keeper lived up to his name. It was anyone’s race approaching the final 50 meters with a wall of horses contesting the  finish, but Dicken gave Wendy Whitehead’s gelding a clear run at the wire and he gradually wore done the opposition to get up close home with pacemaker Got The Word holding on for second in a close finish.

The now retired multiple champion jockey Anton Marcus labelled the outside of the poly track straight as the ‘golden highway’. The track has been resurfaced since but for the third race in a row, the winners all came from the back and down the outside.

In truth, Trippi’s Silk could have won the sixth from anywhere as Sean Veale hardly had to move a muscle as the gelding made light of his top weight. Slightly slow out of the gate, Veale settled his mount towards the back of the field. Wide into the straight, the writing was on the wall a long way out as Trippi’s Silk effortlessly picked off his rivals to win as he liked for Candice Bass and her assistant Terry Frip.

Masterofthedesert made it a quick double for the stable as apprentice Dezahn Louw rode a confident race on the favourite for his second winner of the evening. Well back crossing the subway as fellow apprentice Mxolisi Mbuto went for broke on Super Fast, Louw got Masterofthedesert to build into his stride and come with a well-timed run to snaffle Super Fast close home.

The last race of a night meeting was long past Gary Rich’s bedtime but it paid dividends as De Vlugge and Dawn Surprise finished one and three with Qhawekazi separating the pair. It was the third straight win for De Vlugge who pulled Mickaelle Michel into the lead and there she stayed, finishing strongly to hold off her rivals. The start did not go well for Saragossa Cat as she came out on her knees and Keagan de Melo did the right thing, easing her out of the race.

David Thiselton

The Hollywoodbets Durban July first entries are on Monday the 20th of April and “July Fever” will begin building from the first entries announcement on Wednesday April 22 until the big race on July 4.

One of the annual questions is whether any July records will be broken.

Andrew Fortune could become the oldest jockey to ever win the race, with the oldest to date probably being Piere Strydom who was 50 years old when winning on the Joey Ramsden-trained The Conglomerate in 2016.

The record for the youngest jockey can never be broken.

Frank McGrath was just 12 years old when winning the July in 1922 on the J Gard-owned and trained Collet.

Allan “Snowy” Reid was both the last apprentice and last teenager to ride a July winner when successful on the Fred Rickaby-trained Naval Escort in 1969.

Both records could potentially be equalled by leading apprentice Mxolisi Mbuto.

Blaine Marx-Jacobson’s current momentum makes him the favourite for the apprentice title, but only one of the records is available to him as he is already 20 years old.

The record for the youngest trainer cannot be broken this year as David Payne was just 24 years old when sending out the great In Full Flight to win the July in 1972.

Payne to this day regards In Full Flight as the best he has ever trained and a coincidence is that he lives in New South Wales in Australia, because In Full Flight’s sire was called New South Wales.

Payne also became the youngest to ever both ride and train a July winner, having ridden the Brian Cherry-trained Chimboraa to victory in 1968.

He joined Syd Garrett, who rode Goldwing and Pamphlet to victory in 1919 and 1920 respectively, before training all of Full Dress (1930), Sadri II (1941) and Left Wing (1960) to win the great race.

Bert Abercrombie later joined that elite club as winning rider on the Ralph Rixon-trained Jamaican Music in 1976 before training Bush Telegraph to win the race in 1987.

Current trainers in South Africa who have won a July as a rider include Garth Puller, Michael Roberts and Robbie Hill.

The record for most wins as a rider can’t be challenged this year.

Anton Marcus is the only one to have had five July wins and the trio on four wins are no longer riding i.e. Piere Strydom, Anthony Delpech and the late Harold “Tiger” Wright.

Richard Fourie could join that trio as he has had three wins.

The record for most wins as a trainer, held by Hall Of Fame trainer Syd Laird, cannot be caught this year either.

Justin Snaith and Mike de Kock have both had five July wins and can join the late great Terrance Millard on six wins, although De Kock has a joint-operation these days with son Mathew.

Dean Kannemeyer will be going for a fifth July win and his charge The Real Prince will be out to become the seventh dual winner and sixth back-to-back winner.

Lady Laidlaw’s Khaya Stables owned The Real Prince and will be going for a third victory as an owner, which is well short of the record of six July wins as an owner held by Bridget Oppenheimer, three of them in partnership with her husband Harry.

The Oppenheimer winners as owners were Tiger Fish (1959), King Willow (1965), Principal Boy (1975), Spanish Galliard (part-owned 1992), Greys Inn (2004), Hunting Tower (2008).

Of those winners the Oppenheimers bred all of them except for Spanish Galliard.

Harry and Bridget’s daughter Mary Slack bred the 2003 winner Dynasty and owned the 2022 winner Sparkling Water, which she bred in partnership with her daughter Jessica Jell. Jessica Jell bred the 2017 winner Marinaresco.

So that is a total of nine July winners for the Oppenheimer family either as owners-and-breeders or as owners or breeders.

Mary and Jessica can add to that record this year operating under the banner of Wilgerbosdrift Stud and Mauritzfontein Stud respectively.

The most prolific July-winning extended family is the Laird family.

Alec Laird, still training today, belongs to this July-winning dynasty. He has won it once himself as a trainer with London News (1996); his grandfather, also called Alec Laird, won it once as a jockey in 1911 on Nobleman; his great-uncle Syd Garrett won it twice as a jockey and three times as a trainer as mentioned earlier in this article and he also owned all three of the winners he trained; Alec’s Hall of Fame father Syd Laird won the big race a record seven times as a trainer with (Kerason (1961), Colorado King (1963), Java Head (1966), Sea Cottage (1967), Mazarin (1971), Yataghan (1973) and Politician (1978)); Alec’s cousins Dennis Drier and Charles Laird won it once apiece as trainers with Spanish Galliard (1992) and Hunting Tower (2007) respectively. That is 16 July wins for the family dynasty in total and 18 if Dennis Drier’s father-in-law trainer John Breval is included (King Willow (1965), Principal Boy (1975)).

Alec could add to the dynasty’s success this year as the trainer of the like of Gr 1 winners Fire Attack and Atticus Finch.

The Real Prince won last year after a 62 day layoff, the longest layoff for a winning horse since Sun Tor was off for 161 days before winning the July in 1934.

The record in this respect is likely held by the 1929 winner Gifted as this import from England only got off the boat on January 20 and the July was his first run in the country.

See It Again will be having his third run in the July this year, well short of his half-brother Do It Again’s record six appearances which included two wins, one third and three fourths. Do It Again was the best performed horse at the weights in his first four Julys, second best performed in his fifth appearance and the best-performed in his final appearance. He is undoubtedly the greatest July horse in history.

• SPLITTHEEIGHTS: 109 to 116
• ONE EYE ON VEGAS: 106 to 115
• RADIO STAR: 95 to 107

• SCARLETT HEART (third): 91 to 108
• DAISY JONES (fourth): 106 to 108

David Thiselton

The Hollywoodbets Durban July conditions have been finalised and the final field panellists might be in for an interesting evening before the Final Field And Barrier Draw Ceremony, whilst the three-year-olds look to be on the back foot at present.

There will be a longer handicap this year with a 10kg spread in the weights from a topweight of 62kg down to a bottom weight of 52kg.

Furthermore, it will just be a straight handicap, unlike recent July conditions in which there was a maximum and minimum weight for certain age groups and genders.

If the final field happens to have a spread that is less than 10kg, the topweight will still be 62kg. If, for example, there is a weight spread of 7kg among the entries, then the bottom weight will be 55kg.

If the topweights are scratched after the setting of the weights, then the new topweight will be dragged up to 62kg. For example if the topweight after scratchings is 60,5kg, it will be dragged up to 62kg and after the rest of the field have been dragged up the bottom weight will become 53,5kg.

The final field will not necessarily be chosen by merit rating order.

Justin Vermaak, Executive Racing and Bloodstock of Race Coast, said, “There will be a final field selection panel like before and merit rating will be a leading aspect, but the panel will also take current form and distance suitability into account etc.”

In recent years the final field panellists have not had it too tough as the field was cut up before the final field announcement, with a lot of horses being scratched due to the recognition by the connections they do not have much chance, either due to the weights not favouring them or due to them being off form – the final declaration fee could have, in those cases, been considered a waste of money.

However, with the longer handicap, there are going to be more horses who still have form chances on paper.

Looking at last year’s July for example, third-placed Selukwe was rated 111 and had to carry 54kg due to the condition that the minimum weight for an older male was 54kg. He was thus 2kg under sufferance with the 127-rated topweights, both older horses, and he was 4kg under sufferance with the officially best weighted horse, the 129 rated (nett 125-rated) Eight On Eighteen, who was set to carry 57kg despite being the highest merit rated horse in the race due to a condition that three-year-old males could not carry more than 57kg.

In last year’s race Oriental Charm carried 60kg, Eight On Eighteen carried 57kg and Selukwe carried 54kg.

Under this year’s conditions the weights for those three horses would have been: Oriental Charm 62kg, Eight On Eighteen 61kg and Selukwe 54kg. Selukwe would have been 2kg and 4kg better off with Oriental Charm and Eight On Eighteen respectively under today’s conditions.

He would have been 2kg better off with the winner The Real Prince too and, on paper, would have been beaten 0,30 lengths instead of by 2,65 lengths.

There could theoretically have been a horse who would have been even more favoured by today’s conditions than the 111-rated Selukwe example.

Using last year’s race under today’s conditions, an older horse who had been rated 107 would sneak into the handicap under today’s conditions.

A 107-rated older horse last year would have had to carry 54kg, 6kg less than the topweight, but under today’s conditions it would have only had to carry 52kg, which would be 10kg less than the 62kg topweight.

Therefore, there are theoretically going be a lot more horses standing their ground at the time of the final field selection process this year, because a lot more of them will have chances of winning on paper than would have been the case under the old conditions.

Furthermore, with stakes of R10 million up for grabs there will be less cases of horses being scratched due to the  connections deeming them to be off form. They might still want to take their chances.

The difficulty for the panel will come in deciding whether a lower rated horse is deemed to have better recent form or better distance suitability than a higher rated horse.

For argument sakes let’s assume that we go back to last year and there are still many horses standing their ground until the bitter end. After the top 17 are selected, according to the last log and current form, let’s assume the next two horses are the 115-rated Madison Valley and the 120-rated The Real Prince.

The Real Prince is rated five points higher than Madison Valley, but he has never run a race beyond 1600m before.

Madison Valley on the other hand finished a close fourth in the Betway Summer Cup over 2000m and in his final run before the July he won the traditional July pointer, the Hollywoodbets Dolphins Cup Trial over 1800m.

Which one are they going to put in the all important 18th slot?

Such a scenario is going to have much more chance of happening this year.

Although it has been said that weight avoidance tactics are going to be used this year, those who do take that route are probably going to run a bigger risk of not qualifying than ever before.

Now on to the three-year-olds.

Eight On Eighteen was held in high regard last year and came into the race 2kg well-in, according to official merit ratings, and yet he was not able to win the race.

Under today’s conditions he would have had to carry 61kg, effectively 2kg more.

So it was tough last year for a top, top three-year-old who was favoured by the old conditions.

How tough will it be for good-but-not-great three-year-olds under the new conditions, considering there is no maximum weight for them and no minimum weight for older horses?

Likewise it will be tough for females.

Furthermore, this year’s three-year-old crop are arguably overrated off their current merit ratings.

For example, Gauteng Guineas runner up Grand Empire could not win the Wolf Power 1600 against older horses when 2kg under sufferance off a 102 merit rating (effectively a 106 merit rating), yet he is now rated 120. There will be cries of “but the handicapper is clueless” when looking at that, but those who do say that are clueless themselves, because the handicapper rates a race on that race, not on past races, and Tin Pan Alley had earned his 117 rating by beating older horses and Grand Empire had then beaten him. Furthermore, Grand Empire was likely not at his peak for the Wolf Power with the Triple crown series looming.

Nevertheless, the overall impression is the current three-year-old male crop is not shining and it is questionable whether any of them have properly earned a rating of 120 or above.

It could well be an older horse July, but on the other hand there is an impressive unexposed horse like Note To Self among the three-year-olds and more such types might emerge.

The build up to this year’s Hollywoodbets Durban July is going to be more intriguing than ever!

David Thiselton

The 2026 Hollywoodbets Durban July will be a milestone one with the prize money doubled to R10 million and with a longer handicap introduced as the topweight will be upped to 62kg and bottom weight lowered to 52kg.

It will fittingly fall on the 30th anniversary of the centenary July, which turned out to be one of the greatest of all Julys as it was won by the legendary Alec Laird-trained London News, who went on to put South African racing on the map by winning the QE II Cup in Hong Kong.

The renowned South African wildlife painter Henk Vos released his celebrated work, the Painting Of The Century, depicting a century of July winners, after the July’s centenary running.

The iconic painting now hangs in the Classic Room at Hollywoodbets Greyville.

Alec Laird actually ordered one of the prints of the painting before it was completed as the print had the first of his great Uncle Syd Garrett’s five July winners on the left and the greatest of his father’s record seven July winners, Sea Cottage, was in the centre.

The right hand side just had a blank with a silhouette of a horse, because Vos did not know yet which horse he was going to paint there.

Alec, who trained out of Randjesfontein on the Highveld, related, “He hadn’t made up his mind what horse he was going to put in the last panel (the 20th panel) and he even said to me ‘I would like you to win the July because I would like to put you as the last painting.’ With about a year to go I said to him I’m not going to make it.’”

However, fate then had it that London News not only became the 14/10 favourite for the 100th running of the July, but he was also saddle cloth number 20, being the only three-year-old in the field and the bottom weight.

Piere Strydom recalled, “I remember at the traditional Friday night cocktail Henk Vos was there with his big painting and there was one spot left for the 100th winner and I can still remember saying to someone that I think my picture’s going to be up there.”

London News duly won the race and Alec, London News and Piere Strydom are now at the forefront of the famous painting’s 20th panel and the horse is fittingly carrying the no. 20 saddle cloth.

The London News story starts at the National Yearling Sale of 1994.

Alec recalled big owners Laurie and Jean Jaffee’s chief aim at that Sale was to buy a yearling by their own 1987 July winner, Bush Telegraph.

Alec recalled Harmony Forever being his number one choice at that Sale.

However, he remembered London News being “a nice horse.”

He added, “On the first day a Bush Telegraph colt called Mr Newspaperman went for about R300,000. London News looked more athletic and Jean Jaffee actually said to me, ‘What about this one?’ On the first day they didn’t get a horse, the second day they didn’t get one and the more they asked me about London News the nicer he got, because I was otherwise going to go home without a horse!”

The Jaffees managed to secure London News.

Alec recalled, “He was a light youngster and even as a three-year-old was quite light. He didn’t show immediately, but we always had the feeling that he would be a nice horse when he matured.”

In fact, London News made a particularly inauspicious debut, beaten no fewer than 16,5 lengths under Anton Marcus in a 1200m Maiden Juvenile Plate over 1200m at the Vaal on June 6, 1995.

However, he got better and better and when he smashed the Greyville 2000m course record, which still stands today, in the Gr 1 Daily News 2000, he had won six out of eleven starts including the Dingaans and two middle distance Gr 1s.

Piere Strydom was aboard for the Daily News 2000 too.

He reflected on the 1996 July, the first of his four victories in South Africa’s greatest race, “London News was a lekker horse to ride because he had gate speed, a lot of natural speed and he would travel right up there in front and he had a good kick. But at the top of the straight (having led) I thought with a light weight let me just let the reins go a bit and get a length or two for the short straight. But he accelerated way quicker than I had expected and that’s when he made up three or four lengths on the field. Obviously it was going to tell at the end and he was stopping quite badly at the end. I heard the horses coming and I was just hoping for the line and he held on.”

Alec added, “Mike Rattray had invited me to watch in his box because it was on the line and he won by a neck but my eyes wouldn’t believe it because there was so much pressure. I wanted to see the number up!”

Alec described the emotion of being on the honour roll together with his late record-breaking seven-time July-winning father Syd.

In fact his extended family is comfortably the most prolific July-winning family in history with his grandfather Alec winning one as a jockey, his great Uncle Syd Garrett winning two as a jockey and three as a trainer, his father Syd winning a record seven as a trainer, and the cousins Dennis Drier, Alec Laird and Charles Laird each winning one July apiece – a total of 16 for the July dynasty.