First Gr 1 winner for Paardeberg Stud

David Thiselton

On Sunday at Hollywoodbets Greyville Erik Dubois not only gave Louis Goosen a first Gr 1 victory in 35 years of training, but also gave Varsfontein-based sire Erik The Red a first Gr 1 winner and he gave Paardeberg Stud, who are the newest stud farm in the country, a first Gr 1 winner with their first crop to race.

The Laurence Wernars family-owned gelding is officially bred by the American racing man Dr Alan Miller.

However, Paardeberg stud manager Sally Bruss explained, “Erik Dubois’ mother Comtesse Dubois was Barry Irwin’s mare, but he gave her to Dr Alan Miller, who is a New York physician. When Barry’s mares moved to me in Tulbagh, Comtesse Dubois came along as well. Later she and Barry’s mares moved with me to Sorrento Stud and then from Sorrento to Paardeberg. However Dr. Alan Miller, having only one mare in South Africa, lost interest and asked me if I would like the mare. I said I would love the mare. She had been a disappointing mare until then and she had this foal at foot, but I took her. The foal at foot was Erik Dubois.”

Sally had made the decision to send Comtesse Du Bois to Erik The Red.

She continued, “We raised Erik Dubois and took him to the Sales (he fetched R375,000 at the 2025 March Yearling Sale). Comtesse Dubois has a United States foal going to the October Cape Sale and she has a very nice Expert Eye colt. Comtesse Dubois was actually a good race filly and should have been a better broodmare.”

Comtesse Dubois is by Count Dubois out of twice-winning Rakeen mare Katherine, who was a half-sister to the top class Count Dubois colt Biarritz. As a racehorse she won four times, including the Listed Laisserfaire Stakes over 1100m, and she had a Listed place and three Graded places from 1200m up to 1400m.

At stud she has to date had four winners from eight runners and Erik Dubois is her first black type progeny.

Erik Dubois was a November foal and Comtesse Dubois’ next two foals were also latecomers, but after a season’s break it would be no surprise to see Sally sending her back to Erik The Red.

Goosen gets his first Gr 1 moment

David Thiselton

One of the feel good stories of the World Pool Gold Cup meeting was the Gr 1 World Pool Moment Of The Day Champion Stakes victory of the Erik The Red gelding Erik Dubois, who gave Laurence Wernars and family a fifth Gr 1 victory of the season, achieved with four individual horses.

The giant horse secured a first Gr 1 win in 35 years of training for Louis Goosen.

Goosen’s had said in the build up, “He is still a soft, big boy, but he is coming on all the time. You will see the best of him at three, but I think he is a huge, huge runner in the Champion Stakes on Sunday.”

Louis’ hopes soared on course in one particular, surreal moment.

He recalled, “I was standing next to Kurt Felix in the parade ring while my horse Ferrari Flair was going down for the second, when I looked around and saw Erik Dubois standing on his own after being taken off the float. It was almost as if he was an apparition. I said to Kurt, ‘Look at this!’ I could see he had tightened up and I told Kurt, ‘If I ever wanted to peak a horse it is today and I have peaked him!’ Then I knew.”

However, when asked if he was still confident at race time, he quipped, “No, I was taking immodiums and praying!”

He continued, “You have to understand I have had quite a few Gr 1 seconds, thirds and fourths over the years with a small string. The one year we had won the Gr 2 SA Fillies Nursery with Waywest Goddess and come down for the Gr 1 Allan Robertson. We went down to the line and heads up, heads down Chocolicious gets us in the last stride, so on Sunday when Duncan Howell’s horse starts coming back at us I was saying, ‘No, not again!”

Erik Dubois at over 600kg was the second heaviest horse at the meeting, despite being a two-year-old, and everything panned out perfectly for him.

Drawn three, the number two horse was a late scratching leaving the gate on his inside empty, which allowed Lyle Hewitson space to get big horse settled in the early stages. Hewitson is used to riding without false rails in Hong Kong and stuck to a one wide position. After the field had sorted itself out he found himself in a perfect position, one wide with cover, nothing on his outside and just forward of midfield.

As Louis said, “He was absolutely cantering, he looked like he was on the bottom track here at Summerveld!”

Hewitson switched him out at the top of the straight and after the big bay had gathered himself he began making up ground hand over fist.

He got into a stirring, eyeballing tussle with Kazenoyoni in the last 150m, but to the neutral observer he always had the latter’s measure. His stride is enormous and Hewitson had reserved the whip until he had reached Kazenoyoni. He then got Erik Dubois into full stretch in the closing stages with some left handed smacks and he got up by a cosy 0,30 lengths.

“Unbelievable ride,” said Louis. “and It was a very, very emotional moment.”

Louis was clearly lyrical in the parade ring and close to tears as he thanked Laurence Wernars, but despite the excitement he remembered his duty as a trainer in the lead in.

He said, “I stood back and ensured all the owners had a hand on the lead rope. But the horse then stopped and stood stock still when he heard all the noise from the grandstand. I stepped forward and said to him, ‘It’s ok, boy’. He immediately walked forward after hearing the familiar reassuring voice. But that is what kind of horse he is.”

Louis revealed that he often talks to his horses.

He said, “My horses are lovely to talk to, they don’t argue you know! So I went to talk to Erik last Wednesday evening and I said to Lauren ‘Come and make a video I want to send it to Laurence’. I said on the video, ‘Laurence, this horse is 33/1 but on Sunday I am going to win a Gr 1 for you. But I am going to ask you for three things if I do that .. Number one is a flight on your Lear Jet back to Jo’Burg so I can go and see my son in Pretoria. No. 2 I want to choose where the trophy stands in your box. And three is to send me a horse or two.'”

Louis went on a fishing excursion with Richard Fourie et al last Thursday and he said, “When we got off the boat one of them told me, ‘Your horse has shortened!’ I’m not sure where the money came from!”

Erik Dubois started as short as 14/1.

Louis thought it ironic and most gratifying that a man he has immense respect for, Mike de Kock, was to present him with the trophy.

He recalled, “The day Waywest Goddess was pipped Mike was standing next to me in the parade ring and said, ‘I think you got it, Goose’. But the slow motion replay then showed we’d lost. So it was great Mike was now here again to present the trophy.”

Louis association with Erik Dubois started when he was granted money by Race Coast for their pinhooking scheme. After he had secured the horse he was after at the Race Coast Sales auction, he asked Race Coast’s Justin Vermaak for another pinhooking grant as he had spotted Erik Dubois.

He recalled, “He looked good and used himself well and got his hocks down.”

He secured Erik Dubois too and after he had done his normal introduction training, which he calls “bone density” exercises, he phoned Justin Vermaak, who is the racing manager for Laurence Wernars, and told  him this horse looked so good he might be interested.

It turned out Vermaak had also liked him at the Sale.

To cut a long story short Laurence ended up purchasing him from Louis and he kept the latter on as trainer.

Louis would never give a young horse, especially a big one, a holiday in a paddock as it can interrupt the bone density progression. So he will now give Erik Dubois an easy time, but keep in regular exercise, and his possible targets include Highveld Spring season races like the Spring Challenge and Graham Beck.

Now time to rest in the sun

Andrew Harrison

Trainer Tienie Prinsloo will have been a tad disappointed that Coast Of The Sun was relegated to reserve runner in both the Gr2 Golden Horseshoe and the Gr1 World Pool Moment of the Day Champion Stakes.

The son of Hawwaam shed his maiden in fine style when beating Benny And Paul who has since franked that form with multiple winners coming out of that formline and arguably unlucky not to have finished closer in the Gr2 World Pool Bet with the Tote Stakes on Sunday.

Prinsloo was lavish in his praise after Coast Of The Sun’s win and although the colt has missed the bus as far as contesting feature races this season, he gets a chance to showcase his ability when he lines up in the Lucky Fish Crazy Time Class 4 at Hollywoodbets Scottsville today.

The form of the opposition is not particularly deep and if Coast Of The Sun is as good as his reputation, he should put them to bed with ease.

He faces a useful handicapper in Alyson Wright’s charge Phutulicious who has the widest draw but seldom puts in a below par performance.  He has gone close in his last two over course and distance. The Marquee was touched off over course and distance last time out and is seldom far back and should put in another forward showing. Seasoned trainer Ricky Maingard has had a good spell with his small string of raiders and Klein Karoo paid his way when winning first time out on the poly. The turf holds no fears and from the best of the draw he should be competitive.

Mike and Mathew de Kock can get the ball rolling in the first three races on the card for Hollywood Racing where they have competitive runners.

In the first Scots Wae Hae found solid market support in a promising debut and is relatively unexposed while Dean Kannemeyer’s runner Lennoxx has been knocking at the door for some time. He started as a narrowly beaten favourite last start and has put in two smart efforts on this course but has had his chances. Nautical Fire has shown promise in his first two starts while Rachel’s Boy is way better than his last start in the soft and gets first time blinkers.

The De Kock’s and Kannemeyer face each other again in the second. There was plenty of talk on course about Gimme A Fireball before making his debut and although a well beaten third he should have tightened up a lot from that outing. Year older Scotch Again  started favourite on debut on the poly but was all at sea. He does look progressive and can make Gimme A Fireball work for victory along with AMC Roy On Fire was not far back to the promising Benny And Paul on debut and is likely to improve.

Hollywood Racing have had another stellar year and are the leading owners by a country mile, and if the De Kock’s are successful in the first two races, Sparrow Man can add to their tally that last week stood at 175 winners for the current season.

 Sparrow Man made a smart sprint debut on this course racing very green. He steps up to a mile which should be more to his liking judged on his pedigree and could prove difficult to beat. A possible threat is Yogas Govender’s Trip To Venus who was narrowly beaten over course and distance last time out with a claiming apprentice aboard and now gets a seasoned rider. The Flat Cat could also be a threat. He has shown recent improvement after being stepped up in trip and the extra furlong should suit. United Tides has not been too far back in a couple of sprints and he too should prefer the step up in trip and is one to watch in the market.

Justin Snaith’s string will be headed back to Cape Town soon but he can still fire a few shots. Hazel Green was disappointing in her local debut but was taking to the poly track for the first time. Her Cape form was promising and she should have a strong chance on that form. Blenheim Palace has been improving with each outing and was close-up over course and distance last time out and should contest the finish. Soho Celebrity made good improvement last run over course and distance and finished just ahead of Blenheim Palace when last they met and her apprentice rider stays aboard.

In the fifth, Sohot Sowhat has run two promising races on the poly and had consistent Cape form on the turf but she could face a tough nut in Snaith’s filly Match That. She tried a mile in the Eastern Cape Fillies Guineas last run but came up against star Anotherdanceforme. She has been rested but back to a sprint in this company she should be competitive. Seven No Trump makes her local debut off useful Cape form over this trip and a light weight while Light Of Gabriel was not far back when lumbered with a big weight on the poly last time out but she is useful and should go well in this line-up.

The last two races are wide open handicaps. In the seventh, Spirit Of Shimla was a beaten favourite on the poly last run in what was a below par effort. She had consistent form prior to that and a return to her best should see her close. Treasure Island is taking time for her second win but goes well over this trip and is seldom far off the winner. From the best of the draw she is a strong contender. Act Of Grace was second best on the poly last start but her most recent win came on this course while Another Dream has dropped two points in the handicap and is also down in class. She carries top weight but is at home over this trip.

Finally, Fort Usher can sign off on the day for Darryl Moore. He made a promising debut behind Benny And Paul before going on to shed his maiden next time out and as mentioned before the Benny And Paul form has worked out well. From the best of the draw can follow up. The filly Christmas Rose has a difficult draw to contend with but was a recent maiden winner over course and distance and she does look progressive and faces modest older opposition.  La Maddalena is back over what looks to be a more suitable trip and can feature from a wide draw.

Direct equine flights to the UK now permitted

In exciting news for the South African horseracing industry it has been announced the UK have opened a direct equine export route from South Africa, which cements two-way trade for the SA Equine Industry.

SA Equine Health & Protocols NPC (SAEHP) sent out the following press release:

UK Opens Direct Equine Export Route from South Africa, Cementing Two-Way Trade for SA Equine Industry

Cape Town, 15 July 2026 — SA Equine Health & Protocols NPC (SAEHP) is pleased to announce that the British Government has confirmed a decision permitting direct import of live horses from South Africa to Great Britain. Following a positive assessment of South Africa’s disease control measures, imports will be permitted from the approved vector-protected quarantine station in Cape Town, for registered equines complying with UK import conditions.

This milestone reflects sustained collaboration between SAEHP, the South African Department of Agriculture, and the Western Cape Department of Agriculture — a powerful demonstration of this public-private partnership’s success in maintaining South Africa’s equine disease control measures to the highest international standard and translating that credibility into real market access.

The announcement follows closely on South Africa’s opening of imports from Dubai, New Zealand, and Australia earlier this year -making genuine two-way trade a reality for the South African equine industry.

Adrian Todd, Managing Director of SAEHP, thanked the Hong Kong Jockey Club for its funding, technical support, and vision in opening South Africa to the world, noting that the growing number of trade partners now opens a world of opportunity for South Africa across all equestrian disciplines.

About SAEHP:SA Equine Health & Protocols NPC is a South African public-private partnership established to ensure the sustainability and security of the African Horse Sickness control zones through risk mitigation measures and controls, operating under the authority of the South African National Director of Animal Health in partnership with the National Department of Agriculture and the Western Cape Department of Agriculture.

Exciting new July Handicap conditions

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!

 

London News July centenary victory

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.

A New Era of Racing: Colossus Pools Launched on 1st December with UK Racing!

Race Coast is thrilled to announce a game changing new era for South African horse racing punters with the official launch of horse racing with Colossus Pools on Monday, 1 December 2025!

Following the successful introduction of Colossus world class sports pools, we are now bringing this innovative technology to the multi-leg racing bets. To kick off the launch, the horse racing pools will feature predetermined, high value UK race meetings, giving local punters access to massive international jackpots.

This marks a major step forward for the sport, combining the thrill of racing with modern, flexible features.

Introducing Unprecedented Control

For the first time in South African racing, you will be able to take advantage of key features that put you in control of your bet:

  • Cash Out: Don’t wait until the last race! You will now receive leg-by-leg offers to Cash Out all or part of your ticket as the pool progresses. Secure a profit early or reduce your risk, giving you unprecedented control over your potential winnings.
  • Syndicate Betting: Join forces with other punters to crowdfund a single, high stakes ticket. Share the cost, increase your chances of hitting the jackpot, and share the rewards with the betting community. You can become a Syndicate Captain or contribute to a ticket led by an expert.

Race Coast is committed to innovating and ensuring our horse racing proposition is the most exciting and engaging in the country.

Get Ready to Play!

Look out for the Colossus button on the www.tote.co.za website and from December 1st, toggle between Football and Horse Racing, and experience the new generation of betting.

Massive UK Jackpots, More Control, and Shared Success—get ready to elevate your racing experience!