Please note: South African Quartet Pools with fractional betting offered at Uttoxeter (UK) and Curragh (World Pool) (IRE) – 24 May 2026.
Category Archives: Racing News
Snaith to predict the future
Alistair Cohen
There are often some treasures to be found during Cape Town’s winter series of feature races. There is often a long game in mind for horses with upside who are not quite ready for the warmer pleasures in Durban during winter. Future Free is a half brother to reigning Horse Of The Year Eight On Eighteen and he is likely nowhere near the same class. But, he is heading the right way and he could scoop the Listed Pocket Power Stakes over 1950m at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth tomorrow.
His last run came in Leg 2 of this series which has produced Pocket Power, Marinaresco and African Night Sky. Over 1800m, the Listed Legal Eagle Stakes he finished a pleasing 2,05-length third behind La Pulga who is an entry for the Hollywoodbets Durban July, albeit optimistic. Future Free has always struck as a horse who will kick on as his career develops and as he is sent over further distances which he gets to venture over.
He is only a three-year-old which suggests there is plenty left in the tank. He gives the impression that this is the start of good times to come and he could be a step higher up the ladder in a few months when the sun shines slightly warmer in Cape Town. Andrew Fortune takes the ride for Justin Snaith.
Snaith sends out the lightly raced Prairie Dawn who is the most interesting runner in the race. He showed tons of courage to worm through a tight gap last time at Hollywoodbets Durbanville when lesser heart would have seen him with a hard luck story. With only six career starts, this must be a signal of intent from Snaith. From beating Show Off who has been disappointing to running against some solid campaigners is a huge ask. Craig Zackey was complimentary about his future. Keep an eye on him as the months go by. A good showing would put him in place for high hopes in the future.
Otto Luyken holds an optimistic entry for the Hollywoodbets Durban July. A win here might not do his chances many favours but it would keep him alive to qualify for Africa’s Greatest Race. His effort in the Legal Eagle Stakes was fair when he finished just under three lengths behind La Pulga. He seems held by Future Free. This extra distance is in his favour and he is a good horse when he decides to be at his best with a long, fluent stride.
Aquae Calidae ran a bold race on debut when he finished second behind Kalahari King. He showed a unique running style with his head low down demonstrating immaturity. He runs in race 1 over 1200m. His high number draw of No 10 down the straight is not ideal but he showed good pace first-up and experience could help his cause.
Spinnaker is a lovely looker and he also put up a sparkling first effort when he finished behind The Cullinan over 1200m. He steps up to 1400m in race 2. He is a half brother to Grade 2 WSB Guineas winner Sail The Seas. He hit the line with plenty in hand last time behind an experienced horse who also has a touch of ability. This looks like a hot maiden so he could face equally stiff opposition but impressions were high after his debut and he could make enough progress to win.
Signor Dante plummets in class in race 3 over 1400m. The doubt attached to his chances is if he can handle the drop in distance. He hints that his next win would come over slightly further and his running style backs that idea up. He has run against Note To Self, Eric Liddell, Prairie Dawn and Future Free in his last four runs. All of those horses would be warm order favourites in a race of this nature.
Lava Strike improved in his last run when he finished close-up behind Vercicat. There is no evident reason for him showing zero to finishing second so perhaps natural progression served him well. He gets the services of Richard Fourie in race 4 over the same 1200m distance. There is a real paucity of compelling form in this event.
If Moody Blue has the legs to win over 1200m, he looks like he has the right form in race 5. Andrew Fortune is the man for the job to see if he can be as effective over this trip. His recent runs have come against stronger. There is not much predicted rain leading into this meeting which takes off some doubt. If he is rolled, just about anything in the race can win.
Eric Liddell trotted up in his last run. He is on the up. If Signor Dante wins a few races earlier, Eric Liddell becomes even more appealing. He runs in race 6 over 1950m. He faces a competitive field against some well-tried older hard knockers who will not be easy to fend off. He seems like he is maturing rapidly enough to give him the benefit of the doubt. Scottish Links, Gentleman Joe, Fort Liam and Song To The Moon all stack up as contenders.
Charlie Bucket is somehow still a maiden. He has finished in the runner-up spot in his last three runs. Horses who beat him have not looked out of place going a step higher. He might be his own worst enemy because he leaves himself too much to do but the extra trip to 1600m is worth a roll in race 8. This is not quite now or never because there seems to be a few runners of interest but he would be a popular and deserving winner.
Hollywoodbets Kenilworth Sunday, 24 May – Comments by David Thiselton
Race 1
10 AQUAE CALIDAE ran a cracker on debut and will be hard to beat. 3 COPPER HEAD also has good debut form and should be right there. 4 ANOTHER HERO has run two good races and has a chance. 6 GODRIC GRYFFINDOR should be there or thereabouts. (David Thiselton 10-3-4-6)
Race 2
7 MADE IN CHELSEA should be hard to beat considering his good formlines. 4 SPINNAKER made a good debut and with improvement could go close. 3 CAPTAIN’S ANGEL should be in the shake up. 1 HERO’S JOURNEY should earn again in this line up. (David Thiselton 7-4-3-1)
Race 3
5 SIGNOR DANTE can bounce back as he has some fine form overall. 4 PACIFIC WATERS enjoyed the course and distance last time and has been given a reasonable merit rating. 1 FORT YUKON has a form chance. 3 RED DAWN could be in the shake up in this line up. (David Thiselton 5-4-1-3)
Race 4
3 LAVA STRIKE has some fine formlines and is the one to beat. 5 COFFEE CRUNCH has 3,60 lengths to make up on Lava Strike. 2 THE MUFFIN MAN comes from that same race and has 3,8 lengths to make up on Lava Strike. 10 LOVE FROM AFAR has the ability to earn. (David Thiselton 3-5-2-10)
Race 5
5 KELP FOREST has plenty of ability and is back to his last winning mark. 2 LOVING PRAGUE has some fine form and should go close. 1 WINTER PEARL is knocking on the door and should be right there. 8 OCTOBER STORM has the ability but is none too consistent and needs to bounce back. (David Thiselton 5-2-1-8)
Race 6
3 SCOTTISH LINKS is 2,5kg better off with Eric Liddell for a 2,25 length beating and there is a reversal in draw fortunes in his favour. 1 TUNGUSKA was well beaten by Eric Liddell last time when widely drawn but he is now drawn in pole. 9 ERIC LIDDELL is progressive and would not be a surprise winner because he is a grinder who will relish the heavy winter conditions but he does have a tough draw. 10 TOTHEMOONANDBACK is capable of earning in this line up. (David Thiselton 3-1-9-10)
Race 7
6 FUTURE FREE is a talented son of Futura and his progressive profile plus a step up in trip he will relish makes him the one to beat. 1 PAY THE PALACE has mixed it with some of the best and not been disgraced and he should be in the shake up over a trip he should get considering his fair run in the Lucky Fish Cape Derby. 5 PRAIRIE DAWN is a consistent sort who is on the up and he should enjoy the step up in trip. 7 MAGIC VERSE has a touch of class and is distance suited and he should be in the shake up despite having the widest draw in the seven horse field. (David Thiselton 6-1-5-7)
Race 8
5 FREQUENT TRAVELLER ran a good race over course and distance last time and is now two point lower in another maiden handicap. 2 CHARLIE BUCKET has been knocking on the door and from a good draw has a chance although he has to prove he stays this trip. 7 FATE OF PACE has a tricky draw but has the form and distance suitability to be a contender. 11 QUIET PLACE has earned a cheque in the last three maiden handicaps he has run in. (David Thiselton 5-2-7-1)
Soccer Updates and Carryovers – Sunday 24 May 2026
Score6 Sunday 24 May 2026. ADD-IN: R 3 771. Pool Closes at 17h00, Sport 6 Pool 1.
Score10 Sunday 24 May 2026. ADD-IN: R10 000. Pool Closes at 17h00, Sport 9 Pool 1.
Soccer13 GUARANTEED JACKPOT Sunday 24 May 2026. R17.5 Million (If only One 13 of 13 Winner). Pool Closes at 16h30. Sport 10 Pool 1.
Soccer4 Sunday 24 May 2026. Carryover R25 000. Estimated Pool: R100 000. Pool Closes at 17h00, Sport 20 Pool 1.
Soccer6 Sunday 24 May 2026. Carryover R75 000. Estimated Pool: R 500 000. Pool Closes at 17h00. Sport 1 Pool 2.
Soccer10 Sunday 24 May 2026. ADD-IN: R200 000. Estimated Pool: R2 Million. Pool Closes at 17h00. Sport 15 Pool 1
60 years on from Sea Cottage shooting
David Thiselton
The July build up of 60 years ago was like no other before it and It is fitting that this year’s Hollywoodbets Durban July, carrying a record-breaking stake of R10 million, falls on such an auspicious anniversary date
In the month of May 60 years ago the great Sea Cottage began his July preparation by running in a race often used by Syd Laird as starting point for his best July contender, the Gr 1 Newbury Stakes over 1200m.
Sea Cottage beat another famous horse in the 1966 Newbury renewal, the previous year’s Gr 1 SA Guineas winner William Penn, whose story bears repeating.
Willaim Penn had won six Grade 1s up until being retired to stud in 1969 and was a July runner up by half-a-length in 1968, carrying topweight and giving the winner Chimboraa 24 pounds.
His wins included the 1968 J&B Met with topweight. He was two-one up in meetings between himself and his more celebrated half-brother Hawaii, who went on to become USA’s Champion Grass Horse as well as a successful sire, standing at Claiborne where he produced 25 stakes winners including Epsom Derby winner Henbit. William Penn proved infertile at stud, siring only nine foals, although they included three stakes winners. He was brought out of retirement as a ten-year-old and the first run of his comeback was in the J&B Met of January 1972. He flew up for second, three lengths behind the winner Force Ten to whom he gave 18 pounds. He went on to race successfully until he was eleven, the best performance of his final season being a 0,2 length second to the great In Full Flight in the Grade 1 Champions Stakes over 2000m at Greyville, beating another champion, Mazarin.
Back To Sea Cottage who was back at Greyville a week after the Newbury Stakes to win the Gr 1 SA Guineas by 3,5 lengths, his eleventh career victory in just 12 starts.
Six days later the country woke up to shocking news.
On that bright Friday morning Sea Cottage had been shot while walking under the Blue Lagoon bridge on the way to the Syd Laird ring on the beach.
The story is well documented with the shooter Johnny Nel being apprehended later the same day. The well-known gangster had foolishly used his easily recognisable yellow-coloured convertible to drive to the shelter on the south side of the bridge, which is still the same structure today as it was back then, to perform the dastardly deed.
He was allegedly acting on behalf of bookmaker Sonny Chislett, who had allegedly approached the owner of the Monaco Club, Monty Labuschagne, with the news that if Sea Cottage won the July he would have to close his business and therefore he demanded the debt he was owed by the latter be paid up.
Labuschagne’s alleged response was what would it be worth if they stopped Sea Cottage from winning the July and Chislett’s alleged response was that he would forego the debt.
It was Nel, a bouncer at the Monaco club, who hatched the plan.
If Nel can be forgiven to any extent it was in his later testimony that he had found it difficult to shoot an animal and had deliberately aimed for the soft flesh of the hindquarter in order to not kill him.
Syd Laird was still able to nurture Sea Cottage through the worst of the injury and he had him ready to run in the July three weeks after the shooting.
The big bay unfortunately suffered interference at a crucial stage and ended up running a four length fourth.
It was a bitter-sweet day for Laird because Sea Cottage’s six-year-old stablemate Java Head won the race.
However, the following year saw the July’s most celebrated renewal.
The 1967 SA Guineas winner Jollify, who was receiving 27 pounds from Sea Cottage, stole a march at the top of the straight under a fine ride by John Gorton.
Sea Cottage had a lot of ground to make up, but began eating up the ground.
He had to get around King Willow, who was going straight, before the natural instinct of shifting towards the leader, was able to happen.
A flying Sea Cottage with his enormous stride bore down on the three-year-old, despite the latter showing no signs of stopping.
The two Birch Brothers-bred horses flashed past the post together.
But had Sea Cottage got there in time?
Commentator Ernie Duffield thought not and said, “I think Jollify has held on.”
Minutes later the on course crowd let out a roar when the numbers were put up together to declare a dead-heat.
But the rest of the country apparently had to endure an agonising wait for news as the radio commentary ended and they went back to the studio.
Craig Peters, who has by the way commentated 39 Julys, ten more than Ernie Duffield’s previous record of 29, recalled that day, at which time he was a young boy living with his parents in Mayfair, Johannesburg.
He said, “It was only sometime later on Pat Carr’s Forces Favourites program that we heard it was a dead-heat and I was absolutely elated (especially considering he had shed tears after Sea Cottage’s defeat the previous year). We saw the photo in the Stop Press and about two weeks later we watched the African Mirror footage of the race at the Drive-In. I remember also being at Sea Cottage’s last ever race, the Cutty Sark at Gosforth Park, which attracted a massive crowd. I watched by standing on the bonnet of my father’s car.”
“The immortal” Sea Cottage won twenty of his 24 races and there was still a reminder of him nearby at Hollywoodbets Greyville until recent years.
Syd Laird had always been terrified somebody would “get to” Sea Cottage and had metal plates fitted over the air vents on the road side of his stable.
His old stable served as a vendor stall in recent times at The Stables Lifestyle Market next to the Hollywoodbets KIng’s Park rugby stadium.
His stable was the third one down from the main entrance.
Those rusty metal plates were still in place across the air vents on the roadside of the stall until the closure of the market in March 2020.
Sadly, the building soon became completely dilapidated and an intriguing piece of Durban history went down with it.
Hollywoodbets Durban July first entries
David Thiselton
There are 63 entries for the R10 million Hollywoodbets Durban July to be run on July 4 over 2200m at Hollywoodbets Greyville.
Champion trainer Justin Snaith, who is going for a sixth July win, led the way with ten entries headed by the WSB Cape Town Met and World Pool Premier’s Champions Challenge winner See It Again. He also has last year’s July runner up Eight On Eighteen in his team as well as dual Gr 1 winner Wish List, the Met runner up Legal Counsel, the exciting Lucky Fish Cape Derby runner up Note To Self as well as Okavango, Happy Verse, Native Ruler, Regulation and Great Plains. Note To Self could be the one to side with, because this big son of Futura has a fine turn of foot and as things stand will have a nice galloping weight of 54kg, presuming the 130 rated See It Again will stand his ground and be allotted top weight of 62kg.
The race has new conditions with the difference between this year’s and last year’s being there is a 10kg spread as opposed to a 8kg spread; there are no maximum or minimum weights for three-year-old males or for three-year-old females or for older females, and there are no minimum weights for older males.
Rather it is just a straight handicap with the normal weight for age allowances, which in the case of a 2200m race taking place in the month of July is a 2kg weight for age allowance for the three-year-olds.
Mike de Kock has also won five Julys and will now be attempting to win one as a partner of his son Mathew. They have four entries headed by Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas winner Jan Van Goyen, Gr 2 SA Derby winner Curious Girl, Gr 2 Gauteng Guineas winner Splittheeights and the former Zimbabwean Triple Crown winner Buster Barnes. Of those Splittheeights looks to have some fine formlines and is potentially well weighted, although as things stand he is officially 2,5kg under sufferance off a 109 merit rating.
Dean Kannemeyer will be going for a fifth win in the big race, but last year’s winner The Real Prince is his sole entry.
Sean Tarry has won the July twice before and he has entered three horses, including Gr 1 SA Classic winner Grand Empire. The latter is officially 1,5kg under sufferance as things stand, an unusual occurrence for a Gr 1 winner, so he has to be considered potentially well weighted.
James Crawford now heads the yard who won the race twice in succession in 2023 and 2024 as his father Brett has relocated to Hong Kong.
James played a big part in both victories and has three entries, including the progressive pair Star Major and Reet Petite. They both have the perfect merit rating for a three-year-old as things stand, 114, because that means they come into the race with bottom weight of 52kg and they sneak into the handicap.
The other three trainers with entries who have won the race before are Alec Laird, Glen Kotzen and Candice Bass.
Laird has a big entry of six, headed by the Gr 1 winners Fire Attack and Atticus Finch. Fire Attack has had a disappointing season, but at his best he possesses a strong finish, so can’t be written off. Atticus Finch suffered epistaxis in last year’s race, but if things go well for him this former Betway Summer Cup winner has the class to be a threat, although he will have to carry a big weight of 60,5kg off his 127 rating as things stand.
Kotzen has entered the brave stayer Holding Thumbs, who will try his heart out.
Bass has three entries including the dependable Rainbow Lorikeet and the exciting three-year-old prospect Viva’s Liberte, the best of whom is unlikely to have been seen yet.
Another interesting entry is the Jackpot City Dingaans winner Trust, who was a narrow runner up in the SA Classic and he looks potentially well weighted off a mere 110 rating, which officially puts him 2kg under sufferance as things stand. He will be out to give July nearly man Larry Nestadt a first win in the big race and the other owners, Gary Player and the Lindsay Ralphs family, will also be trying to win the July for the first time.
The filly who only just missed landing the Triple Tiara, the Corne Spies-trained Hazy Dazy, is an entry.
KZN have plenty of entries headed by the Frank Robinson-trained Betway Summer Cup winner Mocha Blend, the Stuart Ferrie-trained Gr 1 Champions Cup winner Gladatorian, the Gareth van Zyl-trained champion stayer King Pelles and his SA Derby runner up stablemate Salani Kahle, the Nathan Kotzen-trained stayer Shoot The Rapids and his improving stablemate Field Marshal, Peter Muscutt has three entries including I Salute You, Michael Roberts has entered the classy Ladyofdistinction and there are also entries from Darryl Moore and MJ Odendaal.
Devin Heffer, Hollywoodbets Brand and Communications manager, said, “It has been a privilege for us as a leading brand to be associated with this internationally acclaimed sporting event since 2022, and every year it just gets bigger and better. With the adjustment in the race conditions and a doubling of the prize money to a record new stakes pot, the first entries list is proof that the stars are aligned and Hollywoodbets Greyville is set to live up to its label of the ‘Theatre of Champions’ on 4 July”.
Changes to the merit ratings
David Thiselton
The new merit ratings are out from the Gr 1 HKJC World Pool SA Classic and the handicappers look to have largely managed to get the merit ratings back to the way they had wanted them after the TAB Gauteng Guineas.
The original line horse used for the Gauteng Guineas was Tin Pan Alley, who was rated 117, whilst the appeal panel decided a more appropriate line horse was the 108-rated Grand Empire.
However, both of those horses are now Gr 1 winners, with Grand Empire having won the SA Classic on Saturday by a short-head from Trust, and Tin Pan Alley having slammed some of the best in the country by 1,75 lengths when winning the Gr 1 Wilgerbosdrift HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes over 1600m.
The appeal panel’s overall rating of the race thus looked to be too low.
The handicappers have managed to use the evidence from the SA Classic, as well as other factors, to get Trust back to the merit rating they had him on after the Guineas i.e 119 and have changed the ratings of the other runners accordingly.
The ratings look to now have a realistic look to them.
Meanwhile, Tin Pan Alley has been raised ten points to 128 after his impressive Horse Chestnut Stakes victory.
Hazy Dazy remains unchanged on 117 after her cosy win in the Gr 1 Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic.
The NHA press release explained all of the changes to the Gr 1 runners:
WILGERBOSDRIFT H F OPPENHEIMER HORSE CHESTNUT STAKES (GRADE 1)
Three-year-old TIN PAN ALLEY has been awarded a revised merit rating of 128, up from 117, following his emphatic victory in the Grade 1 Wilgerbosdrift H F Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes run at weight-for-age over 1600m at Turffontein standside track on Saturday.
In assessing the race, the Handicappers identified the consistent TEXAS RED (third place) as the line horse, leaving his rating unchanged at 119.
TIN PAN ALLEY’S commanding win over 1600m on a yielding track dispelled any doubts about his aptitude for the trip. The Handicappers had already considered him suitable for the distance, having used him as the line horse in the original TAB Gauteng Guineas ratings. However, the TAB Gauteng Guineas was subsequently reduced to a level of 109 following an appeal.
The outcome of the TAB Gauteng Guineas appeal has had significant knock-on effects. The three-year-old cohort that dominated the Guineas was reduced from a level of 121 to 109. TIN PAN ALLEY, who finished fourth in that race, has now gone on to win a Grade 1 WFA event.
Effectively, based on the reduced Guineas level, his performance rating has risen from 104 to 128 in just 28 days. While the Handicappers clearly believe TIN PAN ALLEY improved in this race, the improvement would reasonably be measured from 117 to 128 based on the Handicapper’s original assessment of the Gauteng Guineas.
When rating the Guineas, the Handicappers considered the pecking order of the field, the quality of the race as a Grade 2 event, and fairness from a handicapping perspective to ensure horses would meet on proper handicap terms in future contests. The appeal outcome created distortions, including the subsequent reduction of TRUST’S rating from 119 to 108 – a decision made two runs after his Grade 2 Jackpot City Dingaans victory, which the Handicappers regard as contrary to the principles of handicapping.
TIN PAN ALLY’S performance in this WFA race highlights the strength of this year’s three-year-old crop.
No other horses received upward adjustments in this race. COSMIC SPEED’S rating was reduced slightly, from 124 to 122.
HKJC WORLD POOL SA CLASSIC (GRADE 1)
GRAND EMPIRE, winner of the Grade 1 HKJC World Pool SA Classic over 1800m, has had his official merit rating raised from 108 to 120.
The Handicappers unanimously agreed that runner-up TRUST reaffirmed the 119 performance he achieved in the Grade 2 Jackpot City Dingaans last November, where he defeated the 118-rated JAN VAN GOYEN. The Dingaans level remains the officially adopted benchmark for that race.
In the assessment of this race, the Handicappers concluded that TRUST once again performed to that same level of 119. TRUST was used to that mark and was accordingly adjusted to 119.
A collateral line of form with TIN PAN ALLY’S win in the Wilgerbosdrift H F Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes (Grade 1) indicates that the Grade 1 HKJC World Pool SA Classic is undervalued, however, the Handicappers do not practise retrospective ratings.
Furthermore, the TRUST appeal panel concluded with the following recommendation: “Following the running of the SA Classic, the Handicappers should re-evaluate the entire three-year-old crop.”
Three additional horses received merit rating increases in this race:
- SPLITTHEEIGHTS: 109 to 116
- ONE EYE ON VEGAS: 106 to 115
- RADIO STAR: 95 to 107
WILGERBOSDRIFT SA FILLIES CLASSIC (GRADE 1)
HAZY DAZY’S official merit rating remained unchanged at 117 after she held off her rivals to win the Grade 1 Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic over 1800m. HAZY DAZY remains 3 points lower that her male counterpart GRAND EMPIRE, which is within the range of the filly’s allowance while keeping her equal to the Western Cape Leading filly WISH LIST, who is also rated 117.
The Handicappers identified LITTLEMISSMILLION as the line horse, leaving her rating unchanged at 107.
Two horses received rating increases based on their margins ahead of the line horse at level weights:
- SCARLETT HEART (third): 91 to 108
- DAISY JONES (fourth): 106 to 108
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!
