Soccer10 Friday 17 July 2026. ADD-IN R125 000. Estimated Pool: R1.5 Million. Pool Closes at 20h00.Sport 17 and Pool 1.

Soccer10 Saturday 18 July 2026. ADD-IN R125 000. Estimated Pool: R1.5 Million. Pool Closes at 18h00.Sport 19 and Pool 1.

Soccer Any 13Xtra Saturday 18 July 2026. Carryover R75 000. Estimated Pool: R200 000. Pool Closes at 16h00. Sport 13 and Pool 1.

Soccer13 Saturday 18 July 2026. Carryover R3 202 288. R8.5 Million (If only One 13 of 13 Winner). Pool Closes at 15h30. Sport 10 Pool 1.

Soccer4 Sunday 19 July 2026.  Carryover R25 000. Estimated Pool: R 75 000. Pool Closes at 18h00. Sport 23 Pool 2.

Please note: South African Quartet Pools with fractional betting offered at Chepstow and Epsom (UK) – 16 July 2026.

Andrew Harrison

Sabine Plattner has got to be one of the most patient owners in the sport. Her familiar green and indigo colours are always prominent in the Western Cape, where Plattner has a private training facility up the West Coast, but also in Kwa-Zulu Natal where Byron Forster does duty for boss Andre Nel at Summerveld.  Mostly home bred at Plattner’s La Plaisance Stud, Nel is never one to rush his charges and is afforded the luxury of an understanding owner.

Pleasedtoseeyou is a five-year-old La Plaisance-bred who only had 13 races under his saddle until yesterday but paid his way with his second win in the fifth on the poly at Hollywoodbets Greyville.

Serino Moodley has become part of the furniture in Nel’s Summerveld yard and he rode the perfect front-running race. Along with stable companion Mac Hardy, they cut the early fractions before Mac Hardy threw in the towel leaving Ultra Quick the main challenger. However, Ultra Quick’s challenge faded to nothing leaving Got The Word and Navajo Dancer keeping Pleasedtoseeyou honest.

There was a flood of late money for Willow Valli in the first but unfortunately for her backers she also arrived too late. Asgardian Queen made all the running under Calvin Habib with Wendy Whitehead’s charge staying on the lead in a grinding finish to hold off Blazing Belle before Willow Valli arrived late to snatch second.

Gold Gold Baby, dropped back to a mile with first time blinkers, held off a determined challenge from Treasure Island to win the second under Chad Little. Leading for most of the way, Gen Kotzen’s filly kept finding in a pressure-cooker finish to keep Treasure Island at bay.

Princess Trippi looked to be one of the better bets on a tricky card and so it proved as Keagan de Melo waited his turn at the top of the straight before streaking away to win as he liked. It was the second winner for Whitehead and although the opposition did not stack up to much, it was a win full of merit.

Game in defeat, Ebisu was unable to peg back the year older Sesame in the fourth, a Class 4 over 2000m. Giving the winner 8kg, 4kg courtesy of apprentice Anaas Mosaheb, the two fillies joined battle over a furlong out. Sesame appeared to have the upper hand over the final 50m but Callan Murray got Ebisu to rally again but just not enough to deny Glen Kotzen a double on the day.

On the verge of being retired from racing four runs back, blinkers, back-to-front alumites and intensive physio has seen Meerkat Moon reach his full potential as he ran out and easy winner of the sixth.

Sean Veale made the most of his inside draw on Mark Dixon’s runner and made not mistakes. The gelding had the run of the race, slipping up the inside rail before drawing off to win as he liked.

It was also pleasing to see the blinkers removed from Meerkat Moon before the lead-in according the horse some dignity and owners who don’t remove their dark glasses before their interviews should take note.

Nathan Kotzen is a staunch supporter of Dezahn Louw and the promising apprentice delivered a confident front-running ride on the well-supported Chicarito in the seventh. The gelding does not have the best of legs (for the layman – not the best conformed according to strict equine physiology), and has taken to the poly track and recorded back-to-back wins. Ante-post favourite Bangkok Magic drifted in the market but still finished a creditable second to edge out Winter In London.

The judges took their time declaring the winner of the last as pacemakers B Fifty Two and Victor Rail fought out a desperate finish. There was nothing separating the two over the final 50m and little more than a piece of paper as Kom Naidoo’s outsider added a zero onto the Pick 6 payout.

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.

David Thiselton

One of the intriguing questions that will be answered on World Pool Gold Cup day is whether the champion sire Vercingetorix can break his own South African record of 23 individual stakes winners in a season.

He is currently on 21 individual stakes winners and it will hinge on the big turf meeting on the last Sunday of the month as to whether he can break the record or not, because he does not have a runner in the only other stakes race still to be run this season, the Listed Champion Juvenile Cup at Fairview.

Vercingetorix will have many runners representing him on Gold Cup day such is his phenomenal influence on big races in the country.

However, the only ones that will count for this particular record will be the ones who have not previously won a stakes race this season.

A defending champion of one of the big races on the day actually falls into that category i.e. Gladatorian.

It is often said that horses coming fresh into the Gr 1 wfa HKJC Champions Cup have an advantage over those who have run in the July, but Gladatorian ran in the July last year and still managed to win the Champions Cup.

The Stuart Ferrie-trained six-year-old gelding has not had the best of luck with draws in his career, but in last year’s Champions Cup he landed draw three and for once his well known late charge did not come too late. This year he has drawn three out of the 12 horses who are still standing their ground, so will have every chance of defending his title. The man who knows him best, Sean Veale, looks likely to take the ride again as he is contracted to Hollywood Racing and hence rode the Hollywood Racing-owned Isivivane in the July.

In the opening race of the meeting, the Listed Tote Stakes Darley Arabian over 1600m, the Alyson Wright-trained four-year-old Vercingetorix gelding Position Of Power is out of an unraced Horse Chestnut mare who was in turn out of an Elliodor mare who won four times from 1200m to 1600m, so he is interesting stepped up from sprints if taking his place here. His sprints record is six wins, three seconds and a third from 12 starts. He is drawn 18 out of the 35 entries still standing so his final barrier position all depends on how it cuts up.

In the Gr 2 World Pool Bet With Tote Umkhomazi Stakes over 1200m the Mike and Mathew de Kock-trained Vercingetorix two-year-old colt Rising Eagle won comfortably over 1160m on the Turffontein Standside track in his second career start on Saturday. His time did not compare favourably on the day but on the other hand he jumped from an unfavourable low draw and still won. He now has a very wide draw of 40 among the many entries and will need some luck in the running if he lines up in this race.

In the Gr 2 Douglas Whyte Thekwini Stakes over 1600m the Louis Goosen-trained Ferrari Flair is still a maiden but has been performing well in stakes races, including finishing a close third in the Gr 3 Strelitzia Stakes over 1100m and a 2,30 length third in the Listed Amusnet Devon Air Stakes over 1400m. She was not disgraced when a 3,25 length eighth in the Gr 2 Amusnet Golden Slipper over 1400m, but she does not have as good a draw here and she has a bit to find on those who beat her in the latter race.

In the Gr 1 World Pool Moment Of The Day Premiers Champion Stakes over 1600m Rising Eagle is also an entry here and on pedigree should enjoy this 1600m trip as he is out of a New Approach mare who won up to 1800m. However, he has a draw of 23 among the many entries so has a tough task.

The Gr 1 wfa Mercury Sprint sees the hard-knocking Andre Nel-trained four-year-old Vercingetorix gelding O’Tenikwa having an outside chance if able to find a couple of extra lengths on his best form. He has a fair draw of seven.

In the Gr 3 World Pool Gold Cup over 3200m the Dean Kannemeyer-trained five-year-old Vercingetorix gelding Continentalexpress has some fair staying form and carries a lightweight from a plum draw, so he can’t be written off.

In the Gr 2 Bet With The World Gold Bracelet over 2000m the Candice and Tammy Dawson-trained Minogue will make a last ditch bid to win bold black type before being retired to stud and she will certainly deserve it. On the form of her run in the Gr 2 Woolavington 2000 she has a definite chance. She is sure to revert to the handy to front-running tactics that suit her best from a pole position draw, having not being suited to being dropped out to last in the July. The Candice Bass-trained four-year-old Vercingetorix filly Rahhabba won the non-Black type WSB Scarlet Lady over 1750m and was just touched off in the Listed IOS Insider East Coast Cup over 2000m. So carrying just 55kg from a plum draw in the Gold Bracelet she has an outside chance, although she officially has a tough task at the weights.

In the last feature of the season, the Listed HKIR In December Umngeni Handicap over 1000m, the Glen Kotzen-trained four-year-old Vercingetorix gelding Circumbendibus is a hard-knocking sort who has a definite chance. His draw is unknown at the time of writing, but he enjoys this course and distance. The James Crawford-trained Dame Of Trix is an interesting runner here as she won impressively over this trip at Turffontein last time and she could be better than her 98 merit rating suggests. She could land a fair draw when it cuts up as she is drawn 14 out of the 35 entries still standing. Position Of Power, mentioned earlier in the article, has hard-knocking sprint form and is also an entry here, although he is drawn 24, so will likely have a tough barrier position on the day. The Tony Rivalland-trained five-year-old Vercingetorix gelding King Of The Gauls is course and distance suited as he is very quick and he won this race from a wide draw two years ago, but the problem here is he has to do it from another wide draw off an eight point higher merit rating. The Louis Goosen-trained three-year-old Vercingetorix gelding Blazing Fury is a hard-knocking sort who has a two length fourth in a Gr 3 Sprint to his name, but he will officially have a tough task at the weights if he gets in here and he has a wide draw.