Andrew Harrison

The grey Zeitz put up his hand for bigger things in Champions Season as he came from last to score an emphatic victory in the A Stakes that headed the card at Hollywoodbets Scottsville yesterday.

Mike and Mathew de Kock were taking the same path into the G1 Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge as they have done in the past three seasons with former Horse of the Year Dave The King, but this time he did not manage to win his warm-up as Zeitz and Imposing relegated him to third.

Callan Murray had Dave The King out and dictating as is the gelding’s want and set his own fractions without being challenged. Dave The King was still travelling smoothly in the straight before suddenly running out of gas as Imposing galloped past and looked to have the race in the bag before Serino Moodley came sailing by aboard Andre Nel’s gelding to win going away.

However, it could prove a costly win depending on how the handicappers view the race as Zeitz was well out at the weights with Dave The King, who raced like he needed the outing, but Imposing finishing second may well save him a few precious rating points.

Hollywood Racing have had a lucrative season as the font-running Capsaicin notched their 150 winner. It was touch-and-go over the final furlong as Hollywood’s retained rider Sean Veale earned his bonus with challenges coming from all sides. But as trainer Stuart Ferrie illuded to post-race, the son of Canford Cliffs never gives in and he fought the opposition off all the way to the line.

Much of yesterday’s interest was centered on the first two races on the card. The expected clash between Vibe Check and Kazenoyoni didn’t quite materialise as Vibe Check made all the running to win rather comfortably from Kazenoyoni who was always chasing with Riff Raff Boy staying on for third.

It took Vibe Check four outings to shed his maiden but he has now won twice over 1400m in the manner of a smart colt and Vaughan Marshall will be looking forward to the coming juvenile features with some optimism.

Duncan Howells was happy with Kazenoyoni’s run as the race did not work out quite as planned as he jumped smartly, taking an early hold, and Craig Zackey was hard pressed to settle his mount in behind Vibe Check. He was under pressure on the straight but kept finding to hold on to second.

First timer Gimme A Fireball, a R2 million yearling purchase, was sent out favourite for the second but was all at sea and did well to finish third behind the more experienced Stronger Together who led most of the way under Nicholas Patel for MJ Odendaal with Tiger Cody also showing pace and holding of for second.

A magnificent son of Gimmethegreenlight, Gimme A Fireball will not be a maiden for long.

Trainer’s often like to buy the progeny of fillies that they have trained and Gary Rich was always keen on buying Rags To Riches as a yearling as her dam Connect Me had done him proud winning five races.

A daughter of first season sire Chimichuri Run, Rags To Riches showed pace from the jump under Cole Dicken to hold off the well-tried Tipperary and Wheels Up.

Ricky Maingard has trained some of the great champions of the past, including the mighty grey Wolf Power, and after a spell on his home island of Mauritius, he is back in Cape Town. He has brought four of his lessor lights up for Champions Season but got off the mark with Prittii United in the third, Craig Zackey doing duty for an injured Andrew Fortune, and making it a double for Maingard was Hunga Tonga with Keagan de Melo deputising for Fortune in the eighth.

Marshall, missing from Champions Season for the past two years owing to a ‘lack of ammunition’ is back with a bang and it was a double on the day as Fiery Rose made a winning debut for the stable and a hat-trick of wins, the last two for Mark Khan on the Highveld.

Always handy, Fiery Rose fought off challenges from Tara Star and Tulip Fields who didn’t find any friends in the market. Given that Fiery Rose was getting 5kg from Tulip Fields may have been the deciding factor in punter’s minds.

Louis Goosen has his mare Arverni Princess in fine fettle. Out in a flash when winning the 400m dash at her last start, the race will have been a warm-up for yesterday’s final event on the card as she led for most of the race to hold off Fleur De Ling and Call Of The Karoo to give De Melo his fourth winner on the day. This win took his seasonal tally to 107, and exceptional effort given that he was a late starter on his return from Hong Kong.

Scheduled System Maintenance

We will be performing scheduled system maintenance

on Sunday 17 May from 00h00 to 14h00

During this time, we release new and enhanced functionality, security and system stability upgrades to improve operational efficiency and reliability for you and your business. Online Banking Enterprise will not be available during this period.

 

Please Note: Live Commentary is now available on Service Line 031 314 1555

Please Note: South African Quartet Pools with fractional betting offered at Hamilton and Ripon (UK) – 17 May 2026

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”.