Please Note: South African Quartet Pools with fractional betting offered at Catterick and Taunton (UK) – 22 April 2026

David Thiselton

Craig Zackey reached the 200 wins mark for the season with a treble at Turffontein Standside on Sunday and he now has the national Jockeys Championship within reach.

He took the lead at the end of November, but Richard Fourie and him then went neck and neck for a couple of months and were both on 61 wins at the end of October.

However, Zackey then pulled clear and was 14 wins ahead at the end of November.

Richard Fourie showed good foresight at that stage by saying Craig should be the favourite for the title.

Hollywoodbets had Fourie at 9/10 and Zackey at 11/10 at that stage.

However, Fourie said, “I think they’ve got it all wrong, I think Craig Zackey should be 4/10. He’s working phenomenally well. He’s riding well. He’s travelling every day. I’ve made it very clear, I’ll go up and ride the feature race days, but I enjoy working in Cape Town and riding for Ridgemont.”

He added, “My aim is to ride as many winners as I can on the days that I ride. I’m concentrating on winning big races and working with my team.”

However, he did conclude by saying he might increase his travelling if he was within striking distance in the last couple of months of the season.

He said, “If I’m within reach of it, I’ll give it a full go.”

The gap had come down to 12 by the end of December.

However, a relatively bleak spell for Fourie was exacerbated by a couple of suspensions and he only had 38 wins in the next three months.

Zackey maintained a steady flow of wins and his 71 wins in that period saw him building up a big lead.

After Sunday’s treble he was 48 wins clear, although both riders have been in fine form this month with Zackey’s 20 wins coming at a strike rate of 27.03% and Fourie’s 17 wins coming at 26.56%.

Zackey’s confidence was buoyed by his win in South Africa’s traditional biggest race last season, the Hollywoodbets Durban July.

It was the career of the great Michael Roberts which illustrated the importance of winning the July. This race eluded him through the 70s, the 80s and much of the 90s until he finally won it in 1997 on the David Ferraris-trained Super Quality and he has shared since then how non-racing people in South Africa judge a jockey on one fact, whether he has won the July or not. It is only racing people who know about the championships and other big race wins.

So with that monkey off his back, Zackey was able to put behind him the disappointment of last season’s championship in which a late suspension put paid to his chances of a first title.

He has enjoyed a lot of feature race success too this season with four Gr 1 wins, including the prestigious L’Ormarins King’s Plate on July winner The Real Prince, four Gr 2 wins, two Gr 3 wins, five Listed wins and four Non-Black Type feature wins.

In all three of his wins on Sunday Zackey displayed his outstanding judgement of pace.

In his first win he was aboard the Candice and Tammy Dawson-trained two-year-old Master Of My Fate filly Doesyourmotherknow in a Maiden Juvenile Plate for fillies over 1400m. The filly had over-raced a bit in her previous start, but that did not stop Zackey from taking her to the front on Sunday. It was his first race ride on her and he had her nice and relaxed on a long rein. She looked in trouble, to some, when the market rival, the grey Erik The Red filly Impressive, who had also relaxed well in the running, swept past her at the 400m mark still in the hands. However, Craig had left plenty in reserve. Doesyourmotherknow fought back and in the end won going away by 1,75 lengths.

In the next race over the same course and distance Zackey relaxed the Lucky Houdalakis-trained Querari gelding Best Candidate from the off and had him moving comfortably on the rail near the back from draw three. It was his first run as a gelding and he had been backed in from 10/1 to 4/1. However, Zackey did not panic when Brave Waam stole a march with the fancied Quevano chasing him, which left Best Candidate with many lengths to make up. In fact Zackey only drew the stick at about the 300m mark. Quevano had caught Brave Waam by the 200m mark and looked like the winner with Best Candidate still having about three lengths to make up. However, Best Candidate ate up the ground in the last 100m, showing that Zackey had once again timed it to perfection, and he got up in the last stride to win by 0,30 lengths.

In the next race over 1600m Zackey found himself one out and one back without cover on Pressonregardless, but managed to relax him on a beautiful long rein in a Pinnacle Stakes race. The gelding had no cover in the straight either, but showed his class by stretching way from the fancied Kisshoten and then under strong urgings from Zackey followed by a deft change of whiphand he managed to repel the  challenge of Sunset Riot to win by 1,20 lengths. Zackey had made all the difference once again.

Craig will be a thoroughly deserving champion if everything goes smoothly enough in the final quarter of the season for him to hold on to his lead.

There will also be a few opportunities for him to build on his Gr 1 record during the Champions Season.

Soccer13 Wednesday 22 April 2026. Carryover R2 499 702. R5.5 Million (All-13-Correct Jackpot Pool). Pool Closes at 18h30. Sport 11 Pool 1.

Soccer10 Friday 24 April 2026. Carryover R200 000. Estimated Pool: R2 Million. Pool Closes at 19h30. Sport 16 and Pool 1.

Soccer4 Saturday 25 April 2026. ADD-IN R25 000. Estimated Pool: R 150 000. Pool Closes at 16h00. Sport 18 Pool 2.

Soccer10 Saturday 25 April 2026. Carryover R200 000. Estimated Pool: R2 Million. Pool Closes at 15h00. Sport 12 and Pool 1.

Soccer Any 13Xtra Saturday 25 April 2026. Carryover R200 000. Estimated Pool: R500 000. Pool Closes at 15h00. Sport 13 and Pool 1.

Soccer13 GUARANTEED JACKPOT Saturday 25 April 2026. R23 Million (If only One 13 of 13 Winner). Pool Closes at 15h30. Sport 10 Pool 1.

Soccer6 Sunday 26 April 2026. ADD-IN R75 000. Estimated Pool: R500 000. Pool Closes at 15h00. Sport 3 Pool 1.

Soccer10 Sunday 26 April 2026. Carryover R200 000. Estimated Pool: R2 Million. Pool Closes at 15h00. Sport 15 and Pool 1.

David Thiselton

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

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

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

I’m The One started as even money favourite.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

David Thiselton

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

The record for the youngest jockey can never be broken.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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