Please Note: South African Quartet Pools with fractional betting offered at Doncaster and Leicester (UK) – 25 April 2026

This decision follows the recording of over 60mm of rainfall at Turffontein over the past seven days, including in excess of 20mm overnight.

As a result, sections of the track have become waterlogged, with conditions currently inconsistent across the course.

In addition, the weather forecast for the remainder of today remains unfavourable.

While improved conditions are expected from Saturday onwards, Tuesday presents the most suitable window for racing, as forecasts beyond that indicate a return to less favourable weather patterns.

The decision to postpone has been made proactively, as even in the absence of further rainfall, the current state of the track would remain unsuitable for racing and could compromise both safety and fairness.

As a consequence of this change:

The race meeting originally scheduled for Tuesday, 28 April 2026 at Vaal Racecourse will be abandoned.

An additional race meeting will be scheduled for Monday, 4 May 2026, which will be a Work Riders’ meeting.

Entries for this meeting will be disseminated via the NRB in due course.

Race times for the rescheduled meeting on Tuesday, 28 April 2026 will be communicated as soon as possible.

Andrew Harrison

The battle for a place in this year’s R10 million Hollywoodbets Durban July began in earnest on Wednesday with the announcement of the first 63 entries. Given the that first entry fee is a modest R2 500 there are plenty of connections willing to take their chances at this early stage.

That said, two of the early entries line up on the turf at Hollywoodbets Greyville this evening, the three-year-old Count Of Rouen and Johnny The Thief although both may have to take a back seat in a competitive handicap where Dean Kannemeyer has two lively contenders in the Class 3 Handicap over 1900.

Kannemeyer sends out Continentalexpress and Uzwano. Continentalexpress is consistent but would probably be more effective over further and while Uzwano goes this trip for the first time his pedigree suggests that he should easily see it out and may be the pick of the pair with Hollywood Racing’s Sean Veale in the irons.

Peter Muscutt sends out Count Of Rouen who was in need of his last run. As a Hollywoodbets Durban July entry he will need to put in a forward showing. Go Grayson Go is the likely pacemaker. He has been caught late at his last two over 1950m at Hollywoodbets Scottsville and may just last over this 50m shorter. Mohave Prince is unbeaten in two since the blinkers were added, has a handy weight helped by Rachel Venniker’s allowance.

MJ Odendaal has always held Johnny The Thief in high regard and he was running on well over a distance well short of his best last time out. Only time will tell whether his is good enough to make the July field.

Punters face a competitive field from the first race where most are first timers so the betting should prove your best guide.

The second could rest between Peace Rose and Peach Melba although Emerald Forge makes her local debut and has been expensive to follow on the Highveld where she has started favourite on numerous occasions only to disappoint but must have shown some ability.

Kiartay and Bison Warrior could suffice in the first leg of the PA. Kiartay made a smart debut before taking on winners in a feature next time out, both runs at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth. He has the best of the draw in his first outing for Tienie Prinsloo. Bison Warrior was run out of it late last run and the step up in trip with some experience under his girth should see him close again.

In the first leg of the Pick 6 Bai Yulu made a smart debut at long odds for Mike and Mathew de Kock. She is bred to stay this trip and any improvement can see her home. Gold Gold Baby has some promising Western Cape form and meets little of note in this line-up and is the one to beat. Surprise could come in the form of Flickering Light who showed signs of coming to hand  when stepped up to 1600m last run. This trip should suit.

Tough handicaps follow. In the fifth, Tobacconist has come well at his last two and is over his ideal trip and Veale stays with the ride in preference to top weight Trois Quatre. Stuart Ferrie’s filly Hodge Podge is in cracking form and she followed up two close-up finishes behind subsequent Gr2 SA Derby winner Curious Girl with a comfortable victory over Fine Wine who has since gone on to frank that form. Of the balance I’m Invictus won well second time of asking when tried in blinkers. He has a handy weight and looks promising. Leading rider Craig Zackey takes the ride on My Boy Lollipop who has no recent form over shorter. The step up in trip and jockey booking could be a pointer.

In the seventh, Silver Salute was a comfortable winner over course and distance in her local debut. She only got a three-point raise in the handicap and can follow up. Blue Poppy was well beaten by Silver Salute when last they met but it was a below par performance from a wide draw. She should finish closer. Grand Occasion has been in mustard form of late and won well from a tricky draw when beating Blue Poppy last time out. Michaelle Michel’s 1.5kg allowance offsets her rating increase and she can confirm that result. West Side Story showed some improvement when going a mile again. She has a light weight and has an upset chance.

The eighth is a wide open handicap but Tyroconnell  has been knocking at the door of late in useful company. He has no weight on his back and gets cheek pieces again which can see him go one better. Queue Wing is a veteran with 48kg to shoulder from a good draw. Judged by jockey bookings Green Glow would look to be Kannemeyer’s second string but Serino Moodley was aboard when shedding his maiden and the gelding is way better than his last effort. Stable companion Kanaal Skater s better than his last run from a wide draw and has a winning chance on his penultimate showing while Sundance Kid has been runner-up at his last three but all have come on the poly which is a concern.

The last is another tricky handicap but Take Your Place has shown up well in two recent outings against speedy opposition. She gets a three-point relief in the handicap that should see her competitive in another wide open race. Call Of The Karoo was a beaten favourite last start when taking on stronger. She has top weight but also a stronger rider aboard. Amafort is unbeaten in two with blinkers and a useful 4kg apprentice aboard and has a hattrick chance.

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”.

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.