RACE 1

MFULATHELA and TIME TO FIRE have the form and experience to be competitive but are probably vulnerable to well-bred newcomers AU CONTRAIRE, TROMPE L’OEIL, ASTROPHILE and MULHOLLAND DRIVE, so watch the betting for clues and follow the market movers. SITVA QUEEN and ALL TIME LEGEND could improve to get a look in.

RACE 2

MIDNIGHT SPECIAL defied an alarming market drift on debut to finish an encouraging second over this trip and with natural improvement she should go one better. CALADRIUS is held on that form but has the experience to play a role in the outcome. SATISFIED has shown pace and promise in both starts over 1160m and could pose more of a threat with this shorter trip likely to suit. INDECENT OBSESSION should also make her presence felt back in same-sex company after a creditable third against male opposition. Watch the betting on the newcomers.

RACE 3

Consistent KNOWMORE was returning from a layoff when finishing second over 1600m early last month and, with the benefit of that comeback outing, could improve to go one better over this extended trip. EPIDAURUS, EVENING NEWS, COMIC ARTIST and HEROIC ACT have the form and experience to stake a claim but are vulnerable to less-exposed sorts, such as the selection and youngster COVER CHARGE.

RACE 4

QUICKFREEZE stayed on encouragingly in his first start as a gelding to finish 1.80-lengths behind BRISTOL HERCULES over 1400m and, while the hat-trick seeking latter remains competitive under a penalty, the former is good value to turn the tables over this extended trip on 2kg better terms. WAR REPORTER is another bidding to complete a hat-trick but steps up in class off a career-high mark after beating a subsequent winner. FORCE PUBLIQUE, CHIEFTAIN’S SHIELD and DARK SILVER are also capable of getting involved. Unexposed 3yo JAFFA fluffed his lines last time but shouldn’t be underestimated.

RACE 5

Well-bred youngster AINT NO DOUBT improved markedly for the step up in trip when shedding his maiden tag over 1600m. With further progress expected, he could make light of his opening handicap mark, even against older rivals. Hard-knocking mares PRINCESS LOLA and GOLDEN ASPEN, SIX OF ALL and 2yo maiden CAPTAIN COOPER could trouble the selection on their best form but have less scope for improvement. LAVA FIRE and SHEETS AND GOGGLES also have earning potential.

RACE 6

WARNING SOUND won a similar contest over 1450m last time and a resultant penalty isn’t likely to prevent her from following up. CAPE SAFFRON has a bit to find on her last-start conqueror but is weighted to pose more of a threat. Lightly raced RUSSIAN NOBILITY caught the eye over 1200m in her last start and the step up to this trip in her peak outing should suit. VAMANOS, FIRE IN HER SOUL and SONIC JET also have earning potential.

RACE 7

PRINCESS ILARIA boasts consistent form in stronger company off higher ratings, so this looks like a good opportunity for her to end a 369-day winless spell. She drops in class off a reduced mark with a top jockey engaged. Lightly raced DELAWARE RIVER has the form, experience and scope for improvement to fight out the finish. Last-start maiden winners GREENANDGOLD and MASTER’S ROSE aren’t taken lightly on handicap debut, while BEAUTIFUL RANIA is another capable of getting into the picture.

RACE 8

A trappy concluding contest, so go wide in the exotics. Veteran JET CAT is probably most effective over 1000m but his last, fast-finishing close-up 5th over that trip suggested he should remain competitive over this distance on his peak outing. OH MY GUCCI GIRL is versatile and her recent form, albeit over further, suggests she is good enough to play a leading role. TIME WILL TELL, READY SET FIRE, NKANDLA GOLD and DARING ACT all have the means to make their presence felt too.

Soccer6 Friday 3 July 2026.  Carryover R100 000. Estimated Pool: R 600 000. Pool Closes at 20h00. Sport 4 Pool 2.

Soccer10 Friday 3 July 2026. ADD-IN: R200 000. Estimated Pool: R2 Million. Pool Closes at 20h00. Sport 19 Pool 1

Soccer10 Saturday 4 July 2026. ADD-IN: R200 000. Estimated Pool: R2 Million. Pool Closes at 19h00. Sport 14 Pool 1

Soccer Any 13Xtra Saturday 4 July 2026. Carryover R200 000. Estimated Pool: R500 000. Pool Closes at 15h00. Sport 13 and Pool 1.

Please Note :South African Quartet Pools with fractional betting offered at Epsom and Thirsk (UK) – 1 July 2026

David Thiselton

Dean Kannemeyer will not have a runner in the Hollywoodbets Durban July on Saturday, so will be unable to defend his title, but the

four-times July-winning trainer has a number of interesting runners on the day.

Dean runs Palace Of Avernia, a Vercingetorix full-sister to Gr 1 SA Classic winner Grand Empire, in the Gr 2 Amusnet Golden Slipper over 1400m where she has unfortunately landed a wide draw of 13 out of 14. She led from start to finish on debut over 1200m on the Hollywoodbets Greyville turf from a tricky draw of nine and second time out in the Gr 1 Allan Robertson Championship over 1200m at Hollywoodbets Scottsville she showed plenty of resolve when running on from near the back for a commendable 4,85 length fourth. She is obviously going to relish the step up in trip on Saturday. However, the draw is the problem. Craig Zackey is up for the third time and will have to make a plan.

Dean said, “I will leave it up to Craig. You don’t want to chase from that draw and sit in the first two or three because if you are well drawn you are there for nothing, but you don’t want to drop out of your ground either, because if you are in last place the others will be skipping away when you are swinging for home. So you want to try and drop in and get lucky. It becomes a bit of a stampede in the first two furlongs of that race, it’s quite rough. Nine out of ten times you are not going to get lucky. But she is doing well and hopefully it will pan out well.”

He runs Keukenhof in the Gr 1 Ridgemont Garden Province Stakes over 1600m and as a deep thinking racing man he might have recalled the 2021 renewal of this race, which was expected to be fought out by the top class trio Captain’s Ransom, War Of Athena and Princess Calla, but instead was won by the 75/1 shot Zarina, or the 2018 renewal, in which the 22/1 shot Redberry Lane upset the 13/20 favourite Snowdance. This year the race is expected to be won by the odds-on favourite Double Grand Slam with Quickstepgal and Mon Petite Cherie the dangers, but Keukenhof is a hard knocker who could pick up the pieces if they fluff their lines.

The 8/1 chance Keukenhof is by the United States and his dam Dawn Calling is a Gr 1 runner up over the Garden Province course and distance having finished second in the Gr 1 Thekwini Stakes. Furthermore, Dawn Calling (Trippi) is a half-brother to Gr 1 SA Classic winner Confederate (Fire Away).

Keukenhof has a tricky draw of eight with Zackey up and Dean said, “She is holding her form well, she deserves her place there, she has never run a bad race in her life. She ran a great race in the WSB Fillies Guineas (0,55 length third to Wish List, whom she had actually beaten when third in the Gr 2 Western Cape Fillies Championship over 1400m) and she ran a very good race in the Woolavington 2000 the other day. We dropped her out in the Woolavington, because we didn’t know whether she was going to go the trip. She turned it on well in the straight and was following the right horse through, but she had had enough in the last 75m over the 2000m trip. Back to a mile this is more her game. Of course there is Double Grand Slam and some top fillies in the race, but she will be right there at the finish. She is drawn eight out of eleven, but she can sit up handy or come from off the pace. In her 1400m race at Hollywoodbets Greyville (Gr 3 Umzimkhulu Stakes) she sat up handy and Craig just pulled her out and she won. We just have to ride her as we find her when they come out of the gates.”

In the Gr 3 Post Merchants over 1200m Dean is drawn well with Outlaw King in barrier two and Princess Of Gaul in three.

He said, “It’s a merit-rated band handicap of sorts and Outlaw King (carries 62kg off a 122 rating) has earned his stripes and has a bit of pudding to carry. He has been a wonderful horse for the syndicate. Its never going to be easy with that weight’ but he won the Merchants at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth with 54kg and he came the next year with topweight and won it again and he then ran third in the Gr 1 wfa Cape Flying Championship. It won’t be easy, but he’s doing well and he’s well drawn.”

Stable jockey Craig Zackey rides Princess Of Gaul and Dean said, “She’s doing exceptionally well. She has proven to us her maximum trip is 1400m. Over a mile in the classics she ran up to them and then had had enough in the last 75m, so 1200m to 1400m is her game. She’s well drawn and at the weights she’s a runner. There are some very good sprinters in this race, but she ran a top race in the Gr 1 SA Fillies Sprint and she’s won Group races over this trip and over 1400m. She won a Gr 2 over this course and distance as a two-year-old. She gets a female allowance and I think it is the right race for her. I seldom run fillies against colts, but looking at the weight structure and the draw I said I’m going to give it a go.”

Buffalo Storm Cody is well treated in this race and both Outlaw King and Princess Of Gaul are officially 5kg and 3kg under sufferance with him respectively, but on the other hand it might be a preparation outing for Buffalo Storm Cody ahead of the Mercury Sprint.

Outlaw King carries 62kg under Ant Mgudlwa and Princess Of Gaul carries 55,5kg.

In the Listed Premier Gateway Handicap over 1600m Dean runs the three-year-old Gimmethegreenlight gelding Green Gateway, who has won three out of six starts, although all three of his wins have been over 1200m.

He said, “I’ve never run him over a mile and he’s got a high rating (109), but I’m convinced he will get a mile, although of course the race will tell. But he’s a lovely horse. The first time I ran him in his KZN campaign was under lights at Hollywoodbets Greyville and he jumped out and didn’t know what to do and he was never in the race. He wasn’t enjoying it under the lights at all and that can happen to an inexperienced horse. I then ran him at Hollywoodbets Scottsville over 1200m and he won with 61,5kg on his back in a Middle Stakes event and that was a very, very good performance. He always comes from off the pace and then turns it on in the last 400m. Over 1200m at Hollywoodbets Greyville you can’t swing for home eight lengths off them, but this is a mile and his style of running I think he will get a mile, but the race will tell. On pedigree he should also get a mile. He’s got a bit of pudding to carry, but he’s doing very well.”

Dean also runs the Gimmethegreenlight gelding The Green Glow in the first over 1600m on the poly under Craig Zackey from draw six and he has won on the poly before, so if repeating the form of his penultimate start when a narrow third over this trip on the Hollywoodbets Greyville turf then he must have a chance as he is a point lower in the ratings since then after a below par effort at Hollywoodbets Scottsville last time out.

David Thiselton

The South African racing industry fraternity reverberated with shock and disappointment shortly after lunchtime on Tuesday when news filtered through that the Hollywoodbets Durban July favourite Star Major had been scratched due to an elevated temperature.

This was a blow to trainer James Crawford as well as to owners Ravi Naidoo of Kalinga, Jonathan Bloch and Prakashni Pillay.

However, Ravi later looked at it philosophically and said, “I’m ambivalent about it. Part of me thinks it’s a blessing in disguise. We can chart a more purist route with our entire. If he is in outlandishly good nick, come month end, we could have a tilt at the G1 Champions Cup in open company, at weight for age. Otherwise,  like James said, we have accomplished our goal this season. We aimed for the Daily News. Mission accomplished. I feel privileged to be racing a horse of this calibre. He’s been a revelation. We must just catch our breath, recollect and refresh.”

As a Durban-born racing fan Ravi has long dreamed of winning the July and looked to have another fine opportunity with Star Major after being narrowly denied with Cousin Casey two years ago.

Jonathan Bloch still has a another chance this year as he is also part-owner of the new joint favourite Wish List.

However, it would have been a bitter blow to Star Major’s jockey Mickaelle Michel, who had an opportunity to make July history and continue a remarkable fairy tale story.

The scratching would have been greeted with different emotions in other quarters.

It means the first reserve, the Erico Verdonese-trained Choisaanada, comes into the race and gets an opportunity to prove a point as there was controversy after he was left out of the top 18 by the final field panellists.

Ironically, Rachel Venniker now steps into the plate vacated by Mickaelle Michel, because she is booked to ride Choisaanada.

Rachel has already made July history, becoming the first female to ride in the July in 2024, and she now gets the opportunity to be the first female jockey to win the iconic race.

The second reserve, the Mike and Mathew de Kock-trained SA Derby winner Curious Girl, is now one step closer to getting in.

There must be another scratching before 08H15 on Friday for her to get in, although she is fancied for the Gr 3 Durban Gold Vase over 3000m and would have a very tough task at the weights in the July, being officially a whopping 6kg under sufferance. The 2200m trip of the July might also be a bit on the sharp side for her too.

The new joint favourites for the race are the Justin Snaith-trained pair Wish List and Note To Self, who are now both 5/1  with the sponsor. In fact Snaith, who has five runners in the race, now has the top three in the betting as his charge Regulation is joint 6/1 third favourite will the well-backed Viva’s Liberte.