It is the dream of every owner in South Africa to win the Vodacom Durban July and on Saturday Durban businessman Nick Jonsson described the moment his two Justin Snaith-trained geldings Do It Again and Made To Conquer powered clear in the straight as “almost surreal.”

Prolific owner Bernard Kantor, whose colours were carried to victory by Do It Again, was still lyrical hours after the running and said, “What an experience!” Jack Mitchell is the third part-owner. It was his second July win, having done it with Legislate in 2014.

Jonsson became the first owner since Luke Bailes in 1990 to run one-two in the big race.

Bailes and Jonsson are close friends, just one irony in a day filled with drama.

Bailes feat was achieved with the Terrance Millard-trained pair Illustrador and Olympic Duel in 1990, which was also the second time Millard had done the July trifecta. However, Justin Snaith now holds the record for the most dominant July performance as he trained the first three on Saturday and was just half-a-length away from doing the quartet as favourite African Night Sky faded late into fifth place.

Jonsson believed he had the two best jockeys in the race, Anton Marcus and Jeff Lloyd, and felt the key to victory was that they had ridden their races exactly as discussed.

Marcus became the first to ride five July winners. He had been stuck on four together with Harold “Tiger” Wright, since Hunting Tower’s victory in 2007. Anthony Delpech, currently recuperating from a serious injury, joined that pair on four wins with back-to-back victories in 2010 and 2011.

Marcus settled Do It Again near the back from a wide draw, while Lloyd took the ultra-relaxed type Made To Conquer forward from a draw of eleven. Lloyd settled Made To Conquer on the flank of the initial pacemaker White River, who had boiled over during the lengthy fifteen minute delay at the start and was over-racing.

Marcus remained patient behind a pedestrian pace. However, Grant van Niekerk appeared to be battling to hold African Night Sky and from a well-nigh perfect position in midfield eventually allowed him to circle the field and take the lead. This horse’s best asset, his turn of foot from off the pace, had now been negated. Made To Conquer, still beautifully relaxed, had by this stage found the rail in front. However, African Night Sky’s surprise move then provided him with the perfect tow into the straight. Everything was unfolding perfectly for “The Guv”, Jeff Lloyd, the 56-year-old six-times South African Champion Jockey who had flown out from Australia to make likely a last attempt at breaking his July duck.

However, Marcus was also having a fine trip, largely due to his brilliance as a big race rider. He got on to the back of the train provided by African Night Sky and Matador Man and was given a tow up the hill. 2013 July-winning jockey S’Manga Khumalo had kept Matador Man out wide in the back straight despite the latter’s usual slow start. However, the usual rush for the first turn never materialised and Khumalo suddenly found himself trapped wide on a fighting horse and his chances were gone.

Lloyd, knowing Made To Conquer stays further, sent his mount for home while still turning into the straight. However, Do It Again was by now just three lengths behind and still looking full of running.

Kantor was watching in a box at the 200m mark and at this point nudged the top South African Singapore-based trainer, Pat Shaw, standing next to him, and said, “Let’s go.” He was so confident of victory he knew he could make his way to the winner’s enclosure.

Indeed, Do It Again then fulfilled a statement Justin Snaith had apparently made to a racing enthusiast earlier in the week, “I don’t train horses, I train machines.” He passed the line 1,25 lengths clear. Third-placed Elusive Silva was beaten 5,50 lengths, 1,25 lengths ahead of fourth-placed Majestic Mambo.

It was Justin Snaith’s third July win.

It was a best ever July finish for Lloyd, who had finished third eight times.

Even as Jonsson celebrated his momentous achievement with close friends in a second floor box his eyes were filled with sadness. He had thought of his late father Ben “all the time” during the emotion charged day. “Benji”, much loved and appreciated by the entire racing community for his friendly demeanour and the passion he had poured into his administrative roles in the sport, passed away in February this year having never realised his dream in 50 years of ownership of having a runner in the July.

A KZN owner had not won the July since Raymond Deacon and Glen Mitchell did it in 2009 as part-owners of Big City Life and one has to go back to 1994’s winner Space Walk to find the previous KZN-based owners.

Pat Shaw celebrated in the box with Kantor. He has trained for Kantor in both South Africa and Singapore for thirty years. Also in the box were Sean McCarthy and family. The latter part-owned the 1993 winner Dancing Duel, who had provided Luke Bailes with a third July winner.

Kantor was out from London for a meeting between Phumelela and horseracing owners and praised Gold Circle for “the incredible job they do with the July.”

The Investec kingpin has witnessed the emotions of Epsom Derby-winning owners and said winning the July was just about as good. The Derby is regarded as the premier horse race in the world and is now sponsored by Investec.

Indeed, the roar which ascended above Greyville when the horses jumped probably outdid the Cheltenham Festival’s world famous roar and on course the top Australian racing journalist Steve Moran described the July as world racing’s “best kept secret.”

Jonsson drew the short straw when deciding whether his or Kantor’s colours would be carried by Do It Again, so it will the familiar yellow with royal blue epaulettes which will become the latest new set of silks to make it on to the July victory wall in Greyville’s Classic room.

By David Thiselton

Snowdance, well-nigh invincible in Cape Town, has now been beaten in all three of her Durban starts. As in the Fillies Guineas and the Gold Challenge, she wasn’t beaten far in the Jonsson Workwear Garden Province and the odds-on shot looked all over the winner well inside the final furlong only to be pipped on the post.

“She is not the same horse here, she hasn’t settled in Durban and she hates it under the lights,” declared Justin Snaith but the Lammerskraal owner-bred Redberry Lane carried rather more stable confidence than her 22-1 price might suggest. “We came here upbeat about her chances,” said Sean Tarry and the way Lyle Hewitson kept driving was a sure indication of his belief that victory was well within the realms of possibility.

Jeff Lloyd flies back to Australia today to bring down the curtain on his great career and there was a huge cheer when he rode into the winner’s box for the final time in South Africa after landing the KZN Yearling Sale Million on Givinitsum.

This was the most valuable victory of Candice Dawson’s two and a half years as a trainer and for good measure she followed up with the Nooresh Juglall-ridden Infamous Fox in the finale.

By Michael Clower

It was on last Wednesday’s strike-ridden morning at Summerveld that Justin Snaith realised that Do It Again could be the pick of his five runners in the Vodacom Durban July.

“I rode 12 horses that day but he was the only one of the July five that I actually rode work on. When you ride them yourself you really get a feel and I just knew,” he related. “I thought he was really impressive and I immediately rang my brother Jonathan to tell him. Do It Again is not an easy horse to get right but we were able to do so on the right day this time.

“It was our race to lose on Saturday and the slow early pace didn’t matter to Do It Again. He is on the up and he has been showing signs of becoming a top horse. As regards the future, we will talk to the owners and then decide.”

The 9-1 chance was Snaith’s third July winner – Dancer’s Daughter dead-heated with Pocket Power ten years ago and in 2014 Legislate got the race in the boardroom – but this time he also sent out the second, third and fifth. It was a record-breaking fifth July win for Anton Marcus who made light of his considerable achievement, preferring to give credit to the Northfields-bred son of Twice Over, saying: “Records are pictures on walls but this horse has got a very bright future ahead of him.”

There is a brass plaque in the pagoda in the Greyville parade ring inscribed in the memory of ‘Benjamin Jonsson, 24 July 1929- 15 February 2018 – a life dedicated to horseracing.’ This polite, distinguished-looking man would have been proud of the horse who is owned by his son Nick in partnership with Jack Mitchell and Bernard Kantor. The last-named was understandably thrilled, declaring: “Winning this race means everything. Forget about the Derby, this is home turf and there is only one July.”

For Grant van Niekerk, though, the race turned into a living nightmare. African Night Sky, for so long the obvious winner, hated being restrained and fought for his head. “I was hoping the pace would hot up but they just went slower and slower,” the favourite’s rider reported. “I thought that if I went on he would settle but he is a horse who comes from behind.”

Many of those who tore up their betting slips went home convinced that those rumours last week that the horse had suffered a setback must have been true after all. Indeed they were staggered to see the favourite’s Tote odds rise to a scarcely credible 6-1 just five minutes before the off. But Snaith, the one man in a position to know, dismissed all such suggestions, saying: “He was 100%. If there had been anything wrong with him he wouldn’t have run fifth. It was just that he over-raced.”

Others were more worried about Abashiri. The Triple Crown winner was pulled up before the line and was loaded into a horsebox, very obviously lame on his left fore. I saw some racegoers turn away in tears, clearly expecting to hear the fatal crack of the humane killer.

But, thankfully, Adam Azzie was able to report a couple of hours later: “He did a suspensory but he is going to be alright and in a couple of months we will decide whether he races again or is retired.”

The race itself, or rather the start, made a little bit of history because it was the first July in more than 30 years for which the stalls were opened manually. Repeated attempts to find the cause of the electrical failure in certain sections resulted in a 13-minute delay and saw the starter pulling a lever to open the gates rather than pressing a button.

By Michael Clower

The Triple Crown hero Abashiri damaged a suspensory ligament in Saturday’s Vodacom Durban July and was pulled out of the race in the straight by jockey Piere Strydom.

It is the end of the star gelding’s racing career.

The good-looking chestnut will spend a week in hospital and will then enjoy a likely pampered retirement being looked after by his trainer Mike Azzie and family.

He won six races in 19 starts and earned R4,289,250 in stakes.

He is by the Lammerskraal Stud sire Go Deputy and was also bred by Lammerskraal.

He was purchased for R400,000 at the 2014 National Yearling Sales.

Gold Circle’s Tote turnover for Saturday’s event was 7% down on last year but they were nevertheless pleased as it had come on the back of two increases in turnover in the previous two years and the July was also competing this year with two World Cup football quarter-final matches.

By David Thiselton

The Vodacom Durban July as I saw it: Anton Marcus

“Down at the start, when it was delayed, one or two of the other horses were getting a bit warm but Do It Again was nice and relaxed.

“I didn’t have a game plan as such going into the race but I was concerned that it was going to be devoid of pace and I was towards the rear early on. However, when African Night Sky started over-racing everything just fell into place. I had a trouble-free passage and a trouble-free run in transit, and this probably made the difference to the horse. I was able to keep him balanced and keep him in a rhythm, and for me that was the most important thing. Indeed on this course it was paramount and it meant I was able to keep him out of trouble.

“Going into the final turn I wanted to get him mobile so I started riding. I thought he would take a while to unwind – I knew he wasn’t going to come home in 22 seconds!  When I joined Made To Conquer I was slightly concerned because he is a fighter but when we passed him I knew we had put it to bed.”

By Michael Clower