The announcement of the first 58 entries for Africa’s Greatest Horseracing Event, the R4.25-million Vodacom Durban July, heralds the start of South Africa’s Champion Season, one of the most comprehensive thoroughbred racing festivals in the world.

The action-packed three-month feast of top-class racing at Greyville and Scottsville will officially get underway with the Independent On Saturday Raceday at the Theatre Of Champions on Sunday, May 7, and carry through to the end of July with about R30-million in feature race stakes on offer for the 54 races that include 31 graded events including 13 at the highest internationally compliant Grade 1 level.

The announcement of the first big-race entries has also triggered the early outbreak of the annual phenomenon known as a July Fever, the affliction that quickly spreads around the country as enthusiasts begin searching for the potential winner and the fashion-minded seek out their designers to create their eye-catching outfits for the day.

The pundits will be hoping for early signs of potential among the three-year-olds that compete in the Daisy Guineas and Daisy Fillies Guineas, the Grade 2 events that kick off the season on May 7, and will follow their progress with others of their age that take to the stage in the Grade 1 Daily News 2000 and Grade 1 Woolavington 2000.

Emerging from these races could be the stars of the future that, together with top performers from the Grade 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge and Cup Trial, could take on the best in the country in the blue ribbon event on the first Saturday in July.

In between, at the end of May, the thunder of hooves will be heard at Scottsville in Pietermaritzburg when the sprinters go to battle in the four Grade 1 races over 1 200m headed by the R1-million Tsogo Sun Sprint.

Then it is the big one and some 50 000 people will flood the Greyville Racecourse for another “July Day extravaganza” and the country’s totes will be in perpetual motion as the bets on the 12-race meeting rocket up to massive levels in the region of R125-million. This will be a day of anticipation, excitement, entertainment and fashion unmatched in South Africa.

The Grade 1 Mercury Sprint will provide the excitement during the breath-catching period in mid-July before the season closes out with the recently announced Gold Cup Festival of Racing over the final weekend of July. The Champions Cup (Grade 1) will headline the 9-race programme on Saturday 29 July and the eLan Gold Cup will be featured on a 10-race programme on Sunday 30 July. The Festival will also incorporate a Gala Dinner on Thursday evening 27 July and golf-day at Royal Durban on Friday 28 July, while music and entertainment will feature prominently over the two days of quality racing.

From start to finish, it will be a rollercoaster ride of thrilling action – a festival of racing like no other in Africa. Don’t miss it!

By Richard McMillan

Craig Bantam, rattling up the winners with his 4kg claim, could find things more difficult now that he is down to 2.5kg but the way his talent has been shining through suggests he will have few problems bridging the gap and he can strike on Varifast in the Itsarush.co.za Handicap at Kenilworth today.

Bantam won on this filly and over this trip in February and, although the three-year-old now races off a mark five points higher, she would have gone very close indeed last time had she not lost valuable ground at the start.

She was 7-2 second favourite with World Sports Betting yesterday although it is perhaps worth noting that it is the other Marshall runner Secretariat’s Girl that has been attracting the money. She opened at 10-1 on Monday but little more than 24 hours later 4-1 was the best available. She ran better over this trip last time than she had done in her two previous races over a furlong further.

Darryl Hodgson’s bold bid to go for a quick follow-up with last Tuesday’s maiden winner Emerald Gal came to nought when she had to be scratched yesterday after going lame. Hodgson now relies on 9-2 shot Frosted Honey who faces a stiff task with a five point rise in her rating for her win three weeks ago.

It could be significant that Grant van Niekerk, who rode Emerald Gal, had already committed himself to Elusive Empress who is 3-1 favourite, has been dropped a point and reverts to 1 200m after three runs over a furlong further.

The three Joey Ramsden two-year-olds failed to collect on Saturday but Apollo Star can resume normal service in the first. Donovan Dillon’s mount was second against older horses when he suffered slight interference over 1 400m last time but the stable reckons that he is just as effective over this shorter trip. Indeed he was fourth in the Kuda Sprint on Met day. He has already been backed from 5-2 to 18-10.

Supreme Orator (3-1) and What A Summer (33-10) both made the frame first time and are obvious dangers while there has been money for the Snaith newcomer Oratio.

Oh Susanna, ponied to the start when second favourite on debut, lost significant ground coming out of the pens but recovered to beat all except surprise fellow newcomer Raya Baya and could prove hard to beat at 15-10 in race two.

She should confirm the placings with 5-1 chance Evie’s Light (1 ¼ lengths back third) as well as with Daring Jayne, Easy Virtue and Dubai Queen who were all long shots and ran accordingly. Mainland’s debut fourth has been franked by the subsequent win of second-placed Lily Theresa and Aldo Domeyer’s mount is second favourite at 9-2.

By Michael Clower

Mike Miller’s decision to let Call Me Winter take her chances in the Morris Vee Handicap at Greyville on Friday has been to the benefit of most of the opposition.

Many will argue that being a handicap, Call Me Winter’s burden of 65kg is deserved but the fact remains that it is unusual for a trainer to accept given her weight.

That said, Call Me Winter is back over what is seemingly her preferred surface and the fact that Miller has not even taken advantage of a claiming apprentice one would assume that he has the race sussed.

In opposition to Call Me Winter are two smart older horses in Icy Spirit and Cosmic Burst while the visiting Miss Malbec will also have her supported.

Icy Spirit has come into her own over the past few weeks as Alyson’s Wrights filly has notched a couple of wins over Friday’s course and distance and a close-up second when stretched to seven furlongs from the worst of the draw last time out.

She is obviously progressive and the fact that Anthony Delpech has stuck with the mount adds to her appeal.

Cosmic Burst is seldom too far off the pace and Dennis Drier’s yard is slowly turning the corner after a relatively quiet season so far.

Last time out in the KZN Stakes you could have written your own ticket about her chances but those bookies taking your bet will have sweated a little as Cosmic Burst ran up a close fourth behind the speedy Jo’s Bond and the smart Elusivenchantment.

Both those outings were on the turf which is of some concern as Cosmic Burst’s poly form is nothing to write home about, but that does not take away from her ability and from a gate next door to Icy Spirit she should be a contender.

Call Me Winter has it tough as a three-year-old with 65kg to shoulder, 10kg more than her older rivals, but she has cracking form on the poly. She was three lengths behind Cosmic Burst in the race won by Jo’s Bond at Scottsville and prior to that was a close-up second to Elusivenchantment, also on the turf.

The stable is showing signs of coming to hand and it wold be unwise to write her off lightly.

Although Glen Kotzen has a satellite yard in KZN, his Cape raiders have come good early and Miss Malbec will have her supporters come Friday evening.

She made a smart local debut on the poly under 62kg from the worst of the draw and although she takes on stronger here, she should have benefited from the outing and the experience on the poly and she is draw in pole position with Icy Spirit and Cosmic Burst directly on her outside.

Mogostar and Royal Kaitrina have outstanding chances in the Jayces Projects Handicap but Sean Tarry’s charge De Nimes made a smart poly debut under Anthony Delpech and although taking a significant rise in class, the lightly raced five-year-old could well show further improvement on the synthetic surface.

Joshua’s Answer and Just Cruised In can do much better than their latest efforts in the Laboratory Supply Handicap although veteran Jamal has plummeted down the handicap and Frank Robinson has kept the gelding on the go for six seasons and 63 outings for three wins, a current rating of 40 and bottom weight.

He could prove to be the surprise package.

The balance of the card consists of Maidens and lowly handicaps and past experience suggests that market moves often prove more significant than form.

Friday also marks the end of the regular Friday night racemeetings at Greyville as the South African Champions Season moves into full swing on the following weekend with the running of the Gr2 Daisy Guineas and the Gr2 Daisy Fillies Guineas.

By Andrew Harrison

Years ending in seven have always produced significant happenings in Africa’s Greatest Horseracing Event, the Vodacom Durban July.

The first running of the great race was in 1897. The winner Campanajo became the first dual winner of the big race the following year.

In 1907 Corriecrian was the winner and became the second dual winner a year later.

In 1917 the biggest field the race has ever had, 33 runners, faced the starter and Fanous won at odds of 25/1, collecting a £1000 stake prize.

1927 was the last time the race was run under its original name of the Durban Turf Club Handicap, before it was renamed the Durban July Handicap. It was won by 4/1 favourite Hussein and winning jockey Granville Gorton went on to become a successful bookmaker and founder of Noreen Stud, home of the twice champion sire Drum Beat.

1937 saw one of the biggest upset result as 40/1 shot Ballyjamesduff beat home 50/1 chance Ygor.

In 1947 the 3/1 favourite Brookhill gave the legendary jockey Harold “Tiger” Wright his second July victory. Wright went on to win a record-breaking four Julys, but this record has been equaled by three current jockeys  Anton Marcus, Anthony Delpech and Piere Strydom.

1957 saw a rare win for a three-year-old filly, Migraine winning by a short-head.

The 1967 remains the most celebrated July in history as the immortal Sea Cottage just got up to dead-heat with the lightweight Jollify. Sea Cottage still had the bullet lodged in his leg from the shooting incident which occurred three weeks before the previous year’s July and it was also the first dead heat in the history of the race.

In 1977 Syd Laird, trainer of Sea Cottage, was expected to land his record breaking seventh July with Politician, but Lightning Shot from the small yard of Des Rich ran out the winner. Politician made amends the following year.

The 1987 race attracted a strong field and in a thriller the three-year-old Bush Telegraph, trained by Bert Abercrombie and ridden by Garth Puller, remained unbeaten in nine starts. Runner up Model Man ran one of the greatest July races in defeat.

In 1997 the legendary jockey and now trainer Michael “Muis” Roberts won his first and only July on the David Ferraris-trained Super Quality.

In 2007 the late great “Queen Mother” of South African racing, Bridget Oppenheimer, watched the famous Oppenheimer black and yellow silks win the July for the sixth time. It was Anton Marcus’s fourth July win and trainer Charles Laird joined his great grandfather Alec Laird, great uncle Syd Garrett, uncle Syd Laird and cousins Dennis Drier and Alec Laird as a winner of the great race.

2017 is already a record breaking year as the stake of R4,25 million is the biggest in the July’s history.

By David Thiselton

The R40k fine imposed on trainer Paul Gadsby for an indiscretion by one of his grooms, has been met with consternation by the racing fraternity, especially in light of the fact that Gadsby followed all legal procedures in disciplining the transgressor.

This obviously did not impress the National Horseracing Authority (NHA) enquiry board who imposed the fine reasoning that even though Gadsby was not even on the racecourse when the incident occurred, he was still responsible for the actions of his employee. Gadsby has since appealed against the finding and the fine.

Robert Mauvis, former Chairman of Gold Circle, although disagreeing with the findings of the inquiry board, said it was time that all role-players got together in an effort to educate the grooms.

“While I was chairman of Gold Circle it was one of my plans to start some sort of groom’s school.

“Training racehorses is one of the most difficult jobs there is. They all love their horses but it is time that grooms undergo some sort of formal education,” he said. He suggested that every training centre have a groom’s school where someone with the knowledge is able to talk to the grooms three or four times a week to educate them on how to treat and look after horses properly.

“These grooms look after millions of rands worth of horseflesh and many of them have never even dealt with horses before being employed,” reasoned Mauvis.

“This is a serious matter and grooms must know that it is totally wrong to hit an animal, but they need to be taught the correct way to treat the horses.

“Now is the time for all in racing to stand together and the NHA should help in this regard,” he concluded.

By Andrew Harrison