Please Note: South African Quartet Pools with fractional betting offered at Beverley and Southwell (UK) – 23 April 2026.

Race 1

 

4 VIXENINTHEVINEYARD 1 WE ARE THE LOGANS 2 CHABAL 3 EUPHRATES

 

Preview: 2 CHABAL is proven over the trip and is capable of producing a strong finish over this distance so should take a power of beating. 4 VIXENINTHEVINEYARD has been knocking on the door and is interesting stepped up to this marathon trip being out of a Fort Wood mare. 1 WE ARE THE LOGANS has come back to form lately and is another one who might enjoy the step up in trip. (David Thiselton 4-2-1)

 

Race 2

 

5 RUBY WHISPER 2 IRISH WILMA 8 WESTERN MIRAGE 7 STAR MAGNOLIA

 

Preview: 5 RUBY WHISPER has form against fair horses and should go close here. 2 IRISH WILMA has not been disgraced against good sorts and could be in the shake up in this easier task. 8 WESTERN MIRAGE is by Hawwaam out of a Western Winter mare and Zackey rides. 7 STAR MAGNOLIA has run two fair races and can still improve. (David Thiselton 5-2-8-7)

 

Race 3

 

1 CATFISH 9 LIGHTINTHEWOODS 7 WHATSDAMATTERWITHU 8 FASCINATOR

 

Preview: 1 CATFISH has tended to find one better but can get it right here. 9 LIGHTINTHEWOODS is a first-timer by Gimmethegreenlight out of speedy Count Dubois mare Fairyinthewoods and Zackey is up. 7 WHATSDAMATTERWITHU has finished ten lengths back to two classy sorts and can improve. 8 FASCINATOR is a first-timer by Elusive Fort out of a What A Winter mare. (David Thiselton 1-9-7-8)

 

Race 4

 

1 THE REASON 2 BEAUTIFUL ONE 4 UMAMI 3 IN BETWEEN

 

Preview: 1 THE REASON is knocking on the door and should go close from a plum draw over a suitable step up in trip. 2 BEAUTIFUL ONE can go close from pole position if repeating her last start. 4 UMAMI could earn on current form over a trip she should enjoy. 3 IN BETWEEN could earn if producing her best. (David Thiselton 1-2-4-3)

 

Race 5

 

7 THE NAME OF DLADLA 1 MILLENNIUM WARRIOR 2 WINDING POWER 3 ROCK MY BOAT

 

Preview: 7 THE NAME OF DLADLA went close last time when1 MILLENNIUM WARRIOR is knocking on the door and should go close. 2 WINDING POWER can earn if producing his best. 3 ROCK MY BOAT ran a fair race in a small field last time and could earn. (David Thiselton 7-1-2-3)

 

Race 6

 

10 INTO DANCING 9 TOO LATE MY MATE 1 CEUTA 2 WARNING SOUND

 

Preview: 10 INTO DANCING has plenty of ability and is still in the up. 9 TOO LATE MY MATE just failed last over this trip and should go close. 1 CEUTA has some class and should go close despite carrying topweight. 2 WARNING SOUND is starting to come into her own and should be in the shake up. (David Thiselton 10-9-1-2)

 

Race 7

 

6 SOUTHAMPTON 4 OPERA FAN 1 FAIR PROPOSAL 11 HOLLYWOOD MADAM

 

Preview: 6 SOUTHAMPTON has the ability to be right there in this contest but she will need to overcome a wide draw. 4 OPERA FAN should be right there again from a fair draw. 1 FAIR PROPOSAL has been in fine form and will be a threat from pole position. 11 HOLLYWOOD MADAM has the form to be a contender but has to overcome a wide draw. (David Thiselton 6-4-1-11)

 

Race 8

 

1 SIX OF ALL 7 CREPUSCOLO 2 CASUS BELLI 3 ITSNOWORNEVER

 

Preview: 1 SIX OF ALL is potentially better than his form suggests and from a good draw over a trip he should enjoy he has a chance. 7 CREPUSCOLO is an honest sort who has a good form chance over a suitable trip in this line up. 2 CASUS BELLI won his penultimate start over this trip and off a four point higher mark should be in the shake up. 3 ITSNOWORNEVER won well last time and should beat Six Of All on strict formlines even if six points higher in the merit ratings. (David Thiselton 1-7-2-3)

 

Race 9

 

1 MICHAEL FARADAY 8 TIME WILL TELL 10 EIGHT HATS 11 PRINCESS LOLA

 

Preview: 1 MICHAEL FARADAY won well last time and if things go well for him again from a fair draw he can follow up off a three point higher mark over a drop in trip he will handle. 8 TIME WILL TELL is distance suited and has been knocking on the door. 10 EIGHT HATS is usually thereabouts and should earn in this line up. 11 PRINCESS LOLA has been in fine form over 1400m and 1450m but should also enjoy this trip. (David Thiselton 1-8-10-11)

 

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.