The premier South African Champions Season weight-for-age mile, the Grade 1 Gold Challenge has a new sponsor. The race to be run on Sunday, 28 June will be sponsored by South Africa’s leading bookmaker, Hollywoodbets.

The race makes up the trifecta for Grade 1 WFA 1600m races that includes the Grade 1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate run at Kenilworth and the HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes run at Turffontein.

The race is an important stepping stone into the Vodacom Durban July and the honours roll is littered with Vodacom Durban July winners from Dancer’s Daughter and Pocket Power, to Big City Life, Legislate and last year’s dual champion, Do It Again.

Other recent winners include Winter Solstice and international Grade 1 winning miler, Variety Club.

Devin Heffer, Brand and Communications Manager for Hollywoodbets, says that this race is another feather in the cap for his company. “Being able to sponsor a race of this magnitude is something we are incredibly excited about. Seeing the Vodacom Durban July contenders in Rainbow Bridge, Vardy, and Do It Again battle it out over the mile, will truly show who is poised to announce themselves as the number one contender in this year’s racing spectacle.”

“This is also Hollywoodbets’ first ever Grade 1 race sponsorship, and a milestone in our company’s history.”

“Hollywoodbets has invested heavily in horse racing in KZN, with the sponsorship of both Hollywoodbets Greyville and Scottsville Racecourses, the Grooms’ Initiative, and the Back On Track Challenge – encompassing trainers, jockeys, racehorses, grooms, apprentices and of course the punters.  Being able to collaborate with Gold Circle on these projects and sponsorships have allowed us to make a positive impact on racing in the province, and we look forward to continuing our support in the months to come.”

Gold Circle’s Events and Marketing Executive Steve Marshall said that it was both a privilege and pleasure to welcome a leading industry brand to one of their foremost South African Champions Season features.

The National Horseracing Authority confirms that at the Licencing Committee Meeting held in Johannesburg today, Jockey Grant van Niekerk was licenced as a Jockey with certain conditions attached.

Mr van Niekerk’s Jockey licence was withdrawn on 6 April 2020, whilst riding under the Rules of the Hong Kong Jockey Club due to a non-racing, conduct related matter. 

The Licencing Committee ruled that Mr van Niekerk be provisionally licenced for a period from 19 June 2020 to 18 September 2020 on condition that he enrols in and completes an Anger and Stress Management Course as determined by the NHA.

Upon proof of completion of the course, the Licencing Committee will consider issuing Mr van Niekerk a more permanent Riding Licence.

Eyes Wide Open will be out to defend his crown in the Grade 2 WSB 1900 on Saturday although he will be doing it as a gelding this year and is up against some tough opposition, including his two stable companions Herodotus and Pack Leader.

Trainer Glen Kotzen said, “It was a hard decision to geld a twice Grade 1 winner by Dynasty. Before gelding he used to haemoconcentrate (a thickening of the blood which affects the efficient transport of oxygen and thus leads to the horse tiring in the latter stages.) He also used to pull up sore behind but he is now sound and is much happier. He has lightened up and is enjoying life. In his first run as a gelding in the Drill Hall he only got into the race when it was all over and he was only beaten three lengths. I then thought why try and qualify him for the July in a weight for age mile so we are rather going for the 1900 to qualify and if that is not enough we will still have the Cup Trial. He has come on from his first run and will run a cracker.”

Eyes Wide Open looked a picture in the preliminaries of this race last year and ran accordingly to win by 0,25 lengths.

He was the highest rated horse last year on 109 but was one of four horses who carried 60kg under the merit rated band conditions. This year he is highest rated again but off is 116 rating is the only one in the top band so has to give 2kg or more to the entire field. However, if the ten point across the board raise at the beginning of the season is taken into account he is three points lower rated than last year and the gelding could have improved him too so he is probably just as well treated. He had a tricky draw of nine last year and has it even tougher this year from barrier position 12.

Herodotus is coming off an encouraging second place finish in the Grade 2 Peninsula over 1800m on January 11 in which he was doing his best work late. 

Kotzen said, “He is very well and we are expecting a huge run. He will have to get lucky from the draw but he is fit and ready. His mission is to get into the July with bottom weight.”

Herodotus is drawn 13 out of 13 and is only half-a-kilogram better off with Peninsula winner Belgarion for that 1,25 length beating.

Kotzen said Pack Leader, despite looking amazing in the ring last time out on June 10 in a Pinnacle race over 1600m at Scottsville, was yet to return to his best since a tendon injury some time ago. However, he will have the blinkers removed and Kotzen hoped this would see him putting his best foot forward. 

Kotzen sounded bullish about the chances of Catchafallingstar in the Listed East Coast Cup over 2000m. She is only merit rated 82 but she is running over her right trip for the first time.

He also runs Coral Bay and Je Ne Sa Quoi.

He described Coral Bay as a staying sort and gave her a big shout despite a tough draw of 13. 

Kotzen has been trying to get Je Ne Sa Quoi into a race for months but she keeps being eliminated so she has not had an ideal preparation. She does have a win and a close second over 2000m and 1800m in her last two starts respectively so has a chance under Keagan de Melo.  

Kotzen also mentioned Thomas Henry, who competes in the third, a maiden over 1400m, as one of his best runners on the day. 

By David Thiselton

PHUMELELA MEDIA RELEASE

Flamingo Park Racecourse and the adjacent training centre in Kimberley will be closed at the end of July.

Phumelela had intended to continue racing at Flamingo Park until at least at the end of this year after Gold Circle and other sponsors offered to contribute towards the costs of staging race meetings there in 2020.

Covid-19 lockdown regulations, however, have thwarted staging racing at Flamingo Park since March and it is uncertain when racing will be able to resume there. In addition, the massive financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic on horseracing has resulted in Gold Circle announcing that it will not be able to offer financial assistance beyond 2020. Consequently, Phumelela has decided to close the venue next month and several resident trainers are planning to relocate to other racing centres.

Flamingo Park was a valuable venue in terms of giving opportunities to horses not able to compete at other centres and races to enable such horses to remain competitive will now be added to the racing programmes at the four remaining racing centres.

Vardy, 5-2 favourite for Sunday week’s Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge, has come on considerably since his reappearance third in the Independent On Saturday Drill Hall Stakes according to Adam Marcus.

The Milnerton trainer, based at Summerveld for most of the KZN season, said on Wednesday: “His Drill Hall run might have looked a little disappointing at first glance but it had been so difficult to plan preparations for these horses without knowing when racing was going to continue. He hadn’t had a racecourse gallop and was going into the Drill Hall off one grass gallop at Summerveld and some sand work. Also he had never been on a clockwise turn.

“He was a little bit above himself on the day and he travelled a bit hard which is not like him – he usually comes from further back. The race did him the world of good and he has responded to it exceptionally well. He has tightened up beautifully and so far his preparation has been very good.”

Craig Zackey again has the mount on the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate winner at Hollywoodbets Greyville while Donovan Dillon will partner stable companion Twist Of Fate.

This represents a change of plan for last year’s Vodacom Durban July third as Marcus had planned to keep him away from the big weight-for-age races in his build-up to the July.

He explained: “In the WSB Cup Trial he was going to be handicapped out of it because several of the higher-rated horses are running in the Gold Challenge and, although he is looking for more ground than a mile, I feel he needs another run under his belt before the big one.”

Missisippi Burning is second favourite for the 1 400m Tibouchina on Sunday week but the WSB Cape Fillies Guineas and KZN Fillies Guineas winner is also second favourite for the Woolavington 2000 on the same card – and she may not run in either race!

Marcus explained: “She is drawn wide (17) in the Tibouchina so that is doubtful and, while we are still making a final decision, my gut feeling is that 2 000m is too far for her.

“She has done us proud and she owes us nothing so I want to put her in races where I know it’s the correct distance and things are in her favour. She is KZN-bred so the KZN Breeders Million Mile on July 19 could be a possibility.

Friday is an important day for Grant van Niekerk as the licencing board is to meet to consider his application for the renewal of his South African licence.

According to the sahorseracing website he will not be able to resume until August 1 but he could be back quite soon if all goes well on Friday.

He has already been given a clearance letter by the Hong Kong Jockey Club who dismissed him in early April following a domestic dispute on Jockey Club property. As he has since explained himself, and apologised, on social media he will be anxious to put this episode behind him and resume race-riding as soon as possible.

He had been doing particularly well in Hong Kong at the time, was fifth on the log with 37 winners and was becoming much in demand with local owners and trainers.  

By Michael Clower