Good news revealed at the ceremony was that the Durban City Council had recently granted Gold Circle some land which enabled the back straight to be widened by two metres. This means that there will be a field of 18 for this year’s big race. This news was received by loud applause.

The reigning July champion Legislate was among the entries and so was his L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate and J&B Met-winning stablemate from the Justin Snaith yard Futura. Twice-winning July trainer Sean Tarry had the most entries, eleven. Four-times July-winning trainer Mike de Kock has eight entries and among them is his brilliant filly, Majmu, who is likely to be priced up as ante-post favourite despite the presence of Legislate and Futura. Local KZN hopes will likely rest on the shoulders of the Gr 1-winning Kochka from the Alyson Wright yard and the classy Duncan Howells-trained Gr 1-winner Same Jurisdiction, who is due a change of luck. Among the KZN entries is also “the miracle horse”, the Paul Lafferty-trained Double Clutch, who recovered from a life threatening illness before reeling off five wins in just eleven starts.

First entries for Africa’s Greatest Horseracing Event to be run at Greyville Racecourse on Saturday, July 4, were revealed at a function to launch the three-month Champions Season festival of racing at Greyville today (Thursday) and include the majority of the country’s best middle distance horses.

Among the initial nominations is the brilliant grey filly Majmu, recent winner of the Gr 1 L Jaffee Empress Club Stakes, plus Wilgerbosdrift Triple Tiara hopeful and Gr 1 SA Fillies Classic winner Siren’s Call. In fact three-year-old fillies were prominent in the entry with seven nominations including Gr 1 Maine Chance Paddock Stakes and Gr 1 Klawervlei Majorca stakes winner Inara, Same Jurisdiction, Trophy Wife, Tamanee and Pine Princess.

Sean Tarry, who has an enviable recent record in the race having won two of the last three running’s with Pomodoro and Heavy Metal, has nominated eleven runners while Mike de Kock has entered 8, Justin Snaith 7 and Dean Kannemeyer 5.

Included in Tarry’s strong entry along with Siren’s Call, is recent SA Derby Trial winner French Navy, the highest rated of the three-year-old males entered, and the promising Cagiva who could well make the final line-up with a handy galloping weight. The Tarry-trained Heavy Metal, winner in 2013, is back in the country after a stint in Dubai and has shown promising form since his return.

Gr 1 Investec Cape Derby winner Ertijaal, who ran below form in the Gr 1 SA Classic, is one of the leading sophomore males entered along with strong entry from Kannemeyer who has pencilled in the very promising Afrikaburn and Balance Sheet along with year-older Power King and Solar Star.

Outside of Futura and Legislate, Snaith has entered recent Byerley Turk winner Heartland, a full brother to the Gr 1 winning colt and now sire Jackson.

The full list of first entries are as follows:

First entries for Africa’s Greatest Horseracing Event to be run at Greyville Racecourse on Saturday, July 4, were revealed at a function to launch the three-month Champions Season festival of racing at Greyville today (Thursday) and include the majority of the country’s best middle distance horses.

Among the initial nominations is the brilliant grey filly Majmu, recent winner of the Gr 1 L Jaffee Empress Club Stakes, plus Wilgerbosdrift Triple Tiara hopeful and Gr 1 SA Fillies Classic winner Siren’s Call. In fact three-year-old fillies were prominent in the entry with seven nominations including Gr 1 Maine Chance Paddock Stakes and Gr 1 Klawervlei Majorca stakes winner Inara, Same Jurisdiction, Trophy Wife, Tamanee and Pine Princess.

Sean Tarry, who has an enviable recent record in the race having won two of the last three running’s with Pomodoro and Heavy Metal, has nominated eleven runners while Mike de Kock has entered 8, Justin Snaith 7 and Dean Kannemeyer 5.

Included in Tarry’s strong entry along with Siren’s Call, is recent SA Derby Trial winner French Navy, the highest rated of the three-year-old males entered, and the promising Cagiva who could well make the final line-up with a handy galloping weight. The Tarry-trained Heavy Metal, winner in 2013, is back in the country after a stint in Dubai and has shown promising form since his return.

Gr 1 Investec Cape Derby winner Ertijaal, who ran below form in the Gr 1 SA Classic, is one of the leading sophomore males entered along with strong entry from Kannemeyer who has pencilled in the very promising Afrikaburn and Balance Sheet along with year-older Power King and Solar Star.

Outside of Futura and Legislate, Snaith has entered recent Byerley Turk winner Heartland, a full brother to the Gr 1 winning colt and now sire Jackson.

The full list of first entries are as follows:

He had originally expected to be sidelined for no more than four weeks but said: “It was worse than I thought.  I went to a neurosurgeon and found that I had a fracture in one of the discs in my spine.

“It is still not quite 100% but I’m nearly there and I can’t just sit around watching the other guys ride my horses. I am putting on weight!”

Domeyer has three rides on Saturday, all in the last three races – Waiting For Rain for Piet Steyn, In Limine (Greg Ennion) and the Paddy Kruyer-trained Beulah.

The 28-year-old, first choice jockey when Yogas Govender trained for Plattner Racing, will continue to ride for the stable for whom he won the 2013 J & B Met on Martial Eagle.

He said: “I am not sure who is going to take over there but they have asked me to stay on which is lovely.”

The innovative idea was the brainchild of Gold Circle’s Racing and Marketing Executive Graeme Hawkins and has generally been well received by officials, riders, trainers, owners and punters.

However, there were one or two concerns from certain quarters, while others felt a slight change to the format would be of benefit.

The racemeeting on Friday will start at 17h55. In order to accommodate the short space of time between events the odd numbered races will only have jockeys riding in them and the even numbered races will only have apprentices riding.

KZN’s chief Stipendiary Steward Sean Parker welcomed the idea and said, “It is innovative, which is good for racing, and I hope it turns out to be an exciting an enjoyable meeting.” Parker was confident that unexpected events, such as objections, could be handled in the time allowed as the jockeys involved would not have to be riding in the next race, which is usually often the case.

Paddy Wynne, a top jockey is his day who won the Durban July aboard Jamaican Rumba in 1982 and is now a riding master at the South African Jockeys Academy, said, “It is a good idea when you think what 20/20 did for cricket. It is something different and will keep the apprentices on their toes and give them more opportunities.”

Apprentice Tristan Godden will be riding in the meeting and said, “It is something different and us apprentices will obviously enjoy it as we can get more chances, which we need. It will be hectic at first but I think everybody will get used to the timings.”

One of KZN’s leading jockeys Athandiwe Mgudlwa said, “It will be a challenge as there will be quite a rush between races. It will be good for the apprentices who need experience and who can get more than one ride a meeting, but I have to say that for us jockeys it will be a loss, so we hope there are not too many of these meetings.”

Legendary jockey and now Summerveld trainer Michael Roberts was in favour of the meeting and said, “I hope it is a success. It is something new and racing needs something new. Unfortunately most of the trainers will be away at the Sales.”

Cape-based trainer Dean Kannemeyer, who now has a satellite yard at Summerveld, was also positive and said, “I am looking forward to it. I have a few runners and will be there as I am only leaving for the Sales on Saturday morning. It is something new and exciting. It will be nice to not have to sit around waiting for half-an-hour. Saddle Up and let’s go. The time often drags out at normal meetings. I think the punters would have studied their form, so canter down and let’s go. 35 minutes is too long although it is obviously necessary for the big racemeetings where there are long queues.”

Trainer Mark Dixon admitted that the meeting didn’t appeal to him and said, “I am a traditionalist, I love test cricket. But I think normal meetings should have 30 minute gaps, 35 minutes is too long.”

Trainer Karen Anthony said, “There are always positives to new ideas but also aspects that don’t suit. We had to wait a long time for our horse Big King to get a good draw and when  he finally landed one he ended up in one of the apprentice races in the 20/20 meeting. He needs a strong, experienced rider and we had to scratch him again. So, I think if they mixed the apprentices with the jockeys for every race it would be better and that should still give the apprentices a lot of chances.”

Trainer Robbie Hill said, “I think it’s a good idea, although I don’t know if it will give the punters a chance to bet in time. I think the races should also be open to all riders with the condition that they can only ride every second race. The current format does give the apprentices more chances but the bottom jockeys won’t get the chances they could have had and also I had to scratch a few of my horses because I couldn’t afford to take a chance by running them from wide draws with apprentices aboard.”

Phil Georgiou, owner of the top class Harry’s Son and an enthusiastic punter, spoke on behalf of owners and the betting fraternity. His biggest concern was the length of time it is taking these days for a result to be declared all clear to pay. He said, “Punters who are collecting will be still standing in the queue waiting for the all clear and won’t have time to go down to the parade ring and then structure their bets. I know it could be said that you can collect later, but it doesn’t work like that, punters like to see what they have in hand before betting again. So hopefully the all clears will be a lot quicker. I think it will also be important for the presenters to be better prepared and be vigilant in their analysis and tipping. They will have to shorten it and not waffle on for ten minutes about every horse.”

Georgiou also felt that the information on first-time runners should be made available before the first race of the meeting and that it should be readily available, possibly via means of a screen scroll, throughout the meeting. He added that this should be the case for all meetings, because it is only in the Pick 6 where the first-timer rule applies. From an owner’s perspective Georgiou agreed with Hill that each race should be open to all riders, with the provision that no rider can take part in successive races.