South African Quartet Pools with fractional betting offered at Southwell(UK) – 14 December 2025.

Andrew Harrison

Racing returns to Hollywoodbets Scottsville after an extended break for its annual spring treatment. The intended return was a fortnight back but rain put paid to that and racing was moved to the Hollywoodbets Greyville poly track.

With the track sure to be in mint condition on Sunday, trainers are out to take advantage and punters are faced with near capacity fields that will make finding winners a lot more testing.

The first KZN juvenile race kicks off the card and has attracted a big field of first timers so the betting will be your best guide. Mike Miller has his usual compliment and saddles seven of the 12 runners. The Miller stable rider Tristan Godden generally has the choice of the rides so Master Magician could prove the pick but he is not infallible.

The first leg of the bi-pot sees a full field of 16 line up with a number of first timers in the mix. Of those that have run, Place Of Practice improved nicely on the poly second time out but can make the required improvement. However, Winter In London also improved at his second start behind the useful looking Cognac. He can also make the required improvement.

Mr Mcdonald caught the eye when running on late on debut. It was not the greatest maiden field but with some expected improvement he can go one better in the opening leg of the PA. Past And Present makes his local debut for his new stable. He has been rested but had some useful Cape form over further but the blinkers are back on and he has the best of the draw. Director has drawn wide but his last run in the soft is best ignored. He was consistent before that. Dubai Dude was well beaten on debut but that form has held up quite well. He gets the services of vastly experience French rider Mickaelle Michel who will relish the 1.5kg allowance.

Annie’s Song will need some luck in running from her wide draw in the first leg of the Pick 6 but she has improved with every outing and looks primed for this. Thought Control is Adam Azzie’s only runner on the day and made a promising debut over the distance and sure to come on with the experience. Heavenly Mafia makes her local debut and boasts steady Cape and PE form. The blinkers stay on with a claiming apprentice up.

Mark Dixon saddles Cleartherunway in the fifth. He has a tricky draw to contend with but he was an impressive winner of his maiden at just his second start. The form of that race had panned out with second placed Eric’s Legacy skating home by eight lengths next time out albeit in a shallow field. He is in receipt of 1.5kg from Cleartherunway and has a better draw which could swing the odds in his favour. Red Mountain has shown some recent improvement in blinkers and with a claiming apprentice up he comes into the race with a strong chance.

Mickaelle Michel can register her first winner on South African soil where she partner Magma Magic in a competitive handicap. The gelding has shown signs of form of late and may just have needed his last effort. This trip should suit. Bank Street switches to the turf but has been running consistently well on the poly. He got a two-point raise in the handicap for his runner-up placing last time out and is up in trip. Kimball O’Hara has a tricky draw but has dropped further in the ratings and is down in class. Definitely Yes has been making steady improvement with a tongue-tie and should be a contender along with In The Bag who is seldom far back of late and can go one better.

The seventh is another tricky handicap. Gimmeforsure has been consistent since her debut win. She makes her local debut and steps up to what could be a more suitable trip given her pedigree.  She only has 51.5kg to shoulder from a favourable draw. At the other end of the gate is Sascha’s Dream boasts solid current form and stays the trip well. She also gets some relief from the saddle. Grand Occasion was well fancied for a hattrick of wins last time out but found one too good. She has come good of late and steps up in trip. Miss Twinkle meets Sasha’s Dream on identical weight terms but does have the better draw. There should not be too much between them come the line.

In the eighth, Fortress Of Fire was disappointing in features last season but ended off in promising fashion. After nearly five months off the track, he caught the eye in is seasonal debut when running on stoutly from a wide draw on the poly behind the very much in form United Nation. He shed his maiden over course and distance and could be finally finding himself. Maphaka has been knocking on the door for some time now. He is dropping in the ratings and could be competitive again. Dapper is long overdue and seldom out of the money. One of his best recent showings has been over course and distance. Beamonesque finished just ahead of Fortress Of Fire when making his local debut. He had useful Highveld form before that and will be competitive.

The last is another competitive handicap but Arverni Princess has been in mustard form and has won over course and distance with this apprentice aboard. Whereverilaymyhat is 0.5kg better off with Arverni Princess on their last meeting so there should not be much between the pair. Ndaka is back over his preferred distance and has blinkers on. He is quick and could be the surprise package. Yannakis is down in class and has a 4kg claimer aboard which should help his cause.

Andrew Harrison

It was a big weekend for apprentice Damyan Pillay. Announced as Head Boy of the South African Jockey Academy at their year-end awards ceremony at the Summerveld Clubhouse on Friday morning, he rode out his 4kg claim just a few hours later. Riding a superbly judged race on Soho Star for Yogas Govender he scored the 20^th win of his fledgling career in the Middle Stakes that headed the card at Hollywoodbets Greyville.

The form was there to see, Soho Star finishing a close-up third to Gr1 winning Gladatorian, but a wide draw was always at the back of many punters minds. However, Pillay managed to navigate a handy position as Tara Star set sail from the jump.

For a long way up the straight and barely moving a muscle, Pillay looked to be ‘no good’, as the saying goes, but once he put his foot on the gas 250m out, Soho Star accelerated in a matter of strides with the apprentice timing the gelding’s run to perfection to get the better of Magic Surprise.

Ladyofdistinction has always shown a touch of class as her name and six-figure purchase price suggested and she ran out a smart if narrow winner of the Progress Plate for fillies in the second.

Michael Roberts has always held the filly in high regard and she showed plenty of intestinal fortitude to get up and touch off a game Sonata Samaritan, a nose separating them at the line.

It was not all plane sailing for the winner as Rachel Venniker had to steer the filly through a narrow gap before going on to tackle Sonata Samaritan. The two fought a nose-to-nose battle over the final 50 m with Ladyofdistinction getting her nose down to snatch it on the line.

Double Causeway touched 7-10 in the first race on the card before drifting late and crossing the subway the drift appeared to be significant with Callan Murray hard at work. However, Gareth van Zyl’s charge gradually got it all together and eventually got to the line with some to spare over Good Omen and Hammerhead who came from near last to finish a close-up third.

Salani Kahle built on a solid debut effort when putting the opposition to the sword in the opening leg of the Place Accumulator. Well supported in the betting, Sean Veale started to scrub away on the turn, making up ground to hit the top of the straight in touch with the leaders. From there on it was a matter of how far as Salani Kahle said good bye under hands and heels to win by the best part of six lengths with Intro finishing best of the balance.

Four rides back from an aborted stint in Hong Kong and former Champion Jockey Keagan de Melo was back in the winner’s box as he got Alyson Wright’s diminutive gelding King Bavarian home in a finish worthy of a Hong Kong scramble. Always travelling comfortably in the D Stakes over 1800m, De Melo showed his Hong Kong experience as he pulled off the rail for a clear run at the line. He only made his move just over a furlong out with Councillor chasing hard and Power Star refusing to throw in the towel. It was touch-and-go at the wire but King Bavarian just had his nose in front to deny Power Star with Councillor a neck back in third.

Race Coast is thrilled to announce a game changing new era for South African horse racing punters with the official launch of horse racing with Colossus Pools on Monday, 1 December 2025!

Following the successful introduction of Colossus world class sports pools, we are now bringing this innovative technology to the multi-leg racing bets. To kick off the launch, the horse racing pools will feature predetermined, high value UK race meetings, giving local punters access to massive international jackpots.

This marks a major step forward for the sport, combining the thrill of racing with modern, flexible features.

Introducing Unprecedented Control

For the first time in South African racing, you will be able to take advantage of key features that put you in control of your bet:

• Cash Out: Don’t wait until the last race! You will now receive leg-by-leg offers to Cash Out all or part of your ticket as the pool progresses. Secure a profit early or reduce your risk, giving you unprecedented control over your potential winnings.
• Syndicate Betting: Join forces with other punters to crowdfund a single, high stakes ticket. Share the cost, increase your chances of hitting the jackpot, and share the rewards with the betting community. You can become a Syndicate Captain or contribute to a ticket led by an expert.

Race Coast is committed to innovating and ensuring our horse racing proposition is the most exciting and engaging in the country.

Get Ready to Play!

Look out for the Colossus button on the www.tote.co.za website and from December 1st, toggle between Football and Horse Racing, and experience the new generation of betting.

Massive UK Jackpots, More Control, and Shared Success—get ready to elevate your racing experience!

We are thrilled to announce a ground-breaking new chapter in your betting experience! We’ve partnered with Colossus Bets, a leading UK-based company, to bring you an exciting new product never before seen in the South African tote betting market.

What is Colossus Bets?

Imagine betting into massive, guaranteed prize pools, often reaching life-changing sums, with the added power of controlling your bet as the action unfolds. That’s the essence of Colossus Bets! It’s a revolutionary way to play, combining the thrill of traditional tote betting with unparalleled flexibility.

Understanding the Bet Types & Functionality:

Colossus Bets specialises in pool betting, where you bet against other players. The total money wagered is placed into a “pool”, and the prize money is shared among all winning tickets. The more people who play, the larger the potential jackpot! 

Some of the Bet Types on offer

• Pick 1×2: This is a straightforward pool where you predict the result of each match – Home Win (1), Draw (X), or Away Win (2).

 

• Correct Score: This is a more challenging but potentially more lucrative pool, where you must predict the exact final result of each match

 

• Both Teams to Score: This is for fans of goals and fast paced action. Your task is to simply predict whether or not both teams will score at least one goal in a selected series of matches

 

Innovative Functionality

• Cash Out: This feature allows you to lock in a profit before all matches (legs) in your ticket are completed. After each leg, Colossus bets will make you an offer to buy your ticket based on its current value. You can choose to accept the guaranteed payout or stay in the game for a chance at the full jackpot.

 

• Syndicate Betting: Colossus Bets offers a unique way to play through Syndicate Tickets, allowing Players to team up and increase their chances of winning. Creating a Syndicate – If you have a betting strategy or consider yourself a “Pro”, you can create a Syndicate Ticket and invite other Players to contribute towards the payment of the ticket. Joining a Syndicate – Alternatively, you can join a Syndicate Ticket that another Player has already created. When you contribute to a Syndicate Ticket, you will own a share of that ticket. This share is directly proportional to the amount of money you contributed. If the Syndicate Ticket wins, you will receive a proportionate share of any returns (such as dividends or cash-out proceeds) based on your contribution. In essence, Syndicate Tickets allows Players to pool their resources, share the risk, and share the rewards!

 

• Guaranteed Huge Sports Pools: Colossus Bets offers guaranteed prize pools often reaching life-changing proportions. This means greater potential payouts for a winning ticket!

 

• Consolation Prizes: For many pools, if you narrowly miss the jackpot by getting a number of the selections correct, you can still win a share of a consolation prize. This means that you can still get a payout even if your ticket isn’t a perfect winner.

How to find the Colossus Product

To access the Colossus soccer products, simply follow these steps:

• Log in to your TOTE account on www.tote.co.za
• Once logged in, look for the “Colossus” button on the main navigation bar.
• Click the button to be taken to a new page, displaying all the available Colossus products
• Start playing!

 

Why is this a game changer for South Africa?

Colossus Bets is renowned for pioneering the Cash Out feature in multi-leg pool betting, Syndicate Betting, and for offering some of the largest sports jackpots globally. This partnership brings that innovation and scale directly to you, providing a fresh and exciting way to engage with your favourite sports.

We are confident that Colossus Bets will transform your betting experience, offering bigger thrills and more control than ever before.

Ready to get in on the action? The Colossus button on www.tote.co.za is your portal to this revolutionary product. Don’t miss out!

Be sure to look out for the Colossus horse racing products – Coming Soon!