Jubilant members of the Lucky Vest Syndicate, co-owners of the Gr3 World Pool Gold Cup winner King Pelles along with Dave Maclean and Gary Player lead in S’Manga Khumalo. It was Gareth van Zyl’s second win in the race and Khumalo’s  third.

Photo: Race Coast/Candiese Lenferna 

 

King Pelles strikes gold in World Pool Gold Cup

Durban – Gareth van Zyl saddled his second winner of the Grade 3 World Pool Gold Cup after Paths Of Victory in 2020, as King Pelles justified his favourites tag with a superb victory on Sunday under S’Manga Khumalo, who was winning the race for the third time.

Coming off wins in the Gr3 Tote Derby and the Gr3 Gold Vase, King Pelles was looking for a hat-trick of staying-race wins and will surely be crowned this season’s Equus Champion Stayer.

It was an excellent training feat by Van Zyl who had this race earmarked for his charge long in advance.

Previous winner Future Swing tried to make all under Keagan de Melo, but stayed on gamely for third ahead of the luckless Holding Thumbs who has finished runner-up to King Pelles in their last four meetings – including the Gr3 Chairmans Cup at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth.

 

Gr1 HKJC Champions Cup

Stuart Ferrie recorded the biggest win of his career as Gladatorian scored a memorably victory in the Gr1 HKJC Champions Cup, the final Gr1 of the current season.

Ridden by Sean Veale, Gladatorian put in a tremendous finish to catch Hollywoodbets Durban July winner, The Real Prince, while See It Again, second two years back and third last year, had to once again be content with third.

Dave The King, out to defend his crown after winning last year, took up the running as expected and was going great guns at the top of the home straight.

However, the tank was empty as The Real Prince moved up on his inside after shaking off the attentions of See It Again. The Real Prince looked to have the race in the bag before Gladatorian arrived with a wet sail to snaffle him close to home.

The race was not without incident as Royal Victory stuck up on the way to the start and was eventually scratched by the stipendiary stewards. The gelding refused to move in spite of the urgings of Piere Strydom who was having his final ride in a Gr1 before retiring at the end of the season this week.

The race was also a fitting send-off for co-owner Michel Nairac, who retires at the end of the month after steering Gold Circle through troubled waters and securing KZN racing future in a venture with Hollywood Sports Holdings.

 

Grade 1 Douglas Whyte Stakes

Alan Greeff rounded off an exceptional season training the three best two-year-old fillies in the country. Direct Hit won the Gr1 Allan Robertson Fillies Championship, Anotherdanceforme won the Gr2 Golden Slipper and Gr2 SA Fillies Nursery winner Golden Palm rounded it all off by winning the Gr1 Douglas Whyte Stakes to enhance her chances of being named Equus Two-year-old Filly of the Year at next month’s awards.

All three fillies were ridden by reigning champion Richard Fourie, who rode a confident race on Golden Palm. Sitting midfield in the early exchanges, he asked his filly for maximum coming off the false rail and she responded smartly, reeling in the opposition to win rather comfortably, with Tina Lovelace edging stable companion One Fine Winter for second.

 

Grade 1 World Pool Moment Of The Day Champion Stakes

Henk Leyenaar was part of the syndicate involved in the ownership of star Mike de Kock-trained mare Ipi Tombe and the two were back in the winner’s enclosure 23 years later as Jan Van Goyen turned in a super impressive performance in the Gr1 World Pool Moment of the Day Champion Stakes.

Leyenaar was on course to lead in the colt and jockey Callan Murray along with Mike and Mathew de Kock. Count Of Rouen went to the front at a modest gallop tracked by Tin Pan Alley and Jan Van Goyen. Count Of Rouen tried gamely to hold onto his lead pressed by Tin Pan Alley, but neither were able to hold off the challenge from Jan Van Goyen who motored past to win as he liked.

 

Gr1 Mercury Sprint

Champion jockey Gavin Lerena took no prisoners in winning his first Grade 1 race in KZN as he took Buffalo Storm Cody forward early and was not for the catching in the Gr1 Mercury Sprint.

Kenneth Pillay is a staunch supporter of the Tony Peter yard and was rewarded as Buffalo Storm Cody scored his fourth win from his last five starts after being gelded.

He finished fourth in the recent Gr3 Post Merchants but Lerena revealed that his mount had ducked from the lights and he was confident of a better performance on Sunday.

Favourite Tenango had it all to do from his wide draw but Aldo Domeyer did a fine job of getting him across and although finishing strongly he was left with too much to do with the mare Asiye Phambili winning a tight battle with Cats Pajamas for third.

KING PELLES, with S’Manga Khumalo up, wins the Grade 3 World Pool Gold Cup for trainer Gareth van Zyl at Hollywoodbets Greyville yesterday. Picture: Race Coast/Candiese Lenferna

David Thiselton

The Gr 3 Gold Cup saw King Pelles proving himself a champion stayer as he defied topweight and gave Gareth van Zyl and S’Manga Khumalo a second Gold Cup together and Khumalo a third Gold Cup.

The running looked similar to last year in that Future Swing, who led, and Shoot The Rapids were both prominent again in a decent gallop that was going to test horses’ stamina capacities. King Pelles had them in his sights as he was just behind Madison Valley who led the main pack. In the straight Future Swing made a gallant attempt to hold on with Shoot The Rapids not quite matching him, but it was apparent that King Pelles was full of running and with Khumalo keeping him to the outside he went on to win by 1,20 lengths from a running on Holding Thumbs with Future Swing third and Shoot The Rapids next best ahead of Madison Valley and Field Marshall. King Pelles has now won three Gr 3 staying races this season and Holding Thumbs has finished second to him on every one of those occasions. It was a great day for the owners of the Drakenstein Stud-bred Duke Of Marmalade gelding, Lucky Vest 12 CC (Nom: Mr Ravi Padayachee), Messrs D D MacLean, G J Player & N V Parmanand. Ravi Padayachee and friends made sure the course was awash with the pink and blue colours of King Pelles.

In the race of the day, the Gr 1 HKJC Champions Cup over 1800m, there was a deserved win for the five-year-old Erasmus Thoroughbreds CC-bred Vercingetorix gelding Gladatorian. He gave Summerveld trainer Stuart Ferrie a first Gr 1 win and it was a fitting win as Gladatorian is part-owned by Race Coast’s outgoing CEO Michel Nairac, who had a race named after him on the day. Dave The King looked as if he was going to be hard to beat as  he led and began stretching them from the 800m mark. However, The Real Prince kept him within range, while Gladatorian got a tow from the latter while See It Again, just ahead of Gladatorian, on his outside got a tow from Montien who was one out and one back. Dave The King was soon under pressure in the straight as The Real Prince and See It Again were all over him. The Real Prince snuck down the rail and had the better of See It Again who went around Dave The King. However, Gladatorian then produced his usual late charge under Sean Veale and caught The Real Prince in the shadow of the post to win by 0,40 lengths, with See It Again third. Fire Attack ran on from last to be next best, 2,35 lengths back, with Dave The King only fifth.

The Gr 1 Mercury Sprint over 1200m saw the Narrow Creek Stud-bred Tony Peter-trained Buffalo Storm Cody, who is owned by Kenneth Pillay’s Kestorm Investments overcoming a tricky draw of nine to get into a handy position and he stayed on well to win by 1,60 lengths from the favourite Tenango, who overcame a wide draw to be beautifully placed and ran on well to just beat a wall of horses, with Asiye Phambile third, Cats Pajama fourth and Cafe Culture fifth ahead of Gr 1 winner William Robertson. Gavin Lerena, who was crowned champion jockey, had said in the build-up this horse loved the turn and so it proved, although he could only manage fourth last time over course and distance in the Gr 2 Post Merchants when better weighted.

The crack Varsfontein Master Of My Fate filly Golden Palm ensured Alan Greef made history by scoring the unofficial two-year-old fillies triple crown and what made the feat even more incredible is that he is from what is regarded as South Africa’s lesser centre of Gqerberha and he did it with three different fillies. His Ridgemont-bred Canford Cliffs filly Direct Hit won the Gr 1 Allan Robertson Championship over 1200m at Hollywoodbets Scottsville, his Master Of My Fate filly Anotherdanceforme won the Gr 2 Splashout Golden Slipper over 1400m at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Hollywoodbets Durban July day and yesterday Golden Palm cruised to a 2,80 length victory in the Gr 1 Douglas Whyte Stakes over 1600m. Richard Fourie had Golden Palm, who has a lot of substance and is beautifully balanced, in a handy position and rode her with a ton of confidence. He left some space between himself and the horse in front of him to give her time to turn it on and she did in emphatic style, surging past the field on the inside in effortless fashion to win easily from the Sean Tarry pair Tina Lovelace and One Fine Winter, with A Bit Of Class and Back From War nest best. Golden Palm has probably secured the Equus Champion Two-year-old filly award, because she  won Johannesburg’s leading two-year-old race, the Gr 2 SA Fillies Nursery.

It was a fine day for Mike de Kock as he was inducted into the South African Hall Of Fame and his charge Jan van Goyen then won the Gr 1 World Pool Moment Of The Day Champion Stakes under Callan Murray, coming from the box seat to run away from the Sean Tarry-trained favourite Tin Pan Alley. Jan van Goyen sat in the box seat while Tin Pan Alley was caught one wide outside of him. Master Of My Fate colt Jan van Goyen, who was bred by Mr & Mrs R J Trotter, Messrs R E Alexander & B B Campbell, turned it on superbly in the straight to win by 3,70 lengths. Tin Pan Alley did well to finish second from Chronicle King, King Harald and Count Of Rouen.

The Gr 2 World Pool with Race Coast Debutante over 1200m saw a thrilling finish with the exciting Dean Kannemeyer-trained prospect Princess Of Gaul giving another Graded win to champion Sire Vercingetorix. She was ridden by Craig Zackey.

The Gr 2 Follow @World Pool on X stakes over 1200m saw an equally thrilling finish with the Paul Matchett-trained Erik The Red gelding Zalatoris just prevailing under Keagan de Melo, who is enjoying an end of season break from Hong Kong racing.

Please Note: South African Quartet Pools with fractional betting offered at Southwell and Ayr (UK) – 28 July 2025

The Dean Kannemeyer-trained THE REAL PRINCE runs in Race 8 – the Grade 1 HKJC Champions Cup at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Sunday.

Picture: Race Coast/Candiese Lenferna

 

Andrew Harrison

The racing season comes to an end next week when all thoroughbreds turn a year older but a fitting finale plays out at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Sunday on World Pool Gold Cup day.

The meeting boasts four Gr1 features plus the Gr3 World Pool Gold Cup with the added bonus of the meeting being supported by the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s World Pools that allows tote punters to bet into hugely inflated pools with a Pick 6 pool estimated to reach R10 million.

The World Pool Gold Cup underpins the meeting but most interest will center on the Gr1 HKJC Champions Cup to be run over 1800m where Hollywoodbets Durban July winner The Real Prince will be out to confirm that his July win was no flash-in-the-pan.

Dean Kannemeyer’s charge stayed the 2200m of the July to get the better of star colt Eight On Eighteen with the balance of a useful field strung out behind. The big question before the race was would he stay and only having one preparation run.

Kannemeyer said that The Real Prince had taken his July run well and ‘cleaned his manger’ the next morning. The July is always a testing race but considering that it was only the gelding’s second start after a break he should still be relatively fresh and the step down in trip is a bonus.

 He takes on last year’s winner Dave The King with Mike and Mathew de Kock following  exactly the same route into the race. However, last year he had it all his own way in the Gr1 Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge but this year was hard-pressed to get the better of Oriental Charm. He has had nearly two months to recover so will strip fresh and ready. See It Again has a third go at winning; third last year and second before that. He was scratched after a setback before the July but Michael Roberts is quietly confident that he has his charge in peak condition.

Nathan Kotzen saddles Summer Cup and Champions Challenge  victor Royal Victory. He seems best on the Turffontein standside track with its long straight, however, he was finishing strongly in the July and Piere Strydom, who this week announced his retirement from riding after winning 5620 races, is a bonus.

Piet Botha made the trip up to KZN with this race specifically in mind for Montien but admitted that things had not worked out as planned. However, Montien finished second to One Stripe in the Gr1 King’s Plate and third behind Eight On Eighteen, beaten less than a length, in the Gr1 WSB Cape Met so if one takes those races into account, a win would not be out of turn.

Gareth van Zyl has all along prepared King Pelles for the Gr3 World Pool Gold Cup and it appears that the gelding is on track. He has done very little wrong in his last two, stays the trip well and has a smart turn of foot. However, he has jumped in the handicap that could be telling.

Frank Robinson is two-handed with Madison Valley, who ran an excellent race in the recent Hollywoodbets Durban July, running on stoutly in the finish, and Shoot The Rapids. Madison Valley won the 3000m Gold Vase beating Shoot The Rapids last season, the latter turning the tables in the Gold Cup, beaten a short head by Master Redoute. Both Robinson runners have more weight to carry this year. Alan Greeff sends out Bournemouth who boasts strong Fairview form over ground and has Richard Fourie up. Holding Thumbs is 1kg better off with King Pelles on their last meeting but that may not be enough while Weiho Marwing could saddle the joker in Navajo Nation who ran a cracker at long odds last time out and will be a threat if he stays the trip.

The Mercury Sprint is a highly competitive contest but Gr2 Golden Horse Sprint winner Tenango will have many supporters after a sparkling victory at Hollywoodbets Scottsville. Racing off the early pace, jockey Andrew Fortune let the gelding build up into his stride and finish with relentless speed to win rather comfortably. Fortune is suspended and currently holidaying in Australia and his place in the saddle has been taken by his son Aldo Domeyer who knows the gelding well from his Cape Town exploits. Tenango does have a wide draw to contend with but came from well back to win last time out and his Cape sprint form is top drawer.

There are a number of fillies in the race including Mia Moo and Asiye Phambili, first and second in the recent Gr1 SA Fillies Sprint. Sean Tarry’s filly was a game winner that afternoon, just holding off a late-charging Asiye Phambili. The Duncan Howells-trained filly was a touch unlucky that day and subsequently ran a fair race in the Gr1 Ridgemont Garden Province Stakes over 1600m. She is back over what looks to be her best trip although a wide draw is a concern.

Hollywood Racing’s retained rider Sean Veale has chosen recent Gr2 Post Merchants winner I Am Giant ahead of Asiye Phambili. Stuart Ferrie’s runner found market support at long odds when surprising in the Merchants but that was his second run for the stable and he could possibly make further improvement.

William Robertson is way better than his last effort from a wide gate in the Merchants. Corne Spies’s gelding is a tough customer who seldom gives less than his best although his last two runs are a concern. He has won 15 races from 44 starts.

Chronicle King caused a major upset when winning the Gr2 Golden Horseshoe at long odds where he finished with a flourish and a win in the Gr1 World Pool Moment of the Day Champion Stakes will cement an Equus Award. Tin Pan Alley was staying on resolutely behind Chronicle King and has yet to run a poor race while Malmesbury Missile  was also finishing well in that race and this trip will suit.

Golden Palm looks to be one of the better bets on the card when she lines up in the Gr1 Douglas Whyte Stakes. She boasts cracking Fairview form and cruised to a 10-length win  when tried over 1400m. The extra furlong will hold no fears and she has the best of the draw. One Fine Winter could pose her biggest danger as she steps up to this trip for the first time. She has smart sprint form in strong company but finished second to Golden Palm in the Gr2 Fillies Nursery.

Durban, South Africa – The countdown has begun! The 129th edition of Africa’s premier horse racing and social spectacular, the Hollywoodbets Durban July (HDJ), is set to take place on Saturday, 5th July 2025, at the iconic Hollywoodbets Greyville Racecourse. As the most anticipated fixture on South Africa’s racing calendar, the event seamlessly blends world-class horse racing with high fashion, entertainment, and a memorable social experience.

Staying true to the theme of “Marvels of Mzansi,” this year’s racing extravaganza promises an iconic line-up of South African talent, featuring a diverse array of artists set to captivate all attendees throughout the day. The national anthem will be beautifully performed by one of the country’s leading songstresses – look out for the reveal in May. With these performances, the thousands of attendees expected at Hollywoodbets Greyville will have a memorable experience. Stay tuned for the full artist line-up. All ticket holders can look forward to a day filled with live entertainment that will be talked about for years to come, as this year’s HDJ celebrates Mzansi’s vibrant spirit. 

Tickets for this outstanding event are now officially on sale via Ticketpro (www.ticketpro.co.za). Priced at R230 for general admission, your ticket grants access to a day of thrilling racing action, live entertainment, fashion showcases, gourmet food experiences, and an array of engaging activations from event partners. For added convenience, onsite parking is available for R170 per vehicle.

For those seeking an elevated experience, the VIP hospitality packages provide exclusive access to luxurious enclosures, premium viewing areas, and top-tier catering. These options can be explored on the official event website (www.hollywoodbetsdurbanjuly.co.za). Please note that VIP hospitality packages do not include general admission tickets, which must be purchased separately via Ticketpro.

This year’s theme, “Marvels Of Mzansi”, was unveiled in late February, marking the official commencement of the Hollywoodbets Durban July Fashion Experience, presented by Durban Fashion Fair. The fashion programme includes the much-anticipated HDJ Young Designer Award, showcasing the best up-and-coming talents from KwaZulu-Natal. The winners will share the spotlight with the HDJ Invited Designers and DFF Rising Stars at the HDJ Fashion Preview Gala, set to take place at Gateway Theatre of Shopping in late June.

Racing enthusiasts can also look forward to the announcement of the first official entrants on Wednesday, 23 April 2025. With last year’s champion, Oriental Charm, emerging as the early ante-post favourite, excitement is already building. 

Secure your tickets today and experience Africa’s greatest horse racing and social event, the Hollywoodbets Durban July!