David Thiselton

Trainer Dean Kannemeyer and Lady Christine Laidlaw’s racing manager Jehan Malherbe splashed out a Sale-topping price of R2.7 million at the Cape Premier Yearling Sale of 2013 for a filly called Real Princess and it paid the ultimate dividend on Saturday when Real Princess’s son The Real Prince gave Kannemeyer his fourth Hollywoodbets Durban July victory, Lady Laidlaw her second and Craig Zackey his elusive first.

Real Princess has provided Lady Laidlaw’s small breeding operation, Khaya Stables, with a magnificent future as she has also produced the three-time Gr 1-winning Champion Sprinter Gimme A Prince and also Gr 3 winner Gimmie’s Countess, both by Gimmethegreenlight and full siblings to The Real Prince.

The Hollywoodbets Durban July didn’t go as planned last season for the Kannemeyer-Khaya Stables team as their SplashOut Cape Derby-winning colt Green With Envy was raised to 127 after winning the Gr 1 Daily News 2000, meaning he had to carry 56kg in the July, and as Craig Zackey revealed in the July winner’s enclosure on Saturday,  “Green With Envy did not have the best of preps after the Daily News, he got injured and it felt like I was carrying the world on his shoulders and the pressure just got to both of us.”

Zackey added, “The pressure is now well off!”

Kannemeyer and Malherbe also carried that bad memory with them and so when sitting down after The Real Prince’s eyecatching fourth from off the pace in the Gr 2 IOS Drill Hall Stakes back on May 3, they decided to avoid any chance of more kilograms being added on to his July weight by skipping the Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge.

It seemed a massive gamble, because he looked one of the main contenders for that prestigious weight for age race and he is not only a full-brother to a champion sprinter, but he had never gone further than 1600m before. Furthermore, his mother Real Princess won the Gr 1 SA Fillies Sprint for Kannemeyer and in her six career victories the furthest was over 1400m.

Dean recalled, “Jehan and I saw Real Princess at the Sale, she was magnificent and we said, ‘There is just one lot for us this Sale and we must put our heads down and buy her.'”

He added with emphasis, “She was bred to go at least a mile.”

She was out of Pagan Princess, who was one of Klawervlei’s best broodmares. Pagan Princess was only a one-time winner, but she was by champion stallion and stamina influence Fort Wood and was a half-sister to the Al Mufti middle distance-to-staying superstar Victory Moon and also to a champion stayer in Kelly.

Dean said that deep down he was confident The Real Prince would stay the July trip and not only due to the stamina further down his pedigree. He pointed at how easily he had won his only start over a mile back in February and added, “He also switches off completely and has a helluva turn of foot. He is also a completely different type to Gimme A Prince, who is a bull of a horse.”

He recalled Jehan questioning him at their meeting, “He said to me ‘Can you get him fit enough, having had just one run in the Drill Hall on Guineas day and then two months later having to run him over 2200m?’ I said, ‘Yes I can do it. I’ve got the facilities at Summerveld, I’ve got the grass tracks, I can do it, I can strip him. Many people doubted that, but the job was done.'”

There were some who were unimpressed with The Real Prince’s official Hollywoodbets Durban July Gallop, but Dean was not concerned and said, “I thought his gallop was good. He doesn’t over exert himself back home.”   

Dean watched the race on Saturday from a private suite and said, “Everything went his way (from a good draw of five). In any race you need a lot of luck and the July is a rough race. He got himself in the most perfect position and he was just beautifully switched off, lob, lob, lob, he came into the straight, waited, waited, and moved out, moved out, he was lucky to get out and he then followed Richard Fourie’s horse ahead (the hot favourite Eight On Eighteen who had rounded horses and stolen a march at the top of the straight). 300m out I felt he was coming to get him now and then they were locked together and he put his head in front.”

The three-year-old Eight On Eighteen fought back courageously and looked to actually put his head back in front momentarily, but it was The Real Prince who had the momentum and he gave multiple champion sire Gimmethegreenlight his first Hollywoodbets Durban July victory and had denied trainer Justin Snaith a sixth July win.

Dean revealed, “I was in the company of a lot of friends and owners in the private suite and they said, ‘You’ve got it!'”

“I saw the slow motion replay and then I said, ‘Let’s go down and get the trophy.'”

Beaten 2,65 lengths into third was the Andre Nel-trained WSB 1900 winner Selukwe, while the consistent Nathan Kotzen-trained Royal Victory was strangely completely ignored in the betting and drifted out to 33/1 at one stage, but ran on strongly to finish a 2,85 length fourth. The Frank Robinson-trained Madison Valley ran a fine 3,15 length fifth and the Snaith-trained Native Ruler overcame the widest draw of all to finish a 3,95 length sixth.

Jehan Malherbe thanked Varsfontein Stud, who board Lady Laidlaw’s mares and added, “It was a great training feat and always when the jockey wins you say great ride.”

Lady Laidlaw was unable to be on course, but was on the phone to Jehan before he had reached the winner’s enclosure.

The trio of Kannemeyer, Malherbe and Lady Laidlaw have had a huge amount of Gr 1 success, despite her only buying or sending Dean a total of three horses per year.

Dean’s first July win was in 2003 with Dynasty, then with Eyeofthetiger in 2006 and then for Lady Laidlaw with Power King in 2015.

On Saturday the King and Prince theme was bolstered when the Gareth van Zyl-trained King Pelles won the Durban Gold Vase and the Candice Dawson-trained Chronicle King won the Omoda Golden Horseshoe.

It was indeed a day for royalty and a weight-carrying plan had come together and denied the likely Equus Horse Of The Year, Eight On Eighteen, a unique feat of winning both the Met and July as a three-year-old. 

Andrew Harrison

Getting a thoroughbred racehorse to peak on exactly the right day is a mystery science for the average punter. The Gr1 Hollywoodbets Durban July is one of the marquee races on horse racing’s world stage but behind the scenes it takes extensive knowledge by the trainer and his support staff to carry out the brief. It is planning for the right horse, hopefully no hiccups and a work of art in training to peak fitness in order to reach that goal.

That said, it goes for all races, big or small, but when targeting Africa’s biggest horse race, the planning is detailed from as long as a year in advance and pressures are enormous.

Justin Snaith did it with Balgarion in 2020, Michelle Rix and Harold Crawford with Kommetdieding and Brett Crawford twice with Winchester Mansion and last year Oriental Charm. But it was a little more difficult this year as The Real Prince was already well exposed.

Kannemeyer plotted every step of the way on how to get The Real Prince into the race off a competitive weight also considering that there were doubts about the gelding’s stamina limitations over the 2200m trip. The Real Prince had never won further than 1600m and his full brother, Gimmer A Prince, was crowned the country’s champion sprinter two seasons back. 

But it was a plan come together said Kannemeyer, speaking in the third person as is his wont, in his post-race interview explaining the way into the race. After The Real Prince romped home in his first attempt at a mile it was a case of: “Where were we going to place him? The first time we tried him over a mile he won by six lengths. Great run in the Drill Hall. If we run him in the Gold Challenge and run fourth, the handicapper is going to be looking for you. You have to come in at the right time with the right weight and we got the right draw.”

The Real Prince stayed every meter of the 2200m trip and narrowly got the better of Eight On Eighteen. Justin Snaith’s colt was attempting to become the first three-year-old winner of the Gr1 WSB Cape Met and the July in the same year carrying a record weight for a three-year-old colt. He came withing a short-head of achieving that feat but was far from disgraced and remains the country’s top rated horse.

It was the second win in the race for owner Lady Christine Laidlaw who won her first July with the Kannemeyer-trained Power King. It was a first July victory for Craig Zackey with current champion jockey Richard Fourie just denied his fourth win in the race.

Andrew Fortune is always a crowd favourite and he was up in the irons and waving to his fans 50m from the winning post as he steered the Justin Snaith-trained Double Grand Slam to victory in the Gr1 Garden Province Stakes with Fourie again second on Mon Petit Cherie. Fortune’s antics will no doubt have incurred the wrath of the stipendiary stewards and a possible suspension but he is shortly headed to Australia on holiday.

No one can ever accuse Muzi Yeni of cowardice as he muscled Chronicle King to the line in spite of the close attentions of S’Manga Khumalo on Tin Pan Alley in a rough finish to the Gr2 Omoda Golden Horseshoe.

It all started with Gavin Lerena setting a pedestrian pace on the filly Elegantrix resulting in all sorts of mayhem at the back of the field with horses checking and jockeys hunting position.

Elegantrix led into the straight but it was soon obvious that she was out of gas as she was swamped by her rivals and was at the receiving end as Yeni and Khumalo went for the same gap. Yeni had all rights to the opening and didn’t give an inch as he kept Chronicle King hard to his task with Khumalo trying to muscle into the gap. Chronicle King won the battle with Tin Pan Alley shunted sideways into Elegantrix who was taken out of the contest.

All this time, Malmesbury Missile was making up ground up the inside and out of trouble but not getting to Chronicle King with Tin Pan Alley getting just deserts in third.

Fairview-based Alan Greeff could well have the best two-year-old filly in the country as Anotherdanceforme kept her unbeaten record in the Gr2 Splashout Golden Slipper and giving the veteran trainer his first winner on the country’s biggest racing stage. 

She first had to survive an objection lodged by the connections of second-placed Quickstepgal. She shifted across the course under pressure, taking Quickstepgal with her, but the stipendiary stewards were of the opinion that the result would not have been any different and the objection was over ruled and the objection deposit forfeit.

Soccer 10: Sport 16 Pool 1 – 5 July 2025 Match 1: Austin FC vs Los Angeles FC. Postponed Due to weather. Date TBD

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!