The final field panelists will have the thankless task of selecting the top 18 plus two reserves before their final field is announced on Tuesday, 24 June, in a live broadcast from the Hollywoodbets Greyville parade ring at the Hollywoodbets Durban July Final Field and Draw Ceremony.

It seems the connections of the ruling favourite Eight On Eighteen will leave the public on tenterhooks until the aforementioned ceremony as his chances of running have been labelled as 50/50, but by the close of play on Sunday there was still no announcement one way or the other. 

If he is not scratched, it will certainly add tension to Tuesday morning’s ceremony.

There is likely to be cheer of approval from around the country if his name is announced in the top 18.

The horses will be announced in weight order, from top to bottom, so if Eight On Eighteen’s name does not appear in the first seven announced horses there is likely to be murmurs from the live audience and groans of disappointment among the country’s television audience around the country.

The tension always mounts as the final field announcement progresses, because cases can be made for most of the borderline horses, but in this case seven will not be among the announced horses and a further two horses will be in the unwanted reserve positions.

A top 18 incumbent has to be scratched before 8:15 a.m. on Friday morning, July 4, for a reserve to get in and although such a scratching has happened in recent years it is not a normal occurrence.

The horses who will certainly be in the top 18 are: Eight On Eighteen, Oriental Charm, See It Again, Royal Victory, Confederate, Gladatorian and Atticus Finch.

The horse who will also likely be in the top 18 are: Purple Pitcher, Selukwe, The Real Prince, Okavango, Native Ruler, Immediate Edge, Madison Valley, 

On My Honour, Underworld and My Best Shot.

That leaves eleven horses to fight out the last place in the top 18 plus the two reserve positions and they are Future Swing, Pomodoro’s Jet, Beating Wings, Holding Thumbs, Litigation, Magic Verse, Rainbow Lorikeet, Son Of Raj, The Equator and Thunee Playa.

In my opinion the last place in the top 18 should go the only filly still standing her ground, Rainbow Lorikeet.

She has won two Gr 3s over 1800m and 2000m respectively this season and finished a far from disgraced 4,25 length fourth in the Gr 1 Cartier Paddock Stakes behind the top class trio of Double Grand Slam, Red Palace and Rascova and she was also a most unlucky 1,70 length fourth in the Gr 2 Woolavington 2000.

She would have to leapfrog Pomodoro’s Jet and Future Swing on the July log and it is debateable whether she is justified in doing, because whilst  Pomodoro’s Jet has not run for a while and is unproven at the top level over ground he has won his last two starts in convincing fashion, while Future Swing might have blotted his copybook by being unplaced in both the Gr 2 WSB 1900 and Gr 3 Tote Derby, but he finished close up in the Gr 1 WSB Met and was second in the Listed Lonsdale Stirrup Cup.

Who would want to be a final field panelist?!

• David Thiselton

Catch the 2025 HDJ – FINAL FIELD ANNOUNCEMENT & BARRIER DRAW live on Tues, 24 June (11:00am – 11:20am) – https://youtube.com/live/niiyusbH0sY?feature=share

Please note: South African Quartet Pools with fractional betting offered at Beverley and Newbury (UK) – 24 June 2025.

David Thiselton

The jockey booking are always of interest in the Hollywoodbets Durban July and of interest this year is that only six current jockeys plying their trade in South Africa have won the big race before, Piere Strydom, who has four wins, Richard Fourie, who has three wins, S’Manga Khumalo, who has two wins, Gavin Lerena, who has one win, Kabelo Matsunyane, who has one win and JP van der Merwe, who has one win.

Piere Strydom needs just one more win to join Anton Marcus on a record five July victories, but it would seem he couldn’t get a ride this year due to the weights.

He is limited to rides of 58kg and more and having lost the ride on topweight See It Again to Raymond Danielson all of the rest of the rides of 57kg and above look to be taken, unless there is an unforeseen circumstance. 

Richard Fourie will be out to join Strydom, Harold “Tiger” Wright and Antony Delpech on four July wins, although he has not yet been declared on any runner.

Fourie’s first win came after the Justin Snaith-trained Legislate successfully objected against Wylie Hall in the 2014 renewal and he then had successive July wins on Do It Again in 2019 and on Belgarion in the lockdown July of 2020. Fourie joined the elite group of C MacDonald (1900 and 1901), Syd Garrett (1919 and 1920) and Anthony Delpech (2010 an 2011) to win successive Julys. In 2021 he could have been part of numerous July records in one go as his mount Do It Again was attempting to become the first horse to win the July three times. Fourie was attempting to become the first jockey to ever win three Julys in a row, Justin Snaith was attempting to join the legendary Fred Murray as the first trainer to win four successive Julys, while Do It Again’s joint owners Bernard Kantor and Nick Jonsson were attempting to become the first to be winning owners for three years in succession. Alas, Do It Again was continually hampered down the straight and finished a desperately unlucky 1,90 length fourth. 

S’Manga Khumalo will be out to land a third July win and his mount On My Honour looks to be the best value in the field at long odds of 33/1 as he looks to have some class. His trainer Glen Kotzen won the big race with Big City Life in 2009. Khumalo won with the Sean Tarry-trained Heavy Metal in 2013 and the Mike de Kock-trained Sparking Water in 2022.

JP van der Merwe’s first July ride was as recent as 2022 on the Paul Peter-trained Astrix. He will join the elite group of jockeys who have won two Julys in succession if Oriental Charm repeats his win of last year. The gallant horse is the second favourite at present.    

Gavin Lerena will be out to land a second July victory on the Frank Robinson-trained Gr 3 Hollywoodbets Dolphins Cup Trial winner Madison Valley, who was about a 40/1  shot in the ante-post betting. Lerena’s first win was aboard the Harold Crawford and Michelle Rix-trained Kommetdieding in 2021. Robinson has been associated with many July runners either as assistant to Herman Brown Snr or Jnr or as a a trainer himself and he has experienced victory when working as a schoolboy for Johnny Nicholson when Beau Art won in 1980 and he was working for Gael Thompson when he won with Jamaican Rhumba in 1982. In his time with the Browns they finished second with Versailles in 1984, second with Sleek Machine in 1996, second with Sushisan in 2006 and third with Orbison in 2010. 

Kabelo Matsunyane had his first July ride in 2021 aboard the Tyrone Zackey-trained Johnny Hero and was victorious in his third July ride on the Brett Crawford-trained Winchester Mansion in 2023. He rides the Robyn Klaasen-trained Purple Pitcher, who was 50/1 in the ante-post betting, in his fifth July.  

See It Again’s rider Raymond Danielson had his first July ride on the Dylan Cunha-trained Strategic News in 2008 and his best finish is third on the Herman Brown Jnr-trained Orbison in 2010. He also finished fourth on The Apache in 2011. 

Royal Victory will be out to give Muzi Yeni an elusive July win. Yeni finished second with Got The Greenlight in the 2020 July, third with the same horse in 2021, third with Safe Passage in 2022 and third with Royal Victory last year and he has also had a fourth and a couple of fifths. 

Chase Maujean has a third July ride on the Alan Greeff-trained My Best Shot, who is the big race’s dark horse as he has swept all before him in the East Cape and is unexposed against top class opposition, although he was defeated by six lengths on the poly by On My Honour in the RA Stakes over 1600m. Maujean’s first July ride was in 2017 on the Geoff Woodruff-trained Pagoda and in 2023 he finished fifth on the Robyn Klaasen-trained Second Base.

Calvin Habib is on the Betway Summer Cup winner Atticus Finch, who will be out to give trainer Alec Laird a second July win having won the centenary July in 1996 with London News. Habib had his first July ride in 2019 and this will be his fifth July ride, but he is yet to get a place.

Twice South African champion jockey and reigning New Zealand champion jockey Warren Kennedy will be riding the Fabian Habib-trained Confederate.

Kennedy has never won the July before but regards his third place finish on the notoriously difficult Mike de Kock-trained 100/1 shot Forest Path in the 2009 July as one of his career best rides. His first ride in the July was in 2004 on the unplaced 100/1 shot Cousin John and his best finish other than his third place in 2009 was fourth on the Glen Kotzen-trained Eyes Wide Open in 2019.

Those were the riders declared by yesterday (Monday) morning.  

The final field and their riders will all be revealed at the final field and draw ceremony, which starts at 10 o’clock this morning.

Graeme Hawkins

A competitive Middle Stakes over 1400m, billed as the seventh race at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth this afternoon, is the joint most valuable event on the 9-race programme and features a rematch between Dawn Till Dusk, Green Garnet and Please Be True who finished second, third and sixth behind Air Raid over the track and trip a month ago. As they meet here on the same weight terms, it is reasonable to assume that Dawn Till Dusk will confirm the form, but Green Garnet was only a neck behind on that occasion and there should again be not too much to choose between the pair.

Please Be True was a further two lengths behind Dawn Till Dusk and Green Garnet but that was a below par effort by the 3yo son of One World and he could go closer today, especially as blinkers have been added for the first time. Interestingly, Gavin Lerena hops aboard the Snaith-trained stable companion to Dawn Till Dusk, and the only previous occasion when he partnered Please Be True was when winning his maiden at Hollywoodbets Durbanville in July last year. The battle-hardened Promettere enjoys the services of Richard Fourie and the 4-time winning 5yo son of Pomodoro has solid claims. He takes a massive drop in class here, but does have 61,5kgs to shoulder and may well prefer 1600m these days.

But, on a line through Green Garnet, the lightly weighted War Chariot may be the one they all have to beat. On 28 April, War Chariot conceded 1kg to Green Garnet and was beaten only a neck over the course and distance. For the services of in-form apprentice Brevan Plaatijies, War Chariot now receives 2,5kgs from Green Garnet which should be enough to turn that form around, suggesting clearly therefore that War Chariot should also have the measure of Dawn Till Dusk and Please Be True. Races are not run on paper but with the added advantage of pole position, War Chariot looks good value in the ante-post market. I am concerned that he has been carded to race without blinkers for the first time since September last year, but with just 52,5kgs on his back he should give us a good run for our money.

The third race is a Middle Stakes over 1800m and here again there is not much to choose between the principal contenders Pinot Grigio, Song To The Moon, Dubbelosix and We Have Touchdown who finished second, third, fourth and fifth behind Ahead Of The Facts over 1950m three weeks ago. Add into the mix the solid front-running Congressman and we have all the ingredients for an exciting contest which could produce a blanket finish. Pinot Grigio, from the in-form Ricky Maingard stable, gets the vote to once again edge out Song To The Moon but all of the aforementioned rate strong winning chances in a wide-open contest.

While there are a number of very tricky races towards the back end of the programme, punters could have the upper hand earlier in the afternoon. In the first race, a Maiden Juvenile Plate (Fillies) over 1200m, Gavin Lerena and Vaughan Marshall team up with Viva La Vida and the 2yo daughter of Gimmethegreenlight looks set to go one better after finishing second on debut behind Lowveld Lily. Beautiful One and Marketa have shown enough to suggest they will keep Viva La Vida honest, but the latter should take a positive step forward with the benefit of that first run under her belt.

Du Maurier looks very hard to oppose in the second race, a Maiden Juvenile Plate (Fillies) over 1200m. The 2yo daughter of Captain Of All has finished second in both starts to date and rates a clear and obvious Bipot banker. The principal danger could be her stable companion My Dear Friend who is very well bred and appears to have scope for improvement.

Better Man, having his first start as a gelding, will be a popular choice in the fifth race, a Maiden Plate over 1600m, despite having to jump from the worst draw of all. The 2yo son of One World has been close up behind Pay The Palace and Randolph Hearst in his last two starts and, but for the draw, would be a lot shorter than the 18/10 offered in the ante-post betting market. With a touch of luck in running, Better Man should get the job done for the Marshall/Lerena combination, but I am going to throw the 12/1 chance Gallic Forge into my play. The 3yo son of Vercingetorix showed good improvement after a lengthy absence in only his second race track appearance back in April, and he could show further progress here from a decent draw.

RACE 1:

8 BEAUTIFUL ONE was heavily supported in the market last time, she was a touch disappointing behind She’s My World on the 4th of May, she is a lovely looking filly with plenty ability, the step up in trip to 1200m will definitely help her, she must have a big winning chance in this field. 1 VIVA LA VIDA ran well on debut, she jumped out the gates smartly, showed good speed early, and then stayed on beautifully for second behind Lowveld Lily, she will improve tremendously from that run, include her into all bets, she can certainly win a race like this. 3 MARKETA has been nice and consistent of late, she ran a lovely race on the 12th of June behind Spirit, her form is good, and she tries really hard, she must have a good place chance again. 7 BEACH VERSE will need to improve dramatically to win this race, she is very well-bred, watch for sharp improvement at a big price. (Brandon Bailey: 8 – 1 – 3 – 7)

RACE 2:

4 DU MAURIER has run two very good seconds in succession, she easily brings in the best form to this race, she will be very hard to beat here, this looks to be the best bet on the card. 2 MEGHAN’S DIAMOND ran a fair race on debut behind Inside Voice, she was green early, and then stayed on well to finish just over six lengths behind the winner, there is absolutely no doubt that she will improve with every run, include her into all bets, she should be amongst the places. 10 MY DEAR FRIEND has run two lovely races to date, she is certainly improving with every start, if she can build again on her last run behind Lowveld Lily, she could earn some money for the connections. 7 CLOUDS CLEARING finished just over seven lengths behind She’s My World on debut, she was terribly green early, and then stayed on well towards the end of the race, watch for big improvement from this filly. (Brandon Bailey: 4 – 2 – 10 – 7)

RACE 3:

4 PINOT GRIGIO ran a terrific race behind Ahead Of The Facts on the 1st of June, he got nailed on the line to finish second in a driving finish, he drops in trip to 1800m for this Middle Stakes on Tuesday, he has a good draw, Jockey Andrew Fortune knows him well, he should run a cracker here, include him into all bets. 5 SONG TO THE MOON only got going when the race was over last time, he is a big striding individual with a striking turn of foot, he will be just off the speed early, and he will be running on strongly late, watch him closely. 8 DUBBELOSIX looks to be maturing into a lovely horse, he ran a great race behind Ahead Of The Facts last time, he finished third and was only beaten a long head at the wire, he is progressive and must be included into all bets. 7 CONGRESSMAN can never be left out at this level, he is very consistent, he ran a great race behind Chasingtherainbow on the 1st of June, if he can bring that performance to the races on Tuesday, he will go very close. (Brandon Bailey: 4 – 5 – 8 – 7)

RACE 4:

5 SESAME must have a good winning chance in this Open Maiden, she ran well behind Beneath The Clouds on the 21st of May at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth, the form of that race has worked out well, she gets the services of jockey Gavin Lerena on Tuesday, she is definitely getting better and better with every start, this looks a great opportunity for her to exit the maiden ranks. 2 SIGNOR DANTE is much better than his last run behind Afrique, he travelled beautifully in the race, and then found absolutely nothing up the home straight, he is definitely better than that performance, the step up in trip should help him tremendously, from a good draw, he should bounce back to his best form. 1 MONEY EXTRACTOR finally gets a good draw, her last two runs have been fair, she should run her best race now that she is drawn to get the perfect run, include her into all bets at a decent price. 6 REAL STUNNER stayed on well for second behind Ariovistus on the 1st of June, that race didn’t look to be the strongest on paper, but he is knocking on the door for that first victory, he must be respected in this tricky race. (Brandon Bailey: 5 – 2 – 1 – 6)

RACE 5:

11 BETTER MAN comes back to the races from a small break and gelding, he is a lovely horse with lots of ability, he stayed on exceptionally well for third behind Randolph Hearst on the 21st of April, the yard thinks highly of this individual, if he can beat the draw on Tuesday, he will be very hard to beat. 5 SMART HORSE has been rested and gelded, he ran a good race behind Gold Dust on the 14th of April, he should love this trip of 1600m, if he doesn’t need the run badly, he will be competitive. 9 CAPTAINS ALLIANCE has been rested for 64 days, he found some good support in the market last time at a big price, he caught the eye late in a strong field, he looks to be improving with every start, watch him closely, he will be storming home late over this trip. 2 SET TO MUSIC must have a good place chance in this field, he ran a great race behind Afrique on the 25th of May, even though he has been well tried in the maiden ranks, he could certainly finish amongst the places from a good draw. (Brandon Bailey: 11 – 5 – 9 – 2)

RACE 6:

4 AFRIQUE won a super race on the 25th of May at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth, he quickened up like a nice horse, he will need to put in a career best performance to win again out of the maidens, but he looks progressive and he gets a good draw, watch him closely, he could win a race like this quite easily. 13 THOMAS JENKINS won a gutsy race on the 25th of May, it was a top ride from jockey Andrew Fortune to get this horse to win from a poor draw, he was given three points for that victory, again he draws badly, but he will be running on strongly late, include him into all bets. 2 ARBITRATION needs to be respected in this race from a good draw, he can be a tricky ride, but his form is good and he tries hard, he should be amongst the places. 9 SHOW OFF is much better than his recent run behind Sansa Stark, he drops in trip on Tuesday, perhaps that will help him improve. (Brandon Bailey: 4 – 13 – 2 – 9)

RACE 7:

2 PLEASE BE TRUE had absolutely no luck in running again last time, he should be cherry ripe for this race on Tuesday, Jockey Gavin Lerena gets the ride from a good draw, he is packed with ability, with the right run, he will be very hard to beat in this race. 1 WAR CHARIOT must have a serious each way chance from a good draw, the blinkers come off, and the apprentice takes off 2.5kgs, he will make them all work for victory. 5 MAURITIUS KESTREL has dropped in the ratings, he is much better over this trip of 1400m, watch for a massive run from him, he will be stalking the speed early, and he will come with a strong finish late. 6 DAWN TILL DUSK looked to be the winner last time, he finished like a train on the 25th of May behind Air Raid, he is certainly progressive, and he will be hitting the line hard, include him into all bets. (Brandon Bailey: 2 – 1 – 5 – 6)

RACE 8:

1 SWEET CONIFER won a gutsy race to exit the maiden ranks last time, she is clearly still improving with racing, from a good draw, she will be given every chance to double the score with jockey Richard Fourie, it’s not a strong race, if she has made the necessary improvement back at home, she could certainly win again at this level. 2 ROYAL LYTHAM never runs a bad race, she has been very consistent through her entire career, she steps up in trip on Tuesday to 1400m, and she gets a good draw, she must be respected in this field. 7 FLY TO RIO disappointed terribly last time, she is much better than that performance, if she can put that run behind her, she could finish amongst the places. 6 ANGEL’S OASIS ran a fair race up the straight at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on the 1st of June, she steps up in trip now to 1400m, perhaps that move could unlock further improvement, watch her closely. It’s a tricky race, you will need to go wide. (Brandon Bailey: 1 – 2 – 7 – 6)

RACE 9:

11 ONE LINER needed his last run on the 1st of June, he sat just off the speed early, and he stayed on beautifully for third behind Surge Of Power, he is a small horse, but he has lots of ability, if he has made the necessary improvement back at home, he will go very close to winning the lucky last. 8 TRIPPI’S SILK has been in great form of late, he can be a tricky customer and a difficult ride, but he looks to be in a good space at the moment, and he should be right there in the finish. 2 CIRCUMBENDIBUS finished second last time behind Surge Of Power, he has run two very good races in succession, it’s very hard to fault his form, he should be super competitive again at this level, include him into all bets. 3 SOOTY has been rested for 111 days, he has dropped in the ratings, watch him closely, he could be some value on his best form, if he doesn’t need the run on Tuesday, he will be doing some good work late. (Brandon Bailey: 11 – 8 – 2 – 3)