Please Note: South African Quartet Pools with fractional betting offered at Lingfield and Ripon (UK) – 26 August 2025

David Thiselton

The Hollywoodbets Durban July is always the highlight of the South African horseracing season, but as it is a handicap the winner often doesn’t get an Equus Award.

However, the winner will remain in racing fans’ memory banks forever, so in the season’s aftermath some space should be allocated to this year’s winner The Real Prince as well as to trainer Dean Kannemeyer, jockey Craig Zackey and owner-breeder Lady Christine Laidlaw.

The first ingredients a Hollywoodbets Durban July winner needs is class.

Lady Christine Laidlaw as well as her racing manager Jehan Malherbe and trainer Dean Kannemeyer must all take bows for that score.

Malherbe and Kannemeyer identified The Real Prince’s mother Real Princess (Trippi) and Laidlaw was willing to splash out a Sale-topping R2.7 million to secure her.

She has been a wonderful broodmare, as is well documented, and she was named Equus Champion Broodmare at this year’s awards.

The trio also identified Gimmethegreenlight as the stallion to send Real Princess to and Laidlaw boarded her mares at the top class and professional Varsfontein Stud, where Real Princess and her foals were always going to get the best care money can buy.

The next ingredient for a July winner is to be well handicapped and Kannemeyer and Malherbe ensured that would be the case by putting The Real Prince away afer his eye-catching running on fourth in the Gr 2 IOS Drill Hall Stakes over 1400m.

That decision also included their belief that the horse would stay the 2200m trip of the July and, despite not many pundits agreeing with them on that score, they were ultimately proven correct. Sufficient stamina capacity is a vital ingredient of a Hollywoodbets Durban July winner.

Their decision to not have a race for nearly three months in the build up to the July also entailed the horse having a particularly good trainer and Kannemeyer proved it again by winning his fourth Hollywoodbets Durban July, despite having to get the horse fit enough only through the tracks and facilities of Summerveld and having the official July gallop as the finishing touch.

Luck is one of the biggest ingredients and the first bit of luck for The Real Prince was that he landed a low draw of five, which was going to be a bonus for a horse who had proven speed but was not proven over further than a mile.

He would need to be able to relax from a long way out and that draw gave him a good chance to do so.

It is usually essential to be within striking distance turning into the short 450m straight in the July, because there are no bad horses in the July.

Even with a strong pace, making up a lot of ground on top horses at this course is very difficult as was shown in 1987 when Model Man never looked like catching Bush Telegraph despite an incredible effort to do so.

Even a champion like Dynasty needed to be not more than three lengths back at the top of the straight to catch another champion in Yard-arm.

A horse thus needs adequate gate-speed and early pace.

The Real Prince broke on terms and his early pace proved to be a valuable asset.

Of course an essential ingredient is a good jockey and Craig Zackey made a crucial move early. He eased a touch and was able to dive behind the two horses drawn three and four and he then used The Real Prince’s early pace to secure the rail just behind the horses drawn one and two, Oriental Charm and Madison Valley.

However, the next bit of luck that played out was the slow pace set by Oriental Charm.

Off a faster pace The Real Prince might have been shuffled further back than he wanted to be as Madison Valley is not normally a handy type.

Furthermore, The Real Prince’s sprinting speed was going to be a big asset in the dash for home off this slow pace.

A good temperament is another asset and The Real Prince relaxed beautifully under Zackey, who is known for his good hands.

The jockey and luck play a big part in the straight.

A split second decision must be made on which route to take to the finish and that can be the difference between winning and losing.

The luck factor is that the gaps must open at the right time.

Zackey made the wise decision to switch off the rail coming up the hill towards the straight.

It was going to be important to get a clear run in the relatively short straight off that slow pace and a dream gap opened, allowing Zackey to switch The Real Prince all the way to the outside of the leading vanguard.

He had fresh air in front of him as early as the 400m mark.

The next essential is the horse must have a good turn of foot (acceleration), followed by the ability and courage to stay all the way to the line.

The Real Prince has an exceptional turn of foot and this enabled him to fetch the favourite Eight On Eighteen by the 200m mark.

He then had the resolve and the stamina capacity to see off the fight back of Eight On Eighteen, although the bit that probably played the biggest part in that eventuality was him being well handicapped. He was 2,5kg better off then weight for age with Eight On Eighteen and hence the latter, who was also a three-time Gr 1 winner over 2000m, put in a better performance on paper and was a deserved winner of the Equus Middle Distance Champion award.

When looking at all the factors that are involved in winning the country’s most iconic horse race, it is little wonder that it has the reputation of being an enormously difficult race to win.

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)

 

• Match Predictor: 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!

Introducing Colossus Bets

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.

Here’s what you can look forward to:

• Guaranteed Huge Sports Pools: Colossus Bets offers enormous, guaranteed prize pools. This means bigger potential pay-outs for a winning ticket!

• Multi-Leg Challenges: Test your sporting knowledge by predicting the outcome of multiple events (legs) within a single pool. The more legs you correctly predict, the closer you get to that colossal jackpot!

• The Power of Cash Out: This is where Colossus Bets truly revolutionises your play! For the first time in South African tote betting, you will be offered the option to Cash Out your bet before all legs of your ticket are complete. If some of your early selections (Legs) are winning, you could secure a profit even if the later legs are still in doubt. You can choose to cash out a portion of your ticket or wait for the completion of all the legs for a possible larger prize, giving you unprecedented control over your potential winnings.

• 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!

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.tabgold.co.za is your portal to this revolutionary product.

Don’t miss out!

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!