After receiving 49ml of rain this past week and more predicted overnight together with inconsistent pen readings between 29 to 45, Fridays meeting on the Turf will change to the Poly.
Distance changes: Race 2 & 6 – 1900m

Please Note: South African Quartet Pools with fractional betting offered at Chelmsford City and Lingfield (UK) – 12 February 2026.

Race 1

 

1 LANCE ALOT 2 UBERMENSCH 3 NEBRASKA 5 ROCK MY BOAT

 

Preview:

1 LANCE ALOT has shown enough to be able to win this race. 2 UBERMENSCH is moderate but has improved and could earn again. 3 NEBRASKA has shown some signs of ability and might get a place. 5 ROCK MY BOAT can earn if repeating his last start. (David Thiselton 1-2-3-5)

 

Race 2

 

2 POWER OF PEARLS 1 HOT COCOA 10 GIMMESUMLUV 3 EMERALD COUNTESS

 

Preview:

2 POWER OF PEARLS is knocking on the door and has a good draw. 1 HOT COCOA can go close if repeating her last start. 10 GIMMESUMLUV has shown ability and should enjoy the step up in trip. 3 EMERALD COUNTESS has not got much to find on Gimmesumluv. (David Thiselton 2-1-10-3)

 

Race 3

 

1 QUICKFREEZE 6 GOLDEN OPERATOR 2 SPEEDMAN 7 BELIEVE IN FATE

 

Preview:

1 QUICKFREEZE looks to be going places and can make it three runs unbeaten. 6 GOLDEN OPERATOR has shown a lot of ability and can progress now. 2 SPEEDMAN has done well in all three starts and should be in the shake up. 7 BELIEVE IN FATE ran a cracker last time and can go close with a repeat. (David Thiselton 1-6-2-7)

 

Race 4

 

2 AGOGE 4 BUDDY BOY 8 MASTER SPY 1 ON TARGET

 

Preview:

2 AGOGE has class and can make it a third win in five starts. 4 BUDDY BOY has done well in his last two and can earn here. 8 MASTER SPY won after a rest last time and can come on for the run. 1 ON TARGET has run well in last two and can earn again. (David Thiselton 2-4-8-1)

 

Race 5

 

8 ROBERT BROWNING 9 ONE MORE STAR 4 SOLDIER’S EYE 1 TAEGAN’S CHAMP

 

Preview:

8 ROBERT BROWNING is in fine form and looks to have more to come. 9 ONE MORE STAR has relished middle distances and should go close. 4 SOLDIER’S EYE is in fine form and should be right there again. 1 TAEGAN’S CHAMP has the ability to be a contender. (David Thiselton 8-9-4-1)

 

 

Race 6

 

6 TIME FOR CHARITY 4 TIME WILL TELL 8 ZOOMBOMBER 1 TIGER STORM

 

Preview:

6 TIME FOR CHARITY is in good form and should go close to winning. 4 TIME WILL TELL can go close if repeating his last start. 8 ZOOMBOMBER will appreciate the step down in trip and is a contender. 1 TIGER STORM has the ability to be right there in this line up. (David Thiselton 6-4-8-1)

 

Race 7

 

1 SONIC JET 6 CARE FORGOT 4 BLIND AMBITION 5 HONG KONG

 

Preview:

1 SONIC JET is in fine form and looks to have come into her own so can follow up. 6 CARE FORGOT has a touch of class and on her day will be a threat. 4 BLIND AMBITION went close to Sonic Jet last time and has a big chance with the weight turnaround. 5 HONG KONG is not the most reliable sort but can never be ignored. (David Thiselton 1-6-4-5)

 

Race 8

 

1 PLAY WITH THE WIND 2 VAMANOS 3 BRIGHT AND BRAZEN 6 DELAWARE RIVER

 

Preview:

1 PLAY WITH THE WIND is progressive and can follow up. 2 VAMANOS is also on the up and should be right there. 3 BRIGHT AND BRAZEN is in good form and can earn. 6 DELAWARE RIVER can earn here off a competitive weight. (David Thiselton 1-2-3-6)

 

 

Andrew Harrison

Paddy Kruyer, a man of few words, was for many years the late legend Terrance Millard’s right-hand man. He has never been high-profile in spite of his obvious experience but he could have a decent stayer in Tenpenny who denied a four-point rise in the handicap to win back-to-back in the Lucky Fish Winning Streak B Stakes at Hollywoodbets Durbanville yesterday.

It was the first time that the four-year-old had gone 2000m and given Kruyer’s post-race comments, a mile-and-a-half and further is on the cards with a possible crack at the Champions Season staying races in KZN where, given his current rating, he should be competitively handicapped.

JP Van der Merwe always had pacemaker Landoftherisingsun in his sights but when challenged it was La Pulga who kept him honest. Tenpenny went to the line in command over La Pulga with Landoftherisingsun staying on for the shallow end of the purse.

At 57-years-old, Andrew Fortune may not be around much after the end of the current season but while he is, racing aficionados will take pleasure in watching a master in the saddle before he calls it a day.

Fortune gave another masterclass in the card opener as he got the Ricky Maingard favourite Klein Karoo over quickly from an outside gate, slipped up the inside rail and Kelin Karoo responded under the hands to win as he liked with the balance of his rivals flailing away as if they were threshing wheat.

It was somewhat fitting that the owners were members of the Wolf Power Syndicate, named in honour of the Maingard-trained grey superstar of his day.

Craig Zackey is keeping his head in front in the hunt for his first National Jockey’s Championship and he showed just why he will not easily be knocked off course as he got James Crawford’s filly Winter In Aukland home in a tight finish to the first leg of the Place Accumulator. Zackey had to switch out of a closing gallop to get home narrowly ahead of the chasing mob.

One race later, Zackey was denied another notch in the butt of his gun as Loui’s Star caught Vixens War one jump from the line. Favourite Homing Pigeon had the run of the race from her inside draw but when it came to the sharp end of the race it was obvious that she was never going to catch pacemaker Vixens War. However, Grant van Niekerk, an almost forgotten talent, got Greg Ennion’s filly to respond to his urgings to get up and nail Zackey and Vixens War on the line.

Ennion’s star is a fixture in the firmament of Western Cape racing and he recorded a quick double as Muzi Yeni finally got it all right on Fort Liam in the fourth. It was anyone’s race approaching the final furlong after Phantom Man had set the fractions but once Yeni put the hammer down, Fort Liam shot out of the pack to win as he liked. Phantom Man, to his credit, stayed on gamely for second.

Van Niekerk put his head above the parapet once again as he got Des Mclachlan’s gelding Noble Hero to finished with a wet sail to win the C Stakes over 1800m. Fortune always had Konnichiwa in a challenging position as he and Maingard hunted their second win together but they were no match as first Noble Hero went by followed by the well-supported Chance Encounter who, from last, arrived on the scene too late to land the gamble.

Van Niekerk stepped over the parapet and onto the ramparts with his hands in the air. A third win on the afternoon and arguably his best as he and Mclachlan made it a double with the filly Double Dash. Judging that a pedestrian early pace was not in his favour, Van Niekerk went clear on the turn and was never for the catching as the opposition, obviously having misjudged the pace, were never going to reel in the runaway winner.

Not to be denied, Champion Jockey Richard Fourie rounded off a winless afternoon as he got the Paul Reeves-trained Sooty to rally gamely and edge out Dawn’s Early Light in one of the tightest finishes of the afternoon and deny Grant Van Niekerk and Des Mclachaln a well-deserved treble.

David Thiselton

 

The Hollywoodbets Durban July conditions have been finalised and the final field panellists might be in for an interesting evening before the Final Field And Barrier Draw Ceremony, whilst the three-year-olds look to be on the back foot at present.

 

There will be a longer handicap this year with a 10kg spread in the weights from a topweight of 62kg down to a bottom weight of 52kg.

 

Furthermore, it will just be a straight handicap, unlike recent July conditions in which there was a maximum and minimum weight for certain age groups and genders.

 

If the final field happens to have a spread that is less than 10kg, the topweight will still be 62kg. If, for example, there is a weight spread of 7kg among the entries, then the bottom weight will be 55kg.

 

If the topweights are scratched after the setting of the weights, then the new topweight will be dragged up to 62kg. For example if the topweight after scratchings is 60,5kg, it will be dragged up to 62kg and after the rest of the field have been dragged up the bottom weight will become 53,5kg.

 

The final field will not necessarily be chosen by merit rating order.

 

Justin Vermaak, Executive Racing and Bloodstock of Race Coast, said, “There will be a final field selection panel like before and merit rating will be a leading aspect, but the panel will also take current form and distance suitability into account etc.”

 

In recent years the final field panellists have not had it too tough as the field was cut up before the final field announcement, with a lot of horses being scratched due to the recognition by the connections they do not have much chance, either due to the weights not favouring them or due to them being off form – the final declaration fee could have, in those cases, been considered a waste of money.

 

However, with the longer handicap, there are going to be more horses who still have form chances on paper.

 

Looking at last year’s July for example, third-placed Selukwe was rated 111 and had to carry 54kg due to the condition that the minimum weight for an older male was 54kg. He was thus 2kg under sufferance with the 127-rated topweights, both older horses, and he was 4kg under sufferance with the officially best weighted horse, the 129 rated (nett 125-rated) Eight On Eighteen, who was set to carry 57kg despite being the highest merit rated horse in the race due to a condition that three-year-old males could not carry more than 57kg.

 

In last year’s race Oriental Charm carried 60kg, Eight On Eighteen carried 57kg and Selukwe carried 54kg.

 

Under this year’s conditions the weights for those three horses would have been: Oriental Charm 62kg, Eight On Eighteen 61kg and Selukwe 54kg. Selukwe would have been 2kg and 4kg better off with Oriental Charm and Eight On Eighteen respectively under today’s conditions.

 

He would have been 2kg better off with the winner The Real Prince too and, on paper, would have been beaten 0,30 lengths instead of by 2,65 lengths.

 

There could theoretically have been a horse who would have been even more favoured by today’s conditions than the 111-rated Selukwe example.

 

Using last year’s race under today’s conditions, an older horse who had been rated 107 would sneak into the handicap under today’s conditions.

 

A 107-rated older horse last year would have had to carry 54kg, 6kg less than the topweight, but under today’s conditions it would have only had to carry 52kg, which would be 10kg less than the 62kg topweight.

 

Therefore, there are theoretically going be a lot more horses standing their ground at the time of the final field selection process this year, because a lot more of them will have chances of winning on paper than would have been the case under the old conditions.

 

Furthermore, with stakes of R10 million up for grabs there will be less cases of horses being scratched due to the  connections deeming them to be off form. They might still want to take their chances.

 

The difficulty for the panel will come in deciding whether a lower rated horse is deemed to have better recent form or better distance suitability than a higher rated horse.

 

For argument sakes let’s assume that we go back to last year and there are still many horses standing their ground until the bitter end. After the top 17 are selected, according to the last log and current form, let’s assume the next two horses are the 115-rated Madison Valley and the 120-rated The Real Prince.

 

The Real Prince is rated five points higher than Madison Valley, but he has never run a race beyond 1600m before.

 

Madison Valley on the other hand finished a close fourth in the Betway Summer Cup over 2000m and in his final run before the July he won the traditional July pointer, the Hollywoodbets Dolphins Cup Trial over 1800m.

 

Which one are they going to put in the all important 18th slot?

 

Such a scenario is going to have much more chance of happening this year.

 

Although it has been said that weight avoidance tactics are going to be used this year, those who do take that route are probably going to run a bigger risk of not qualifying than ever before.

 

Now on to the three-year-olds.

 

Eight On Eighteen was held in high regard last year and came into the race 2kg well-in, according to official merit ratings, and yet he was not able to win the race.

 

Under today’s conditions he would have had to carry 61kg, effectively 2kg more.

 

So it was tough last year for a top, top three-year-old who was favoured by the old conditions.

 

How tough will it be for good-but-not-great three-year-olds under the new conditions, considering there is no maximum weight for them and no minimum weight for older horses?

 

Likewise it will be tough for females.

 

Furthermore, this year’s three-year-old crop are arguably overrated off their current merit ratings.

 

For example, Gauteng Guineas runner up Grand Empire could not win the Wolf Power 1600 against older horses when 2kg under sufferance off a 102 merit rating (effectively a 106 merit rating), yet he is now rated 120. There will be cries of “but the handicapper is clueless” when looking at that, but those who do say that are clueless themselves, because the handicapper rates a race on that race, not on past races, and Tin Pan Alley had earned his 117 rating by beating older horses and Grand Empire had then beaten him. Furthermore, Grand Empire was likely not at his peak for the Wolf Power with the Triple crown series looming.

 

Nevertheless, the overall impression is the current three-year-old male crop is not shining and it is questionable whether any of them have properly earned a rating of 120 or above.

 

It could well be an older horse July, but on the other hand there is an impressive unexposed horse like Note To Self among the three-year-olds and more such types might emerge.

 

The build up to this year’s Hollywoodbets Durban July is going to be more intriguing than ever!