Hollywoodbets Durban July final field

With five runners in the 18-horse field, Justin Snaith holds a strong hand in this year’s R5 million Grade 1 Hollywoodbets Durban July after the field was announced at a glittering function in Umhlanga Rocks on Tuesday. 

Africa’s greatest horseracing event, featuring the pinnacle race in the South African calendar will be run at Hollywoodbets Greyville over 2200m on Saturday 1 July  where a full house of 55,000 people are expected through the turn styles.

There were 23 runners left at final acceptances and the three not to make the cut were Aragosta, Union Square and Electric Gold with Nebraas and Jimmy Don the two reserve runners, should any one of the final 18 be withdrawn prior to Friday 30 June.

The race will have an international flavour with Mike de Kock engaging multiple French champion jockey Christophe Soumillon to ride Safe Passage. Soumillon arrives on the Friday before the race and jets out shortly after.

Safe Passage was a close-up second to Puerto Manzano in the Grade 1 Betway Summer Cup. Puerto Manzano was always an automatic entry after that win but gave notice of his well-being by recently winning the Grade 3 WSB Jubilee Stakes for Johan Janse van Vuuren.

Top weight Trip Of Fortune was supplemented into the race with his connections forking out R30,195 for the privilege of running in the race, despite being allotted top weight of 60kg and not having run further than 1600m. Aldo Domeyer will be aboard for Candice Bass-Robinson.

Bernard Fayde’Herbe, with a riding infraction hanging over his head in Mauritius, has been given the green light to partner Pomp And Power for Justin Snaith.

Snaith also saddles veteran and twice winner of the race, Do It Again who completed his preparation in the recent Grade 1 Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge. This will be his record sixth run in the race and Gavin Lerena, successful on Kommetdieding in 2021, will be aboard.

Also in the Snaith armory is Without Question, third in the Grade 1 SplashOut Cape Derby, third in the Grade 1 Daily News 2000 and winner of the Grade 3 Variety Club Mile. First call stable rider, Richard Fourie, had the pick of the Snaith runners so his decision could be significant. 

Michael Roberts, 11-time South African Champion Jockey and successful aboard Super Quality in 1997, will be hoping to find the winner’s enclosure as a trainer as he saddles ruling ante-post favourite See It Again with veteran rider Piere Strydom in the irons. See It Again was a winner of the Grade 1 SplashOut Derby and more recently the Grade 1 Daily News 2000. Strydom, a four-time winner of the race, will be looking to equal the five wins by Anton Marcus.

Weiho Marwing will be hoping to rub out the disappointment of having Wylie Hall relegated to second behind Legislate in 2014 as he sends out Grade 1 WSB SA Derby winner Son Of Raj who has quickly risen through the ranks for owner Stephen Chetty.

There are four fillies in the race including recent Grade 1 Woolavington 2000 winner Rain In Holland, runner-up Time Flies, Silver Darling, winner of last year's Woolavington and third this season in both the Grade 1 Cartier Paddock Stakes and the Woolavington and Grade 1 Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic winner Bless My Stars from the Sean Tarry stable.

Kabelo Matsunyane will be aboard Brett Crawford’s gelding Winchester Mansion, second to Pacaya in the Grade 2 WSB 1900 but booking his place with an impressive performance in the Grade 3 Hollywoodbets Dolphins Cup Trial. - Gold Circle

Hollywoodbets DURBAN JULY (Grade 1)(Open to all Horses) R5,000,000 2200m
1 - 1 BLESS MY STARS (S G Tarry) A Mgudlwa 52.0 - 109
2 - 2 WITHOUT QUESTION (J S Snaith) R Fourie 54.5 - 120
3 - 3 TIME FLIES (B Crawford) L Mxothwa 55.0 - 117
4 - 4 WINCHESTER MANSION (B Crawford) K Matsunyane 53.0 - 112
5 - 5 BILLY BOWLEGS (A G Laird) S Veale 53.5 - 118
6 - 6 DO IT AGAIN (J S Snaith) G Lerena 57.0 - 121
7 - 7 SEE IT AGAIN (M L Roberts) P Strydom 56.5 - 124
8 - 8 SILVER DARLING (J S Snaith) J P v'd Merwe 55.0 - 117
9 - 9 SON OF RAJ (W H Marwing) M Yeni 53.0 - 115
10 - 10 DAVE THE KING (M F De Kock) C Zackey 55.5 - 122
11 - 11 PUERTO MANZANO (J J van Vuuren) K de Melo 58.0 - 123
12 - 12 PACAYA (J S Snaith) G van Niekerk 53.0 - 110
13 - 13 SECOND BASE (R Klaasen) C Maujean 56.5 - 120
14 - 14 SAFE PASSAGE (M F De Kock) C Soumillon 58.0 - 123
15 - 15 RASCALLION (V H Marshall) C Orffer 57.5 - 122
16 - 16 TRIP OF FORTUNE (C Bass-Robinson) A Domeyer 60.0 - 127
17 - 17 RAIN IN HOLLAND (S G Tarry) S Khumalo 56.5 - 120
18 - 18 POMP AND POWER (J S Snaith) B Fayd'Herbe 58.0 - 123
Reserve Runners
19 - 0 NEBRAAS (S G Tarry) Reserve 1 55.0 - 117
20 - 0 JIMMY DON (E Verdonese) Reserve 2 53.0 - 116
Same Trainer: (1,17,19) (2,6,8,12,18) (3,4) (10,14)