Racing’s Common Thread
Hope, Horses and Heritage at Durban July
Above: The Real Prince (Craig Zackey), HWB Durban July hero (Anneke Kitching/Race Coast)
Beneath the winter sun and the roar of a nation in full voice, last Saturday’s Hollywoodbets Durban July once again proved that it is more than just a horse race. It was a day, fleeting but powerful, that gave racegoers and armchair viewers courage for our future. South Africans from every walk of life stood side by side, not divided by history or politics, but united by the thrill of the turf.
Among the 40,000 spectators soaking it all in was Democratic Alliance leader and Cabinet Minister, John Steenhuisen, who said it best in an on-course interview: “The sport of horseracing represents who we are as a country. It doesn’t matter your race, religion, culture or language. We are all here enjoying this wonderful sport as South Africans. Listening to the stadium reverberate when the National Anthem was sung, shows that we are South Africans first, before we wear badges. Horseracing brings in so much economic activity into our country. There are people from all over the world here today!”
The crowd itself — vibrant, eclectic, joyful — reminded us that horseracing, in its own imperfect way, offers a glimpse of what’s possible: a South African story told with hope, horsepower, and heart. Not perfect, not yet arrived, but undeniably moving. The day’s racing results underlined it. Eight of 12 winners were ridden by jockeys of colour. Small and big stables found success. Owners and breeders from vastly different backgrounds shared the spotlight.
Beyond the headlines and the thunder of hooves, there were dozens of stories, quiet triumphs and hard-earned milestones that made the day truly special.
Horses and broodmares:
Justin Snaith’s exceptional three-year-old, Eight on Eighteen (Lancaster Bomber), and Dean Kannemeyer’s top-class four-year-old, The Real Prince (Gimmethegreenlight), are the two best thoroughbreds in the country. To see them go head-to-head in the closing strides of the Durban July was nothing short of breathtaking. The older warrior held sway, but the brave younger star lost nothing in defeat, gaining even more admirers with his gallant, never-say-die performance.
Above: Jehan Malherbe and Dean Kannemeyer, another legend on the ‘July’ Wall Of Honour (Candiese Lenferna/Race Coast)
The Real Prince is another superb offspring of the champion broodmare, Real Princess, following his own siblings Gimme A Prince and Gimmie’s Countess. Form Bloodstock’s Jehan Malherbe vividly recalled her acquisition as a yearling. “Dean Kannemeyer and I went to Klawervlei Stud ahead of the 2013 Cape Premier Sale to look at their draft. We spotted Real Princess immediately. She was, quite frankly, the best-looking filly I have ever seen on a stud farm. Dean agreed and said, ‘She is the one, we have to buy her on the sale!’ And so, we did. She looked even more spectacular on the day of the auction, but we were up against strong underbidders including Mike de Kock, who was putting his hand up for Sheikh Khalifa of Dubai.
“But Christine Laidlaw is a soldier. As always, when we asked her to go all the way for what we thought was a top buy, she did not hesitate. We got Real Princess for R2,7-million. She was the sales-topper that year.”
Real Princess, by Trippi out of Pagan Princess (Fort Wood), has a stout pedigree being a close relation to international Graded stakes-winning champion stayer Victory Moon, and Gold Bowl winner, Kelly. She excelled at sprinting, however, and Malherbe explained: “We always had her earmarked for the classics, 1600m and further. She won over 1400m and would’ve seen out a mile if it wasn’t for her soundness issues. As it turned out, she won the Grade 1 SA Fillies Sprint on sheer class and ability.”
The stamina in The Real Prince’s pedigree gave Kannemeyer and Malherbe the confidence for his unorthodox preparation and Malherbe said: “We bypassed the Gold Challenge and went straight from the Drill Hall Stakes into the July so that he couldn’t incur a penalty. If The Real Prince carried just half a kilo more, Eight On Eigtheen would’ve beaten him. But the July is a handicap and we won. The second horse is the true champion, but our plan came off and it was truly satisfying for the whole team.”
Real Princess aborted late in 2024 to Vercingetorix. She was given a break to recover and has nothing at foot and nothing due this year, but will be going back to Gimmethegreenlight in September.
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Galileo’s daughter Grail Maiden first hit the headlines when her son Hero’s Honour (Await The Dawn) defeated Surcharge (a.k.a Yulong Prince – Gimmethegreenlight) in the 2018 Grade 1 SA Derby. Seven years later her son Legend Of Arthur (Lancaster Bomber), won the 2025 renewal of the same race. King Pelles (Duke Of Marmalade) is her third exceptional stayer. He added Saturday’s Grade 3 Gold Vase to his Grade 3 Chairman’s Cup success and is well on target for the Grade 3 Gold Cup, at month end.
All Grail Maiden’s offspring were well-named by Drakenstein Stud. ‘King Pelles’ hails from the Arthurian tales. He was known as the guardian of the Holy Grail at Castle Carbonek and often referred to as the Fisher King or the Maimed King - hence the naming of Grail Maiden.
There was some confusion among on-course presenters about the correct pronunciation of ‘King Pelles’ and they eventually settled on ‘King Pearls’. For the record, it’s actually pronounced with Pelles sounding like ‘pals,’ as in close friends – ‘King Pals’. Here’s hoping they get it right on Gold Cup Day.
Grail Maiden sadly passed away at Drakenstein Stud last year, but Kevin Sommerville noted that she has one more runner to come — a filly by Master of My Fate who could be an Oaks prospect, if the potent Galileo blood continues to deliver.
Sires:
Above: Champion Sire in waiting, Vercingetorix (image: Maine Chance Farms / Jeremy Nelson)
Maine Chance Farms’ standout stallion Vercingetorix (Silvano) is poised to secure his first Champion Sire title this season — a milestone underscored by a record 22 individual stakes winners in a single season, and four victories on Durban July Day: Chronicle King in the Grade 2 Golden Horseshoe, Double Grand Slam in the Grade 1 Garden Province Stakes, Zeitz in the Listed Premier Gateway International Handicap, and handicap winner Tomyris.
Vercingetorix came close to claiming the title in the 2021/22 season, when he was narrowly edged into second by his own sire, Silvano. But this time, the outcome is beyond doubt. There is roughly R10 million in stake earnings by his progeny, separating him from his closest rival, Gimmethegreenlight, and just weeks remaining. He will, deservedly, wear the sires’ crown at the end of July.
Jockeys:
Craig Zackey bagged a fine treble on the day, including the HWB Durban July, and took his seasonal tally to 241 winners, just five behind the log-leader, Gavin Lerena. Unfortunately, Zackey has been suspended by the National Horseracing Authority, who dismissed his appeal and advised him a day before the ‘July’ that he will be suspended for 14 days from his last carded ride, thereby taking him out of the running for the national title. The NHA could’ve waited until after the declarations for the Champions Cup (17 July) to give a judgement they’d initially reserved. Gavin Lerena has a number of outstanding inquiries and Richard Fourie has an outstanding inquiry and an appeal. What difference would a few days have made?
Trainers:
South Africa’s major stables invariably dominate the July day meeting, but there was a mixed bag this year, with several small stables getting in on the action.
Tienie Prinsloo (9), Candice Dawson (46), Stuart Ferrie (34) and Nathan Kotzen (36), have a combined number of horses smaller than that of most individual trainers in SA’s top 20 — yet they won four of the 12 races on the card.
Above: Tienie Prinsloo and Rakesh Singh with Rugger Lover (Sean Veale) – (image: Candiese Lenferna/Race Coast)
Prinsloo has just nine horses stabled at Summerveld, but four of them competed on July day, a fine achievement. He has suffered some bad luck with owners leaving his yard to move elsewhere, but he’s plugged away and has proved his horsemanship over and over this season. Rugger Lover (What A Winter) won the opener for owner Rakesh Singh, and the same owner’s Quickstepgal (Vercingetorix), was the only filly to give Anotherdanceforme some cheek in the Grade 2 Golden Slipper.
Prinsloo is determined to shed the label of ‘a trainer to feel sorry for’ — a perception that has been pushed by some in the racing media. “There’s no need for anyone to feel sorry for me,” he said. “I relocated from Kimberley a few years ago and stuck it out in KZN, proving myself with my runners. I’m here to stay. I won’t beg for horses, and I won’t poach runners from other trainers. If owners want to join my yard, they’re welcome. I deliver results.”
He added: “Rakesh Singh has pledged his continued support and I am very thankful for that. We’ve enjoyed a good run of success. I have three new acquisitions from the recent KZN Sale, so the string will number 12 horses, soon.”
Ferrie deservedly benefits from the support of a public relations ally in his former boss, the retired Dennis Drier, and continues to produce outstanding results despite limited opportunities. His new runner, I Am Giant, showcased the stable’s capabilities by winning the Grade 3 Post Merchants at only his second start in Ferrie’s care. The modest trainer commented: “I Am Giant arrived healthy, and happy following a spell at the Hollywoodbets Life After Racing Centre at Ashburton, where he’d been recovering from illness. He just needed his first run for us and made the expected improvement.” Ferrie added that he has a number of promising young horses in the yard, which should ensure a steady stream of winners in the new season.
Above: Team Nathan Kotzen and the Singh family (Rollo The Viking) - (image: Candiese Lenferna/Race Coast)
Nathan Kotzen has worked wonders with the single top-quality horse he’s ever had the opportunity to train. The stalwart Royal Victory, who placed fourth in the Durban July, has already racked up over R6-million in stakes for a partnership of small owners, and will be aimed at the 2025 Betway Summer Cup, a race he famously won in 2023. Kotzen was in the winner’s box after Race 12 with owner Sid Moodley’s Rollo The Viking (William Longsword), and said: “Mr Moodley has given us nine runners, which is a blessing for the stable. They’ve come with agreement and recommendation from Frank Robinson, who trains his leading runners.”
Gareth van Zyl was on a hot streak coming into the meeting and his good form continued. Van Zyl saddled two winners on the day (King Pelles and Tomyris), the only trainer to do so, and it could well have been three, as his former inmate Otto Luyken was transferred to another yard when Van Zyl decided to return from Cape Town to focus his efforts on his main stable at Summerveld.
Breeders:
Varsfontein Stud enjoyed another outstanding race day, with Anotherdanceforme (Golden Slipper) and Double Grand Slam (Garden Province Stakes) proudly flying the flag for Carl and Amanda de Vos. They also raised the big-race winner, The Real Prince, on behalf of Khaya Stables.
Above: John Everett, rising through the ranks of breeders. (Supplied)
Meanwhile, the smaller breeders landed some notable blows of their own. John Everett’s fast-rising Narrow Creek Stud produced Chronicle King (Golden Horseshoe) and Tomyris (East Coast B Stakes), and also raised I Am Giant for part-time beeder Alf Dickerson, while Buffalo Storm Cody took fourth place in the Post Merchants. David Hepburn Brown’s Hemel ‘n Aarde, the leading vendor at last week’s KZN Yearling Sale, bred the first-race winner, Rugger Lover. Spencer Cook’s Limestone Stud also got on the board with That’s My Baby, winner of Race 2.
Rollo The Viking (Race 12) was bred by the partnership of ‘Sandra Michelle Ajax and Target Acquired’ — a combination unfamiliar to many. Breeder Sally Bruss cleared up the confusion: “Rollo The Viking was bred out of What A Player (What A Winter), the first mare I started with when I was based on my own near Tulbagh. Later, I teamed up with investor Steve Ajax and registered the mare in his wife’s name, alongside my ‘Target Acquired’. That’s how our partnership came about. We went on to establish Paardeberg Stud near Paarl, and today we stand a stallion and have 34 mares on the farm.”
Owners:
Indian owners continue to rack up winners across the country, as highlighted in this column recently. In Durban in particular, this is a community deeply invested in racing. Horses owned or part-owned by Indian patrons claimed three of the 12 races on the card — Race 1 (Rugger Lover), Race 3 (King Pelles), and Race 12 (Rollo The Viking). The Indian enthusiasm for horseracing has always been strong — if anything, it seems even greater now. They are fast becoming the backbone of a resurgent industry, especially in Durban, with a commitment that shows no signs of waning.
Gary Harvett, relatively new to ownership, won Race 2 with That’s My Baby, his third racehorse, trained by Sean Tarry. He was introduced just a few years ago with a share in Tale Of The Comet; then took a share with the Wernars family in stakes winner, Celtic Rumours. “Gary’s a lucky owner, he’s enjoyed his time in racing and we’ve enjoyed having him as one of our patrons,” said Tarry.
Zimbabwean breeder Peter Moor has long made significant contributions to the racing industry in both his home country and South Africa. Best known for breeding the legendary globetrotter Ipi Tombe (Manshood) at his Golden Acres Stud in Marondera in 1998, Moor has enjoyed a stellar season with Golden Palm, winner of the SA Fillies Nursery, and the unbeaten Anotherdanceforme, winner of the Golden Slipper. Both fillies are daughters of Varsfontein’s Master Of My Fate and are trained by Alan Greeff.
A lawyer by profession and a major figure in Zimbabwe’s tobacco industry, Moor currently has 20 horses in training in South Africa. His racing manager, Adrian Nydam, explained: “We have runners with Alan Greeff, Roy Magner, Kelly Mitchley, and Dean Kannemeyer. We select them as carefully as possible at various auctions, with input from our trainers. Mr Moor is a keen student of pedigrees, and we try to secure the best-bred lots the budget allows. It’s been a marvellous season for us.”
Above: John Finlayson is camera-shy, but won’t mind this photo (image: supplied)
What is meant to be, will be. Businessman John Finlayson, who shuns the limelight, is the proud owner of Chronicle King, the Golden Horseshoe winner by Vercingetorix out of his own mare, Written (by Western Winter). “She’s a beautiful mare who won three races,” said Finlayson. “I named her Written because my late mother was a schoolteacher and the word, ‘written’, was suitable. My mother never liked racing much, but she loved this mare.”
Written resides at Narrow Creek Stud with Finlayson’s long-time friend and breeder John Everett, alongside most of his other mares. “We had high hopes for her, but her first two foals, The Teacher (Querari) and Hermanus Sunrise (Pomodoro), were both most disappointing on the track,” he recalled. “Then along came her Vercingetorix colt.”
Finlayson decided to plug the names Vercingetorix and Written into an AI programme to help with naming. It returned Chronicle King. “Because the first two foals had failed so badly, we didn’t even bother sending Written’s next offspring to a sale,” he said.
Above: Candice Dawson with Chronicle King (Muzi Yeni) - (image: Candiese Lenferna/Race Coast)
“One day, John Everett phoned and said, ‘This Vercingetorix colt is really beautiful, he looks the part. What are we going to do with him?’ I’d promised Candice Dawson and Alistair Cohen a horse, so on the spur of the moment, I said, ‘Put him on the float to Candice,’ and off he went.”
Chronicle King made an immediate impression. “He was precocious,” said Finlayson. “Candice reported within weeks that he was smart. The rest is now history. Candice thinks he’ll come into his own over 1600m and even further, so the fact that he won a Graded race over 1400m is most encouraging.”
Originally, Finlayson had no plans to breed with Written again. But Chronicle King has changed that. “John still has a service to Vercingetorix, and Written will have the honour of going back to him this breeding season.”