Hollywoodbets Durban July: Final field confirmed!

The 127th running of the Hollywoodbets Durban July at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Saturday, 1 July will host a capacity field of 20, including two reserves.

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According to the official Hollywoodbets Durban July website, with five runners in the 18-horse field, Justin Snaith holds a strong hand in this year’s race 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 over 2 200m where a full house of 55 000 people are expected through the turnstiles.

Twenty three runners were 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Union Square and Electric Gold, with Nebraas and Jimmy Don the two reserve runners, should any one of the final 18 be withdrawn prior to Friday, June 30.

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The race will have an international flavour with Mike de Kock engaging multiple French champion jockey, Christophe Soumillon, to ride Safe Passage.

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.

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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 never having run further than 1 600m. 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 2020, will be aboard.

Also in the Snaith armory is Without Question, beaten odds-on favourite 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.

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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.

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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.

The official public gallops will be held at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Thursday, 22 June at 07:00.

The rest of the Hollywoodbets Durban July day card will be declared on Wednesday, 23 June and race cards published on Thursday, 22 June.