Winchester Mansion can become the seventh horse to win the July twice and the sixth to do it twice in succession and Kabelo Matsunyane cen become the first to win the July twice on the same horse (Picture: Chase Liebenberg)
Some of the history which can be made in this year’s Hollywoodbets Durban July is listed below:
Michael Roberts will be out to become the fourth person to win the July as both a jockey and a trainer. He had a single winner in the saddle on the David Ferraris-trained Super Quality in 1997.
Previous Syd Garrett won the July as a rider on the Jum Russell-trained Goldwing in 1919 and the Jim Russell-trained Pamphlet in 1920 and trained three winners, Full Dress 1930, Sadri II in 1941 and Left Wing in 1960. Garrett also owned all three of the winners he trained and is the only one to have ridden, trained and owned a July winner.
David Payne rode the Brian Cherry-trained Chimboraa to victory in 1968 and trained the great 1972 winner In Full Flight.
Bert Abercrombie rode the much loved Jamaican Music to victory in 1976 and trained the 1987 winner Bush Telgraph, who became an unbeaten nine-time winner after that victory but lost next time out for the first time in “the race of the century”, the Gr 1 Mainstay at Clairwood, where feather weighted Main Man defeated Model Man narrowly with Bush Telegraph third.
Piere Strydom, who rides See It Again, will be out to join Anton Marcus as the winning-most jockey in July history. Marcus is the only one to have ridden five July winners.
The last KZN-based horse to win the July was the Ricky Maingard-trained Space Walk in 1994, althougth he won it on objection. The last KZN-based horse to cross the line first was the Dennis Drier-trained Spanish Galliard in 1992. The Michael Roberts-trained See It Again, the Nathan Kotzen-trained Royal Victory and the Gareth van Zyl-trained Flag Man are the three horses who can end that thirty year drought.
Not since the 23 week layoff of Sun Tor 90 years ago in 1934 has a horse come off as long a layoff to win the July as this year’s 13 week layoff of Winchester Mansion.
Winchester Mansion will be out to become the seventh horse to have won the July twice and the sixth to do it twice in succession. Inaugural winner Campanajo won it in 1897 and 1898, Corriecrian won it in 1907 and 1908, Pamphlet won it 1918 and 1920, Milesia Pride won it in 1949 and 1950, El Picha won it in 1999 and 2000 and Do It Again won it in 2018 and 2019.
Kabelo Matsunyane will become the first to win the July twice on the same horse as all six previous dual winners had different riders for each of their victories.
Rachel Venniker will become the first woman to ride in the July.
Robyn Klaasen will be attempting to become the third woman trainer to win the July. The first to do it was Candice Bass-Robinson with Marinaresco in 2017 and later Michelle Rix did it in 2021 with Kommetdieding, whom she trained in partnership with her father Harold Crawford.
Both Justin Snaith and Mike de Kock are out to claim their sixth July victories and will join Terrance Millard on that mark, which is just one behind the record seven July wins of South Africa’s only Hall Of Fame trainer, Syd Laird.
