Turf Talk Newsletter – 1 July, 2025

First Reserve Litigation Replaces See It Again

Litigation has been entered in the Hollywodbets Durban July often and never made it into the top 18, but at last he gets into the big race, albeit as first reserve after a scratching. (JC Photos).

See It Again has unfortunately been scratched from the Hollywoodbets Durban July and the first reserve, the Sean Tarry-trained Litigation comes in at draw 15 and will be ridden by Grant van Niekerk.

Litigation’s biggest wins to date have been in the Gr 3 Tab4Racing Victory Moon Stakes over 1800m in 2022 and in the Gr 3 Betway London News Stakes over 1800m in February last year, although he also won the Listed Derby Trial over 2000m as a three-year-old.

He is a handy to front-running sort, but off a 113 merit rating he will be 1kg under sufferance carrying 54kg and he will likely battle to keep the closers at bay in the straight as he does not have a renowned kick and all of his biggest wins have come at the galloping Turffontein Standside course, which is likely better suited to him than the tight Hollywoodbets Greyville track.

See It Again, who finished second as a three-year-old in 2023 and was unlucky not to be in the first three last year when hampered late and still being beaten only 1,80 lengths into fifth place, was excused from the Hollywoodbets Durban July Gallop last Thursday when found to have a slight temperature.

However, the problem appears to have been worse than first thought and the official reason for the scratching today (Tuesday) is an abnormal blood count.

It would have been a bitter blow to the connections.

Trainer Michael Roberts was out to become only the fourth person to both ride and train a Hollywoodbets Durban July winner.

Owner Nick Jonsson was expecting a big run from See It Again as it seemed he had come into his own this Champions Season having initially taken a while to settle after gelding.

However, Jonsson will at least be able to fall back on two other runners, the hot favourite Eight On Eighteen and Okavango, both trained by Justin Snaith.

However, it would have also been a blow for breeders Drakenstein Stud as See It Again has not won a stakes race this season and Drakenstein are poised to break their own South Africa record of 21 individual stakes winners in a season as they are at present on 20. See It Again could have helped their cause.

A disappointed trainer Michael Roberts told the Sporting Post that it was hard enough getting a horse into the big race and now having to scratch was a bitter pill to swallow.

“We have to act in the best interests of the horse and we hope to have him ready for the Champions Cup at the end of the season,” he added.

Gavin Lerena had been due to ride Litigation in the Gr 3 Magical Zulu Kingdom 2200 and has now been left without a ride, although that still leaves him with ten rides at the 12 race meeting.

Litigation is quoted as a 40/1 shot with the sponsor.

Grant van Niekerk went close to winning the July in 2012 when his rank outsider, the Tyrone Zackey-trained 55/1 shot Smanjemanje, was hampered a couple of times in the straight and yet only just failed to get up by the shortest of shortheads.

Ironically that race gave Sean Tarry the first of two July wins, with Pomodoro and Piere Strydom just denying Smanjemanje, and Heavy Metal then scored back to back Julys for Tarry the following year under S’Manga Khumalo.

It has been a forgettable season for the under fire Van Niekerk and this gives him an opportunity to turn it completely around.

James Crawford Bullish About Defending Champ And Others

Oriental Charm, aquamarine blue colours, will be out to become the sixth horse in history to win back to back Julys. (Candiese Lenferna Photography).

Crawford Racing will be out to achieve a treble in the Holywoodbets Durban July on Saturday.

Brett Crawford was officially the trainer for both their 2023 win with Winchester Mansion and 2024 win with Oriental Charm, but the teamwork was well documented, and now Brett’s son James gets an opportunity to become officially the youngest trainer at age 25 to win the big race since David Payne won it with In Full Flight at the age of 24 in 1972.

James is bullish about defending champion Oriental Charm and said, “He is doing very well, I could not be happier with him.”

He said about the Vercingetorix colt’s pole position draw, “He’s typically had to do a little bit more than the rest of the competition around him because of not having the best of draws. With his gatespeed and how he likes to dictate on his terms from the front of the field, I think the draw is absolutely perfect for him.”

He said about the defending champion’s form this season, “If you have to take him based on his last run (when a neck second in the Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge over 1600m) that run was a prep. It was a race that he was fit enough to win, but he was always going to be a better horse after the race. I expected him to run well, but the manner in which he ran surprised everyone, including myself. His prep couldn’t have gone any better. His work at home has been awesome. I can’t fault him.”

The most significant aspect of his form this season is he has improved from a handicapper into a genuine Gr 1 weight for age horse.

In last season’s Hollywoodbets Durban July he only had to carry 53kg and was 5kg better off with weight for age than the topweight See It Again, who would have got closer than a 1,80 length fifth had he not been hampered late.

However, this season Oriental Charm won the Gr 2 WSB Green Point Stakes over 1600m carrying a 2kg Gr 1 penalty, he finished a half-a-length second to Eight On Eighteen in the Gr 1 weight for age WSB Met, and he finished a neck second in the Gr 1 wfa Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge to Equus Horse Of The Year Dave The King. He beat See It Again in both of those weight for age starts.

Oriental Charm faces Met winner Eight On Eighteen on 1kg terms worse than weight for age on Saturday, so will have a tough task reversing form, but on the other hand the right-handed Hollywoodbets Greyville track suits him better than left-handed Hollywoodbets Kenilworth, because he tends to hang to the right.

He hung right in the Met and that took him all the way to the outside rail. On Saturday, he will have the advantage of the inside rail the whole way around from pole position, so should make a bold bid of becoming the first since Do It Again in 2019 to carry topweight of 60kg to victory.

He is one of two joint topweights still standing together with Gladatorian, as the other joint topweight, See It Again, has been scratched.

The Cheveley Stud-bred Oriental Charm won it for Greg Bortz, Gina Goldsmith and Leon Ellman last year, but this year, after being syndicated to stud already, he has a number of new owners who fall under the banner of The Oriental Charm Syndicate.

James said about the lightly raced six-year-old gelding Pomodoro’s Jet.

He said, “He’s doing very well, I really do like him. I don’t know if he’s quite good enough to beat Oriental Charm or Eight On Eighteen and I would have preferred him to have run in the Cup Trial going into this kind of race, but in saying that his work and his well-being at home has been really, really good.”

Pomodoro’s Jet’s white blood cell count was sligtly high before the Cup Trial, not terribly high but high enough for James to not take a chance and run him.

He said about Pomodoro’s Jet’s stamina capacity, “Personally I don’t think it’s going to be a problem. He ran fifth in the consolation race last year by 3,50 lengths and for me he is twice the horse this year than he was last year.”

Pomodoro’s Jet has drawn eight and James said, “There’s a lot of speed around this year and there’s a lot of horses carrying bottom weight, so I’m sure there’s going to be quite a bit of a tussle to get into a good position and I think draw eight coupled with his good gatepeed will keep him away from the argy-bargy.”

The Hemel ‘N Aarde Stud-bred Pomodoro’s Jet is owned by Lady Christine Laidlaw’s Khaya Stables.

James runs dual Gr 1 winner Fatal Flaw and Gr 2 WSB Fillies Guineas winner Mon Petit C in th Gr 1 Ridgemont Garden Province Stakes.

He said Fatal Flaw had not been herself when beaten 5,55 lengths in the Gr 1 Maine Chance Farms Majorca Stakes.

He added, “Her work was really good and everything else, but we’ve done a little bit of research and she wasn’t quite 100%, there was something amiss with her after her WSB Cape Fillies Guineas win. I think she’s a massive runner on Saturday. She had a more challenging prep into the Gr 1 Empress Club (which she won), because I had to re-acclimatise her and take a little bit of time with her after the Cape season. She did come right that final week going into the Empress Club, but she wasn’t by my standards, and what I know about her, at tip-top fitness. I think her class carried her through. This time around she has had an absolutely great prep, so I think she’s a real force to be reckoned with in the Garden Province.”

He said about her draw of ten, “Obviously, a better draw would have been nice, but she’s got a lot of gate speed and I think she’ll be leading on her terms quite comfortably.”

He said about Mon Petit Cherie, “She is also flying at home. I had her fit enough to win the WSB Filllies Guineas, but she was always going to be a better horse after the race and she’s comfortably improved five to six lengths from that last run.”

He also pointed to a recent line through Spumante Dolce which puts Mon Petit Cherie much closer to Fatal Flaw than she was in the Cape Fillies Guineas, where she was beaten 6,65 lengths.

James is bullish about Otto Luyken and Count Huhtikuu in the Gr 3 Splashout 2200.

He said Otto Luyken loved short run-ins and thinks if he could get within striking distance he will go close despite carrying topweight. He has always liked Count Huhtikuu and believes he is on the up and a big improver, so gives him a chance despite him officially being under sufferance.

Godden Excited To Be Riding Native Ruler

Picture: Tristan Godden aboard Native Ruler at the Hollywoodbets Durban July Gallops. (Candiese Lenferna Photography).

Tristan Godden will be having his second ride in the Hollywoodbets Durban July and will be aboard the Justin Snaith-trained three-year-old Vercingerix gelding Native Ruler from draw 18 of 18.

Tristan said about the 50/1 shot, “All is good with him. He has a wide draw, but I don’t think it’s going to be too much of a problem for him. He’s got a big action and he is a tough horse, I know he’s going to stay, and I think from the draw I will avoid all the drama that’s happening on my inside.”

He said about Native Ruler’s official Hollywoodbets Durban July day gallop, “I thought he put it in an impressive gallop. I was on the lead companion for Eight On Eigteen’s gallop earlier in the day and Native Ruler’s gallop was on par, if not a little bit under. His work has been brilliant and he has obviously taken the gallop well, so I am really looking forward to riding him.”

Tristan’s first July was in the lockdown July behind closed doors in 2020, where he finished 15th on the Andre Nel-trained Capoeira.

He said, “So this is the first time I’m actually getting the full July experience and I must say I’m very grateful to the whole Snaith team and to the owners and everyone involved, to Mr Bortz, Mr Sewgoolam, Mr Gujadhur and Ms Goldsmith and all of the owners involved, they are giving me, a young guy, a chance and I hope to repay them. As I say i’m very excited obviously to be riding for a top yard in Africa’s biggest race, I could not be more grateful and humble and I’m just thankful for the opportunity.”

Tristan’s parents as well as his fiance will be on course and he confirmed once more he was looking foward to what he believed would be a “lovely day.”

Pretty Polly Stakes Win For The United States Relative

Whirl beats Kalpana in a thriller. (Picture: Coolmore).

Cape Breeders

Moutonshoek’s blue blooded stallion The United States hails from one of the best families in the stud book.

This magnificent family gained yet another notable boost when Whirl, whose dam Salsa is a full-sister to The United States, won the G1 Paddy Power Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh on Saturday.

A three-year-old daughter of Wootton Bassett, Whirl had finished runner up in the G1 Betfred Oaks last time out.

The Group One event looked a match on paper between Andrew Balding’s proven Group One performer Kalpana (5-6 favourite) and Aidan O’Brien’s narrow Oaks second, and so it proved as the pair served up a Curragh Classic.

Ryan Moore was quickly away dictating terms aboard the 13-8 second-favourite, with Colin Keane never far away aboard the Juddmonte-owned Kalpana and must have thought the race was his for the taking when Whirl was asked for maximum effort with two furlongs to run with Kalpana still travelling menacingly.

However, Whirl was not for giving in and after a titanic tussle the Wootton Bassett filly pulled out extra inside the final furlong to shade a length and a quarter verdict and deny Juddmonte back-to-back victories in the feature event after Bluestocking 12 months ago.

Also victorious in this season’s G3 Tattersalls Musidora Stakes, Whirl has won four of eight starts.

Her dam Salsa is a winning full-sister to the G1 winners The United States (Ranvet Stakes), Hydrangea (Matron Stakes, British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes) and dual Guineas queen Hermosa. The latter is the dam of this season’s G3 Hampton Court Stakes winner Trinity College (Dubawi), while Hydrangea is the dam of 2025 Listed Coolmore Stud Irish EBF Tetrarch Stakes winner Officer.

This is also the family of star three-year-old Henri Matisse, an impressive winner of the 2025 G1 Emirates Poule d’Essai des Poulains (French 2000 Guineas).

The United States himself enjoyed success on Friday when his Listed Dahlia Plate winning son Kingdundee made it six wins from just nine starts.

Walkonthewildside Could Go One Better

Walkonthewildside has been tipped to win the last race and end a sequence of two seconds in a row. (Pauline Herman Photography).

Fairview Polytrack Wednesday Formguides And Selections

RACE 1

(3) GOLDEN GREY has been holding consistent form and will have a big chance in this line up however has had many chances. (4) FIZZLY BUBBLY is never far back and with the claimer up he will have a big say. (8) GENTEEL ran a cracker in the last start and must be respected. (1) BOMBER BAY is capable of making it into the quartets. (Devonne Govender 3-4-8-1)

RACE 2

(3) LAUGH TILL I CRY has been consistent and should go close based on that, she has a much better draw this time and is sure to run well. (1) MIDNIGHT MUSIC has scope to improve, she has run well on poly and will be a big challenger here. (4) JUST FOR U has been placing at big odds and will be in the firing line again however does have a tough draw. (6) WINTER’S DRAGON is never far back and can place, include in quartets. (Devonne Govender 3-1-4-6)

RACE 3

(5) NOTORIX ran a cracker in the last start hence he will be the firm first choice. (7) RAVILIOUS is never far back, he is capable of winning this and must be respected here. (3) WORDSWORTH is another who is racing well and is expected to go close for the in form yard of Cliffie Miller. (2) THING CALLED LOVE is capable of much better and can get a lot closer. (Devonne Govender 5-7-3-2).

RACE 4

(2) SMASHING won easily in the last start and be a massive contender here despite the tough draw. (5) SWEET JULIA was narrowly beaten in the last start and another big run is expected. (12) PITON DE NEIGE is holding solid form and must be respected here. (9) JET SET RUN has scope to go well and can be included into larger perms. (Devonne Govender 2-5-12-9).

RACE 5

(2) GREEN OKRA has never been far back and can win this on best form however has had many chances. (7) OPERA VERSE has run well on the poly and on best form is capable of winning this. (3) BROOKSIDER could represent some value here and must go into all bets, he has decent draw and shouldn’t be far if reproducing some of the earlier good runs on poly. (9) STAR TROOPER doesn’t have the best form on paper and is unreliable however he does have scope to improve and can be included into larger perms. (Devonne Govender 2-7-3-9)

RACE 6

(9) BRETTY won a gutsy race in the last start, she goes well on this track and another big run is expected. (10) COLORAMA is holding consistent form and will be a big challenger to the top selection. (5) COURAGEOUS has been holding form and will be in the firing line again. (1) ALADO’S HABIT won a good race when cracking her maiden, she has scope to go well and cannot be ignored here. (Devonne Govender 9-10-5-1)

RACE 7

(7) GUARDING THE WALL goes extremely well on the poly, his recent form is solid and a huge run is expected. (13) KING RAHUL is holding consistent form and gets the claimer up which brings him right into this contest. (1) A BIT CHILLY ran extremely well in the last start and will be in the firing line. (2) KING’S SAILOR placed at huge odds and could make the frame again if repeating that performance. (Devonne Govender 7-13-1-2)

RACE 8

(1) WALKONTHEWILDSIDE is holding solid form and will take some beating here. (8) THREE CHEERS was a gutsy winner in the last start and will be there again however takes on stronger now. (7) LADY ZULTANITE has been consistent and another decent run is expected however she will have to lift to beat the top selection. (9) DARLING HARBOUR is another who is never far back and can get involved again. (Devonne Govender 1-8-7-9)

Buick To Stay Aboard Ombudsman For Coral-Eclipse

Ombudsman wins the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes impressively. (Piture: Sky Sports Racing).

The Coral-Eclipse always coincides with the Hollywoodbets Durban July and William Buick is poised to maintain his partnership with the impressive Ombudsman in this year’s renewal at Sandown on Saturday, despite Charlie Appleby’s 2000 Guineas winner Ruling Court holding an entry.

Click here to read about Ombudsman’s prospects

Drakenstein Have Five Chances On HDJ Day To Equal Record

The smart Candice Dawson-trained Grand Crescendo is one of the five horses on Hollywoodbets Durban July day who can help Drakenstein add to their number of stakes winners for the season. (Picture: JC Photos).

Drakenstein Stud are are on twenty individual stakes winners for the season and just need one more to equal their South African record of 21.

They have five chances of equaling the record on Saturday with the following runners:

The Justin Snaith-trained Magic Verse (Vercingetorix) in the Gr 3 Magical Kingdom 2200.

The Glen Kotzen-trained Bombers In The Sky (Lancaster Bomber) and the Justin Snaith-trained Future Swing (Futura) in the Gr 3 Durban Gold Vase over 3000m.

The Candice Dawson-trained Grand Crescendo (One World) and the Mike Miller-trained Narina Trogon (Silvano) in the Listed Premier Gateway International Handicap over 1600m

Of course if more than one of these horses win Drakenstein will set a new mark.

In that case it will be the fourth season in succession that they have set a new SA record.

Today's Question

What is the longest layoff a July winner has come off to win the big race?

The picture gives a clue to the answer.

FIELDS, Wednesday, 2 July

Fairview Poly

Today’s Question Answer

The 1929 July winner Gifted was only taken off the boat on January 20, 1929, and the July was his first race in South Africa. He thus shattered all preconceived ideas of how long it takes an English horse to acclimatise and he is also likely the horse in the race’s history who has returned from the longest layoff to win it.

If Pomodoro’s Jet wins it this year it will be be the longest layoff a July winner has returned from (112 days) since Sun Tor returned from a 161 day layoff in 1934, so he will need to defy 91 years of history.