July's New Weight Structure Will Add Intrigue And Drama
The build up to this year’s Hollywoodbets Durban July will be full of intrigue and the final field announcement might well be fraught with tension (the picture is of the 2024 final field announcement). On race day the cavalry charge for home by a field who should all have an equal chance of winning on paper is also going to make this year’s July particularly exciting (Picture: Race Coast)
The Hollywoodbets Durban July conditions have been finalised and the final field panellists might be in for an interesting evening before the Final Field And Barrier Draw Ceremony, whilst the three-year-olds look to be on the back foot at present.
There will be a longer handicap this year with a 10kg spread in the weights from a topweight of 62kg down to a bottom weight of 52kg.
Furthermore, it will just be a straight handicap, unlike recent July conditions in which there was a maximum and minimum weight for certain age groups and genders.
If the final field happens to have a spread that is less than 10kg, the topweight will still be 62kg. If, for example, there is a weight spread of 7kg among the entries, then the bottom weight will be 55kg.
If the topweights are scratched after the setting of the weights, then the new topweight will be dragged up to 62kg. For example if the topweight after scratchings is 60,5kg and bottom weight 52kg, the topweight will be dragged up to 62kg and after the rest of the field have been dragged up the bottom weight will become 53,5kg.
The final field will not necessarily be chosen by merit rating or weight order.
Justin Vermaak, Executive Racing and Bloodstock of Race Coast, said, “There will be a final field selection panel like before and merit rating will be a leading aspect, but the panel will also take current form and distance suitability into account etc.”
In recent years the final field panelists have not had it too tough as the field has cut up before the final field announcement, with a lot of horses being scratched due to the recognition by the connections they did not have much chance, either due to the weights not having favoured them or due to them being off form – the final declaration fee could have, in those cases, been considered a waste of money.
However, with the longer handicap, there are going to likely be more horses with form chances on the eve of the final field announcement and therefore more horses will stand their ground.
Looking at last year’s July for example, third-placed Selukwe was rated 111 and had to carry 54kg due to the condition that the minimum weight for an older male was 54kg. He was thus 2kg under sufferance with the 127-rated topweights, both older horses who were set to carry 60kg, and he was 4kg under sufferance with the officially best weighted horse, the 129 rated (nett 125-rated) Eight On Eighteen, who was set to carry only 57kg despite being the highest merit rated horse in the race, and that was due to a condition that three-year-old males could not carry more than 57kg.
In last year’s race Oriental Charm carried 60kg, Eight On Eighteen carried 57kg and Selukwe carried 54kg.
Under this year’s conditions the weights for those three horses would have been: Oriental Charm 62kg, Eight On Eighteen 61kg and Selukwe 54kg. Selukwe would have been 2kg and 4kg better off with Oriental Charm and Eight On Eighteen respectively under today’s conditions.
He would have been 2kg better off with the winner The Real Prince too and, on paper, would have been beaten 0,30 lengths instead of by 2,65 lengths.
There could theoretically have been a horse who would have been even more favoured by today’s conditions than the 111-rated Selukwe example.
Using last year’s race under today’s conditions, an older horse who had been rated 107 would sneak into the handicap under today’s conditions.
A 107-rated older horse last year would have had to carry 54kg, 6kg less than the topweight, but under today’s conditions it would have only had to carry 52kg, which would be 10kg less than the 62kg topweight.
Therefore, there are theoretically going be a lot more horses standing their ground at the time of the final field selection process this year, because a lot more of them will have chances of winning on paper than would have been the case under the old conditions.
Furthermore, with stakes of R10 million up for grabs there will be less cases of horses being scratched due to the connections deeming them to be off form. They might still want to take their chances.
The difficulty for the panel will come in deciding whether a lower rated horse is deemed to have better recent form or better distance suitability than a higher rated horse.
For argument sakes let’s assume that we go back to last year and there are still many horses standing their ground until the bitter end. After the top 17 are selected, according to the last log and current form, let’s assume the next two horses are the 115-rated Madison Valley and the 120-rated The Real Prince.
The Real Prince is rated five points higher than Madison Valley, but he has never run a race beyond 1600m before.
Madison Valley on the other hand finished a close fourth in the Betway Summer Cup over 2000m and in his final run before the July he won the traditional July pointer, the Hollywoodbets Dolphins Cup Trial over 1800m.
The Real Prince will have, under the new conditions been set to carry 58,5kg, while Madison Valley will have been set to carry 56kg.
Which one are they going to put in the all important 18th slot?
Such a scenario is going to have much more chance of happening this year.
Although it has been said that weight avoidance tactics are going to be used this year i.e. horses are going to try and qualify with as low a weight as possible, those who do take that route are probably going to run a bigger risk of not qualifying than ever before.
A horse. who for argument’s sake finishes third in the Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge and comes in with a 127 rating is likely going to be preferred for final field inclusion to a horse who finishes second in the Cup Trial and comes in with a 119 rating.
Now on to the three-year-olds.
Eight On Eighteen was held in high regard last year and came into the race 2kg well-in, according to official merit ratings, and yet he was not able to win the race.
Under today’s conditions he would have had to carry 61kg, effectively 2kg more.
So it was tough last year for a top three-year-old, despite him being favoured by the old conditions.
How tough will it be for good-but-not-great three-year-olds under the new conditions, considering there is no maximum weight for them and no minimum weight for older horses?
Likewise it will be tough for females.
Furthermore, this year’s three-year-old crop are arguably overrated off their current merit ratings.
For example, Gauteng Guineas runner up Grand Empire could not win the Wolf Power 1600 against older horses when 2kg under sufferance off a 102 merit rating (effectively a 106 merit rating), yet he is now rated 120. There will be cries of “but the handicapper is clueless” when looking at that, but those who do say that are clueless themselves, because the handicapper rates a race on that race, not on past races, and Tin Pan Alley had earned his 117 rating by beating older horses and Grand Empire had then beaten him. Furthermore, Grand Empire was likely not at his peak for the Wolf Power with the Triple crown series looming.
Nevertheless, the overall impression is the current three-year-old male crop is not shining and it is questionable whether any of them have properly earned a rating of 120 or above. Couple that with the less favourable July conditions for three-year-olds and the conclusion is that the sophomores are going to have it tough this year.
It could well be an older horse July.
However, it is too early to make that call just yet, because there is an impressive unexposed horse like Note To Self among the three-year-olds and more such types with highly progressive profiles might still emerge.
The mettle of the final field panelists is going to be tested in those circumstances too.
Supposing a highly progressive three-year-old avoids all the classics and wins the Jubilee Handicap carrying bottom weight. Will he be selected ahead of a horse who has run third in the Daily News 2000 and is rated higher and will he be chosen ahead of an exposed older horse with a higher rating?
The build up to this year’s Hollywoodbets Durban July is going to be more intriguing than ever!
World Pool Will Cater For A July Field Of 18
The field charges for home in the 2023 Hollywoodbets Durban July (Picture: Hollywoodbets)
The World Pool is becoming an increasingly important aid to sustaining horseracing as it provides a financial “windfall” for the country who is staging the event and this is due to the massive pools that are generated by punters betting into them from around the globe.
Each race that is a world pool race will add to the financial boost and it is particularly important that the main race of the day is a World Pool race.
This year’s WSB Met meeting had ten World Pool races included for 12 race meeting.
That was up from seven World Pool races at the WSB Met meeting of 2025.
The Hollywoodbets Durban July meeting is likely to have a similar increase in coverage.
The World Pool apparently prefers fields of 15 or less to ensure uniform betting structures across jurisdictions, but it is able to cater for races with more runners.
It is apparently false that the Hollywodbets Durban July was not included last year as a World Pool race, despite the meeting being a World Pool event, because there were more than 15 runners.
Instead, it was apparently only due to technical difficulties that the race was ultimately not included.
It is also false that this year’s WSB Met was only included as a World Pool race because there were less than the 15 runner optimum.
The World Pool had catered for there being more than 15 WSB Met runners, but in the end it was not necessary due to the field size cutting up to eleven.
Likewise, the World Pool will cater for a maximum field of 18 runners for this year’s Hollywoodbets Durban July.
That is great news and punters will be looking forward to not only big dividends but stable dividends, so a horse showing a big price just before the off is not going to change by a significant amount of there is very late money for it.
Brett Crawford Turns Another Hong Kong Horse Around
Brett Crawford is making waves in Hong Kong and his first season there is generally being described as “incredible”
Brett Crawford’s reputation in Hong Kong is burgeoning by the meeting, especially his ability to turn horses around.
He has shown an ability to get new life out of horses arriving from other yards, even before sending them for barrier trials.
The latest such case was Sovereign Fund, whose return this season before winning fist time out for Crawford today (Wednesday) was 11th, 4th, 6th, 6th, 12th.
His last run for the previous trainer was on December 14.
He was not sent for a Barrier Trial by Crawford yet he turned it on in devastating style in the straight of the Class 3 event over 1200m to win by a cosy 0,75 lengths under Karis Teetan, paying a dividend on the Tote of 6.40.
His previous winner was Island Buddy, who finished 12th in his first start of the season on November 12.
He then joined the Crawford yard and has won his first two races for the stalwart ex-pat South African trainer.
The same had happened with a winner last month called Celestial Harmony, who had had one third and five unplaced runs this season before joining the Crawford yard and winning first time out.
A horse called Lovero was eleventh and eleventh in two runs this season before joining the Crawford and then finishing second, first and second in his first three runs for the yard.
Crawford’s skill can also be seen in how he turned Encountered around, a former good horse who had lost his way and who became Crawford first Graded winner on the island.
Today’s victory at Happy Valley gave Brett his 15h win of the season and he has had just 133 runs. Nine of his wins have been ridden by Teetan.
Rafeef Scored A Treble At Vaal Classic
The progressive Chapbook was one of three winners for Rafeef at Vaal Classic on Tuesday (JC Photos)
Ridgemont’s top-class sire Rafeef had a memorable day on Tuesday when the son of Redoute’s Choice supplied three winners at the Vaal.
The Ridgemont resident supplied the winners of Tuesday’ third, fourth and ninth races respetively.
Rafeef’s first success on Tuesday came when his lightly raced son King Redoute won the third race.
Under Keagan De Melo, the Johan Janse Van Vuuren trained three-year-old made much of the running to land the Racing Today Maiden Plate (1000m) by nearly two lengths.
Bred by Dr Marianne Thomson, King Redoute was making just his second start on Tuesday with the gelding having finished fourth on debut.
King Redoute, who has a full-brother on offer at the Premier Yearling Sale, races for Rikesh Sewgoolam, Mukund Gujadhur and the Wernars Family. Out of the Var mare She’s A Pippa, King Redoute is bred on the same cross as G1 winning sires Master Archie and Thunderstruck.
Rafeef struck again in the very next race when his son Chapbook won the SA Derby 4 April Graduation Plate (1000m).
The Clinton Binda trained colt stormed home, under Gavin Lerena, to come from last and win going away by nearly four lengths.
Bred by Ridgemont Highlands, the three-year-old races for Hollywood Racing. Chapbook, who is out of the Poet’s Voice mare Leaves Of Grass, has won three of ten starts.
His sire’s third and final winner on Tuesday came when his gelded son Storm Ahead won the Racing240 MR 72 Handicap (1800m). The Fanie Bronkhurst trained five-year-old got up in the shadow of the post to score a narrow win.
Bred by Wilgerbosdrift & Mauritzfontein, Storm Ahead has won four times. The gelding, who races for his trainer in partnership with Mr Nell, is out of the Strike Smartly mare Advance Warning.
South Africa’s Leading First Season Sire in 2020-2021, Rafeef is enjoying a banner year in 2025-2026. At the time of writing, Rafeef ranked fifth on the General Sires premiership, with his runners having already earned more than R9.5 million this season.
A full-brother to champion Mustaaqeem, Rafeef has six lots on offer at the Cape Yearling Sale, and 22 lots on offer at the Premier Yearling Sale.
Engelbrecht-Bresges Calls For United Front At Asian Conference
The 41st Asian Racing Conference (ARC) opened with a session titled ‘The Evolving Global Racing and Sporting Landscape’ on Tuesday (10 February) at the Crowne Plaza Riyadh RDC Hotel and Convention Centre in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
In a keynote speech, Mr Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, Chair, Asian Racing Federation and Chief Executive Officer, The Hong Kong Jockey Club, outlined the key challenges horse racing faces before calling for increased collaboration within the sport.
Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges identified trends affecting the industry, prioritising the importance of a digitalised global brand for younger audiences, while pinpointing several key obstacles – the growth of illegal and unlicenced operators; the increased competition from sports betting, iGaming and prediction markets; and widening racing’s fan base.
Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges said: “We don’t see a positive trend among breeding, and as an industry it is concerning. If we want to create global events and we want to create champions, one of the key drivers is that the best horses compete in races, and this promotes our sport.
“While we see a 35% decline in the number of foals produced globally since 2005, the number of Group 1 races worldwide in the same period has gone up by around 6%. The consequences are that we have less champions, because they have opportunities to avoid each other.
“We want to promote our sport globally, we create heroes, we create competitions, and we create platforms which enable us to build much wider promotion and familiarisation with new customer segments. We collaborate globally, so that we have a chance to turn the tide. One of our problems is our inability to overcome fragmentation. We must change our mindset, so that we have global collaboration to really bring the sport forward.”
Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges discussed World Pool’s role in combatting illegal operators, helping to maximise industry revenue and returns, as well as creating greater appeal for a global fan base.
“We expect that turnover will now be around 12 billion Hong Kong dollars (in 2025/26). This is an initiative that shows what we can do when we collaborate, when we have the best racing in the world and, importantly, it shows growth. We have expanded the coverage and race meetings to cover 54% of the world’s top Group 1 races across 380 events,” Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges said.
Seeking to create a deeper engagement with horse racing’s younger audience, Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges, said: “If you promote only wagering, especially to a younger generation, you have no chance. Because they have gaming – instant gratification, so we have to first really promote our sport.”
Following his keynote presentation, Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges was joined on a panel by Mr Masayuki Goto, Vice-Chair, Asian Racing Federation and Executive Advisor, Japan Racing Association; His Excellency Mr Mohammed Saeed Al Shehhi, Vice-Chair, Asian Racing Federation, Chair, Gulf Horseracing Council, Director-General, Emirates Racing Authority; Felicity Barnard, Chief Executive Officer, Ascot Racecourse, and Kylie Rogers, Chief Executive Officer, Victoria Racing Club.
In a following session titled ‘Marketing: Major Racing Carnivals’, Mr Andrew Harding, Secretary General, Asian Racing Federation and Executive Director, The Hong Kong Jockey Club, led discussions focusing on fan engagement across elite racing carnivals and broadening appeal to audiences.
Mr Harding said: “In 2025, racing carnivals around the world shone brilliantly, and they illustrated quite emphatically both their strengths and indeed their future potential.
“What are the ingredients to successfully market a racing carnival? High quality horses are an obvious start, and when we see horses achieve success across the globe, then we have the makings of telling stories that creates stars for our sport and builds a global fan base.
“In Hong Kong, we have two such carnivals. In April we have FWD Champions Day and in December, the ‘Turf World Championships’ – the LONGINES Hong Kong International Races. These are both a constant and are constantly evolving; they epitomise our brand which is world class racing, and they are now serving as the fulcrum by which we transform the customer value experience to one that is a full sport and entertainment offering.
“Something we’re looking increasingly at is racing tourism, and is there not perhaps scope across the globe to make that another dimension of great racing carnivals? That a racing fan in America might also enjoy going to Royal Ascot, going to Dubai or coming to Hong Kong.”
Mr Harding was joined by His Excellency Mr Ali Abdulrahman Al Ali, Board Member & CEO, Dubai Racing Club; Mr Mohamed Al Ahmed, General Manager, Jebel Ali Racecourse; Her Royal Highness Nourah Al-Faisal, Designer, Entrepreneur and Industry Leader; Felicity Barnard, Chief Executive Officer, Ascot Racecourse, Mr William C. Carstanjen, Chief Executive Officer, Churchill Downs Incorporated, and Kylie Rogers, Chief Executive Officer, Victoria Racing Club, who each outlined their key initiatives to drive racecourse attendance and fan engagement.
In a session titled ‘Fan Engagement: Global Broadcasting and Viewership’, Mr Casper Stylsvig, Executive Director, Sports Business, The Hong Kong Jockey Club, discussed dependence on an ageing fan base; customer leisure time, and the difficulty in capturing audiences.
Mr Stylsvig cited Formula 1’s former obstacles, such as an ageing fan base, and that the sport was once viewed as too dangerous and too technical. He highlighted its storytelling ability to reverse its fortunes.
“Emotion sells and I’m sure we can all agree with that. Young fans really want to see how the athletes sleep, how they eat, how they train and what they do when they’re not in a match. They want more than just behind the scenes, now they want to be a part of their life, and that’s where the market is moving,” Mr Stylsvig said.
Mr Stylsvig was joined by Rawan Albutairi, Chief Executive Officer, Saudi Esports Federation, and Mr Justin McDonald, Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer, Breeders’ Cup Limited, as a panel to discuss the critical roles of streaming media rights in growing viewership.
Paddy Kruyer Keeps Up His High Strike Rate
Paddy Kruyer’s ninth win this season with Tenpenny on Wednesday at Hollywoodbets Durbanville has come in just his 39th run and his strike rate of 23.08% is the second highest on the national trainers log behind Vengi Masawi’s 25.58% (Picture: Tenpenny winning in June last year)
Andrew Harrison (Race Coast)
Paddy Kruyer, a man of few words, was for many years the late legend Terrance Millard’s right-hand man. He has never been high-profile in spite of his obvious experience but he could have a decent stayer in Tenpenny who defied a four-point rise in the handicap to win back-to-back in the Lucky Fish Winning Streak B Stakes at Hollywoodbets Durbanville yesterday.
It was the first time that the four-year-old had gone 2000m and given Kruyer’s post-race comments, a mile-and-a-half and further is on the cards with a possible crack at the Champions Season staying races in KZN where, given his current rating, he should be competitively handicapped.
JP Van der Merwe always had pacemaker Landoftherisingsun in his sights but when challenged it was La Pulga who kept him honest. Tenpenny went to the line in command over La Pulga with Landoftherisingsun staying on for the shallow end of the purse.
At 57-years-old, Andrew Fortune may not be around much after the end of the current season but while he is, racing aficionados will take pleasure in watching a master in the saddle before he calls it a day.
Fortune gave another masterclass in the card opener as he got the Ricky Maingard favourite Klein Karoo over quickly from an outside gate, slipped up the inside rail and Kelin Karoo responded under the hands to win as he liked with the balance of his rivals flailing away as if they were threshing wheat.
It was somewhat fitting that the owners were members of the Wolf Power Syndicate, named in honour of the Maingard-trained grey superstar of his day.
Craig Zackey is keeping his head in front in the hunt for his first National Jockey’s Championship and he showed just why he will not easily be knocked off course as he got James Crawford’s filly Winter In Aukland home in a tight finish to the first leg of the Place Accumulator. Zackey had to switch out of a closing gallop to get home narrowly ahead of the chasing mob.
One race later, Zackey was denied another notch in the butt of his gun as Loui’s Star caught Vixens War one jump from the line. Favourite Homing Pigeon had the run of the race from her inside draw but when it came to the sharp end of the race it was obvious that she was never going to catch pacemaker Vixens War. However, Grant van Niekerk, an almost forgotten talent, got Greg Ennion’s filly to respond to his urgings to get up and nail Zackey and Vixens War on the line.
Ennion’s star is a fixture in the firmament of Western Cape racing and he recorded a quick double as Muzi Yeni finally got it all right on Fort Liam in the fourth. It was anyone’s race approaching the final furlong after Phantom Man had set the fractions but once Yeni put the hammer down, Fort Liam shot out of the pack to win as he liked. Phantom Man, to his credit, stayed on gamely for second.
Van Niekerk put his head above the parapet once again as he got Des Mclachlan’s gelding Noble Hero to finished with a wet sail to win the C Stakes over 1800m. Fortune always had Konnichiwa in a challenging position as he and Maingard hunted their second win together but they were no match as first Noble Hero went by followed by the well-supported Chance Encounter who, from last, arrived on the scene too late to land the gamble.
Van Niekerk stepped over the parapet and onto the ramparts with his hands in the air. A third win on the afternoon and arguably his best as he and Mclachlan made it a double with the filly Double Dash. Judging that a pedestrian early pace was not in his favour, Van Niekerk went clear on the turn and was never for the catching as the opposition, obviously having misjudged the pace, were never going to reel in the runaway winner.
Not to be denied, Champion Jockey Richard Fourie rounded off a winless afternoon as he got the Paul Reeves-trained Sooty to rally gamely and edge out Dawn’s Early Light in one of the tightest finishes of the afternoon and deny Grant Van Niekerk and Des Mclachaln a well-deserved treble.
Play With The Wind Can Breeze Home Again
Play With The Wind has been tipped to win the last (JC Photos)
Turffontein Inside Thursday Formguides And Selections
Race 1
1 LANCE ALOT 2 UBERMENSCH 3 NEBRASKA 5 ROCK MY BOAT
Preview:
1 LANCE ALOT has shown enough to be able to win this race. 2 UBERMENSCH is moderate but has improved and could earn again. 3 NEBRASKA has shown some signs of ability and might get a place. 5 ROCK MY BOAT can earn if repeating his last start. (David Thiselton 1-2-3-5)
Race 2
2 POWER OF PEARLS 1 HOT COCOA 10 GIMMESUMLUV 3 EMERALD COUNTESS
Preview:
2 POWER OF PEARLS is knocking on the door and has a good draw. 1 HOT COCOA can go close if repeating her last start. 10 GIMMESUMLUV has shown ability and should enjoy the step up in trip. 3 EMERALD COUNTESS has not got much to find on Gimmesumluv. (David Thiselton 2-1-10-3)
Race 3
1 QUICKFREEZE 6 GOLDEN OPERATOR 2 SPEEDMAN 7 BELIEVE IN FATE
Preview:
1 QUICKFREEZE looks to be going places and can make it three runs unbeaten. 6 GOLDEN OPERATOR has shown a lot of ability and can progress now. 2 SPEEDMAN has done well in all three starts and should be in the shake up. 7 BELIEVE IN FATE ran a cracker last time and can go close with a repeat. (David Thiselton 1-6-2-7)
Race 4
2 AGOGE 4 BUDDY BOY 8 MASTER SPY 1 ON TARGET
Preview:
2 AGOGE has class and can make it a third win in five starts. 4 BUDDY BOY has done well in his last two and can earn here. 8 MASTER SPY won after a rest last time and can come on for the run. 1 ON TARGET has run well in last two and can earn again. (David Thiselton 2-4-8-1)
Race 5
8 ROBERT BROWNING 9 ONE MORE STAR 4 SOLDIER’S EYE 1 TAEGAN’S CHAMP
Preview:
8 ROBERT BROWNING is in fine form and looks to have more to come. 9 ONE MORE STAR has relished middle distances and should go close. 4 SOLDIER’S EYE is in fine form and should be right there again. 1 TAEGAN’S CHAMP has the ability to be a contender. (David Thiselton 8-9-4-1)
Race 6
6 TIME FOR CHARITY 4 TIME WILL TELL 8 ZOOMBOMBER 1 TIGER STORM
Preview:
6 TIME FOR CHARITY is in good form and should go close to winning. 4 TIME WILL TELL can go close if repeating his last start. 8 ZOOMBOMBER will appreciate the step down in trip and is a contender. 1 TIGER STORM has the ability to be right there in this line up. (David Thiselton 6-4-8-1)
Race 7
1 SONIC JET 6 CARE FORGOT 4 BLIND AMBITION 5 HONG KONG
Preview:
1 SONIC JET is in fine form and looks to have come into her own so can follow up. 6 CARE FORGOT has a touch of class and on her day will be a threat. 4 BLIND AMBITION went close to Sonic Jet last time and has a big chance with the weight turnaround. 5 HONG KONG is not the most reliable sort but can never be ignored. (David Thiselton 1-6-4-5)
Race 8
1 PLAY WITH THE WIND 2 VAMANOS 3 BRIGHT AND BRAZEN 6 DELAWARE RIVER
Preview:
1 PLAY WITH THE WIND is progressive and can follow up. 2 VAMANOS is also on the up and should be right there. 3 BRIGHT AND BRAZEN is in good form and can earn. 6 DELAWARE RIVER can earn here off a competitive weight. (David Thiselton 1-2-3-6)
Today's Question
Which horse was TV personality Jeremy Clarkson’s first ever winner and how did the horse get his name?
The picture gives a clue to the answer
FIELDS, Wednesday, 11 February
Hollywoodbets Durbanville
Today’s Question Answer
Jeremy Clarkson was toasting his first victory as a racehorse owner after The Hawkstonian romped home at Ffos Las in Wales on January 30.
The grey gelding, named after the former Top Gear presenter’s Hawkstone Brewery, finally broke his duck on his sixth career start in the novices’ hurdle.
