Turf Talk Newsletter – 15 April, 2026

Grand Empire (red cap) and Trust fight out the Gr 1 SA Classic finish (JC Photos)

The biggest mystery in the Hollywoodbets Durban July pre-nominations betting is why the Highveld trio of Grand Empire, Trust and Splittheeights are not the favourites, because the formlines point to them as the horses to be with.

Usually working out collateral formlines will involve small margins, but in this case the facts are:

Splittheeights, Grand Empire and Trust beat Tin Pan Alley by 2,45 lengths, 1,85 and 1,55 lengths respectively at level weights in the Gauteng Guineas;

Tin Pan Alley then came out and won the Gr 1 wfa Wilgerbosdrift HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes over 1600m in dominating style, beating See It Again by 3,75 lengths;

On strict formlines that would put Splittheeights, Grand Empire and Trust about 5 to 6 lengths ahead of See It Again if they faced each other in a wfa race over 1600m.

And yet as things stand all of Splittheeights, Grand Empire and Trust will be getting 10kg from See It Again in the July, which is 8kg better than weight for age.

That puts them strictly on paper a ridiculous 15 to 16 lengths clear of See It Again on collateral formlines.

There are possible mitigating factors, such as See It Again is better over 2000m, he could have just been using the Horse Chestnut Stakes as a preparation run and Tin Pan Alley might have run below par in the Gauteng Guineas.

However, to even them up on those scores you would have to give See It Again five lengths for each factor.

The other question is whether Splittheeights, Grand Empire and Trust Stay.

Grand Empire followed the Guateng Guineas with victory in the Gr 1 SA Classic over 1800m, beating Trust by a head, and Splittheeights was a running on 1,85 length third from a wide draw.

That was over the tough Turffontein Standside 1800m, so the trio should not have a problem staying the relatively easy Hollywoodbets Greyville 2200m and they should have every chance of getting the trip on pedigree too.

The best of the Cape three-year-old males looks to be Note To Self.

On a line through Happy Verse, Note To Self is about on a par with Jan Van Goyen.

However, Jan Van Goyen was beaten 4,25 lengths in the SA Classic.

Even if it is taken into account that Jan Van Goyen needed the run or ran below par in the SA Classic, Grand Empire, Trust and Splittheeights will receive 2kg from Note To Self in the July as things stand.

There is also the dual Gr 1-winning Cape filly Wish List, but she is handicapped to finish on top of Note To Self.

So the question is why is See It Again the 6/1 favourite in the pre-nomination July betting with Hollywoodbets with Note To Self at 7/1 and Wish List at 25/2, when all of Grand Empire, Trust and Splittheeights are 17/1?

One formline that could put them closer together is that See It Again beat Jan Van Goyen by 8,85 lengths in the wfa L’Ormarin’s King’s Plate while Jan Van Goyen was beaten only 4,25 lengths in the SA Classic.

However, he was likely below par on both occasions and with Grand Empire, Trust and Splittheeights facing See It Again on 8kg better than weight for age in the July, as things stand, it still puts the latter trio clear even if that bit of collateral form is valid.

There is still a long way to go to the big race and merit ratings can change.

However, both Grand Empire and Trust were scratched from the Gr 1 wfa World Pool Premier’s Champions Challenge and Splittheeights was not entered and this gave the clue that their respective merit ratings of 111, 110 and 109 are likely to be protected until the iconic race, which carries a record stake of R10 million this season.

The trio are all set to carry 52kg as things stand.

Grand Empire’s regular rider Craig Zackey rides to 54,5kg, Trust’s regular rider Serino Moodley rides to 52,5kg and Splittheeights regular rider Raymond Danielson rides to 56kg.

Zackey is retained by Khaya Stables and attached to the Dean Kannemeyer yard too, so is unlikely to be able to ride Grand Empire and a lightweight replacememt will be needed.

Danielson will either have to shed some weight or a lightweight replacement will be required for Splittheeights.

Moodley should not have a problem riding 52kg for Trust.

BSA National Yearling Sales lots being walked (BSA)

The BSA Nataional Yearling Sale gets under way at 10H00 on Thursday morning and there are a lot of exciting bidding wars to look forward to.

The first lot through the ring, Lot 1, is a Blue Sky Thoroughbreds Act Of War chestnut colt and he is from the famous “E family”. Act Of War has been given a boost recently by Hazy Dazy, who went within two lengths of landing the Wilgerbosdrift Triple Tiara having given Act Of War a third Gr 1 winner in the Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic. The dam of Lot 1 is Gr 2 runner up Electric Surge and others in the family are the like of Empress Club and Elusive Fort, so there should be some keen bidding for this colt.

Other lots to look particularly forward to from either a point of view of them attracting fierce bidding or being of potential bargain value include:

Lot 23, a Klawervlei Stud-bred One World colt, who is from the family of Potala Palace.

Lot 47, a Clifton Stud-bred Malmoos filly, who is out of a three-time-winning full-sister to the smart Matador Man (Toreador), who was possibly an under-achiever.

Lot 82, a Drakenstein-bred Rafeef colt who is a half-brother to SA Nursery winner Green Diamond.

Lot 95, a Drakenstein Stud-bred Jet Dark colt, who is out of a Graded-placed Duke Of Marmalade mare who is a half-sister to Gr 1 winner Trip Of Fotune.

Lot 135 is an imposing Maine Chance Farms-bred Vercingetorix colt, who is out of a three-time winning Captain Al mare who is a half-sister to five-time Gr 1 winner Princess Victoria.

Lot 191 is a Varsfontein-bred Gimmethegreenlight colt who is out of a Listed-winning Captain Al mare, who has produced three Graded winners and a Listed winner and also a Gr 2 runner up.

Lot  195 is a Varsfontein Stud-bred Gimmethegreenlight filly who is out of Gr 1 winner Sentbydestinty (Master Of My Fate).

Click here to watch the Sale

Andrew Fortune had two rides and two wins in his comeback from serious injury rode and the double was completed by the progressive and impressive Futura three-year-old gelding Future Free, a half-brother to Eight On Eighteen (Picture: Wayne Marks)

Andrew Harrison (Race Coast)

Andrew Fortune has been the subject of more headlines, good and not so good, than most jockeys in their entire careers and he added another chapter as he steered From The Island to a game victory in typical style in the third at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth yesterday and followed up with another tremendous ride on Super Free in the eighth, both for Justin Snaith.

Seven weeks ago he was laid up with six broken ribs, a punctured lung, a broken collarbone and a broken shoulder blade. Faith in his ability, a determination to make it back into the saddle and many session in the hyperbaric chamber has paid off and he may still reach his dream of winning the Hollywoodbets Durban July.

An inspiration, on the advice of Gaynor Rupert, was reading the exploits of many-times English champion jump jockey Tony McCoy, now Sir Tony, who broke every bone in his body in his 20-year career but was hardly ever sidelined for more than a few months.

An uncanny ability to bond with his mounts, a horseman and rider with an exceptional tactical brain, Justin Snaith has tapped into the 58-year-old Fortune’s talents and it is paying dividends.

Fortune candidly admitted that he had cherry-picked his two comeback mounts and his ride on From The Island was vintage Fortune.

He took no prisoners in the early exchanges, ‘coming over if you like it or not’ and riding with his typically long rein. In the straight he then played his fellow riders on the break and it was only inside the final furlong that he resorted to a couple of backhanders that were enough to hold off the challenges from It’Sgood It’Snice and Uncle Sam.

Many a seasoned jockey will tell you that it is criminal to let a horse through on the inside rail. There was no love lost in the eighth as Fortune’s son Aldo Domeyer aboard Marcus Aurelius, shut the door in his father’s face forcing Fortune to ease up and switch around. Super Free responded with a smart turn of foot to catch Marcus Aurelius and given this showing he is a horse to follow as he steps up in trip.

Magma Flow showed the benefit of experience as he put a small field to bed at the start of the first race. Piet Botha’s charge was out and running from the jump and Keagan de Melo had to do little more than a steering job as Magma Flow raced home on his own. Navasnine chase home in forlorn hope while the filly Nadia Nerina was slow out and although a long way back in third she does look capable of good improvement.

The cleverly named Black Nightshade impressed when making a winning debut for Vaughan Marshall in the first leg of the bi-pot. First time at the races is never easy but Sean Veale had no hesitation in taking his filly to the head of affairs and there she stayed. Pressed hard by the more experienced Virgina Bluebell, who had some fair form in feature race company, this was a showing full of merit.

Mauritian apprentices are more dedicated than most and Varun Jodhee made full use of his 4kg claim as Pacific Waters kept rolling in the fourth to snaffle long-time leader Theleia  on the line to deny De Melo a second win.

It took a little more than 30 minutes for De Melo to go one better for his second winner of the afternoon as he drove  Lucinda Woodruff’s gelding Sky Rocket to the line to hold off a late charging Pritti United who somehow got lost in the early exchanges but finished with a flourish – possibly an unlucky loser.

De Melo rounded off his day with a treble as he got Andre Nel’s Phantom Man home in a tight finish to the ninth.

Given a confident ride by Muzi Yeni, Magical Place made short work of his rivals in the sixth as Yeni slipped the recently gelded Eric Sands-trained striking chestnut up the inside rail for a comfortable win with Flying Finley doing the chasing for another De Melo second.

Unlike his father who has sweated down to the early fifties from a top weight that at one stage tipped the scales at 90kgs, Aldo Domeyer is happy to ride 60kg and above. After a testing ride on favourite South Of France in the seventh, he would probably have weighed in a few pounds lighter. Finding a gap at the top of the straight, Domeyer had to press hard on Candice Bass’s filly and she responded gamely to hold off Richard Fourie and Somebody Somewhere  in a tight finish. Domeyer intimated that the removal of the blinkers made his task a lot more testing so one can assume that the ‘scoops’ will be back on next time she races.

Picture: Majmu in action (Action Racing Online)

A Palace Pier colt, out of the South African raced champion Majmu, proved the star attraction on the first day of the Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up Sale on Tuesday.

The Palace Pier Colt Sold for 450,000 Guineas to Blandford Bloodstock and he was the highest priced lot on day one.

Richard Brown struck to secure the two-year-old from the renowned breeze up operation, Tally-Ho Stud.

The colt was the result of a fine pinhook, having been purchased at Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale for 100,000 guineas by Hamish Macauley Bloodstock.

“He is a fine, strong horse and has a very impressive physical”, reported Brown. “I am a big fan of the stallion, and I think he has made a very good start”.

The purchase prompted a memory for Brown as he shared: “I loved this horse as a yearling and vetted him but did not have anyone for him. I don’t have the best memory, but I remembered him!”

Majmu was a Mike de Kock-trained Australian-bred daughter of Redoute’s Choice.

She was unbeaten in three starts as a two-year-old, including the Gr 2 SA Fillies Nursery as well as a Gr 3 race and a Listed event.

As a three-year-old she won both the Gr 1 Cape Fillies Guineas and the Gr 1 Empress Club Stakes as well as a Gr 3 event.

She was also the runner up in the Gr 1 Premier’s Champions Challenge to Wylie Hall before running unplaced for the first time in her career in her final start in the July.

All in all she had nine starts for six wins and two places and at stud she has produced three winners thus far, including the stakes placed pair of Mujtaba (by Dubawi) and Fakhama (by Kingman).

The Real Prince after victory in last year’s Hollywoodbets Durban July (Candiese Lenferna Photography) 

The Hollywoodbets Durban July first entries are on Monday the 20th of April and “July Fever” will begin building from the first entries announcement on Wednesday April 22 until the big race on July 4.

One of the annual questions is whether any July records will be broken.

Andrew Fortune could become the oldest jockey to ever win the race, with the oldest to date probably being Piere Strydom who was 50 years old when winning on the Joey Ramsden-trained The Conglomerate in 2016.

The record for the youngest jockey can never be broken.

Frank McGrath was just 12 years old when winning the July in 1922 on the J Gard-owned and trained Collet.

Allan “Snowy” Reid was both the last apprentice and last teenager to ride a July winner when successful on the Fred Rickaby-trained Naval Escort in 1969.

Both records could potentially be equalled by leading apprentice Mxolisi Mbuto.

Blaine Marx-Jacobson’s current momentum makes him the favourite for the apprentice title, but only one of the records is available to him as he is already 20 years old.

The record for the youngest trainer cannot be broken this year as David Payne was just 24 years old when sending out the great In Full Flight to win the July in 1972.

Payne to this day regards In Full Flight as the best he has ever trained and a coincidence is that he lives in New South Wales in Australia, because In Full Flight’s sire was called New South Wales.

Payne also became the youngest to ever both ride and train a July winner, having ridden the Brian Cherry-trained Chimboraa to victory in 1968.

He joined Syd Garrett, who rode Goldwing and Pamphlet to victory in 1919 and 1920 respectively, before training all of Full Dress (1930), Sadri II (1941) and Left Wing (1960) to win the great race.

Bert Abercrombie later joined that elite club as winning rider on the Ralph Rixon-trained Jamaican Music in 1976 before training Bush Telegraph to win the race in 1987.

Current trainers in South Africa who have won a July as a rider include Garth Puller, Michael Roberts and Robbie Hill.

The record for most wins as a rider can’t be challenged this year.

Anton Marcus is the only one to have had five July wins and the trio on four wins are no longer riding i.e. Piere Strydom, Anthony Delpech and the late Harold “Tiger” Wright.

Richard Fourie could join that trio as he has had three wins.

Rachel Venniker became the first woman to ride in the July in 2024 and she will be out to become the first woman to win it.

Mickaelle Michel will also be out to achieve that first.

The record for most wins as a trainer, held by Hall Of Fame trainer Syd Laird, cannot be threatened this year.

Justin Snaith and Mike de Kock have both had five July wins and can join the late great Terrance Millard on six wins, although De Kock has a joint-operation these days with son Mathew.

Dean Kannemeyer will be going for a fifth July win and his charge The Real Prince will be out to become the seventh dual winner and sixth back-to-back winner.

Lady Laidlaw’s Khaya Stables owned The Real Prince and will be going for a third victory as an owner, which is well short of the record of six July wins as an owner held by Bridget Oppenheimer, three of them in partnership with her husband Harry.

The Oppenheimer winners as owners were Tiger Fish (1959), King Willow (1965), Principal Boy (1975), Spanish Galliard (part-owned 1992), Greys Inn (2004), Hunting Tower (2008).

Of those winners the Oppenheimers bred all of them except for Spanish Galliard.

Harry and Bridget’s daughter Mary Slack bred the 2003 winner Dynasty and owned the 2022 winner Sparkling Water, which she bred in partnership with her daughter Jessica Jell. Jessica Jell bred the 2017 winner Marinaresco.

So that is a total of nine July winners for the Oppenheimer family either as owners-and-breeders or as owners or breeders.

Mary and Jessica can add to that record this year operating under the banner of Wilgerbosdrift Stud and Mauritzfontein Stud respectively.

However, the Forty-times national champion breeders Birch Brothers have bred a record eight July winners, including Sea Cottage and Jollify, who dead-heated in 1967. Their July winners are St Pauls (1946), Left Wing (1960), Diza (1962), Colorado King (1963), Sea Cottage and Jollify (1967), Naval Escort (1969) and Royal Chalice (1988).

The most prolific July-winning extended family is the Laird family.

Alec Laird, still training today, belongs to this July-winning dynasty. He has won it once himself as a trainer with London News (1996); his grandfather, also called Alec Laird, won it once as a jockey in 1911 on Nobleman; his great-uncle Syd Garrett won it twice as a jockey and three times as a trainer as mentioned earlier in this article and he also owned all three of the winners he trained; Alec’s Hall of Fame father Syd Laird won the big race a record seven times as a trainer with (Kerason (1961), Colorado King (1963), Java Head (1966), Sea Cottage (1967), Mazarin (1971), Yataghan (1973) and Politician (1978)); Alec’s cousins Dennis Drier and Charles Laird won it once apiece as trainers with Spanish Galliard (1992) and Hunting Tower (2007) respectively. That is 16 July wins for the family dynasty in total and 18 if Dennis Drier’s father-in-law trainer John Breval is included (King Willow (1965), Principal Boy (1975)).

Alec could add to the dynasty’s success this year as the trainer of the like of Gr 1 winners Fire Attack and Atticus Finch.

The Real Prince won last year after a 62 day layoff, the longest layoff for a winning horse since Sun Tor was off for 161 days before winning the July in 1934.

The record in this respect is likely held by the 1929 winner Gifted as this import from England only got off the boat on January 20 and the July was his first run in the country.

See It Again will be having his third run in the July this year, well short of his half-brother Do It Again’s record six appearances which included two wins, one third and three fourths. Do It Again was the best performed horse at the weights in his first four Julys, second best performed in his fifth appearance and the third best-performed in his final appearance. He is undoubtedly the greatest July horse in history.

Craig Peters is the record holder for number of July commentaries. He will reach a milestone of 40 July commentaries this year.

Silvano is the most successful July sire in history with five winners: Bold Silvano (2010), Heavy Metal (2013), Power King (2015), Marinaresco (2017) and Sparkling Water (2022). He is the only sire to land the July trifecta which he did in 2015 with Power King,  Punta Arenas and  Tellina. In 2017 he had the exacta with Marinaresco and Al Sahem as well as fifth placed Nightingale; in 2013 he had first and third with Heavy Metal and Do You Remember and in 2022 he had first and third with Sparkling Water and Safe Passage.

In 2024 Silvano’s son Vercingetorix sired the July winner, Oriental Charm, and he has every chance of adding a second winner this year.

Three horses who have crossed the line first in the July have been demoted after upheld objections: The Herman Brown-trained Gatecrasher (1975) ridden by Garth Puller, the Tony Millard-trained Surfing Home (1994) ridden by Mark Sutherland, and the Weiho Marwing-trained Wylie Hall (2014) ridden by MJ Byleveld; the horses who respectively inherited first place from them were the John Breval-trained Principal Boy ridden by Robbie Thompson, the Ricky Maingard-trained Space Walk ridden by Robbie Fradd and the Justin Snaith-trained Legislate ridden by Richard Fourie. Of the demoted players Garth Puller has won two Julys as a jockey, jockey Mark Sutherland has won two and trainer Tony Millard has won one, but the late trainer Herman Brown and the retired jockey MJ Byleveld never won a July while trainer Weiho Marwing is yet to win one.

The biggest field in Durban July history was in 1917 when 33 runners jumped from the mile-and-a-quarter (about 1800m) starting point. It was won by a 25/1 shot, the PR Liddle-trained Irish-bred import Fanous, who was by the St Simon sire Morganatic. Fanous gave jockey Willie Crew his second July win. The smallest July fields were in the inaugural year 1897 as well as  1908, with only seven runners apiece. The respective winners were the E Murray-trained Campanajo and the FW Wade-trained Corriecrian ridden by R Scott and W Pickering respectively.

Today the field is limited to 18 runners.

The greatest jockey to have never won the July would likely be Jeff Lloyd, who became famous for finishing third.

Lloyd’s places in the July are: So Humble (1978) 3rd; Bodrum (1984) 3rd;  Melun (1987) 4th; Pedometer (1988) 3rd; Respectable (1990) tie 3rd; Rakeen (1991) 3rd; Olympic Duel (1992) 3rd; Shah’s Star (1997) 3rd; Circle Of Life (1999) 3rd; River Jetez (2008) 4th; Chesalon (2012) 3rd; Made To Conquer (2018) 2nd;

Jeff Lloyd’s 12 July places: 1 second, 9 thirds, 2 fourths.

Jockey Muzi Yeni is yet to win the July but has finished in every position from 2^nd to 5^th . He finished 2^nd with Got The Greenlight in the 2020 July, 3^rd with the same horse in 2021, 3^rd with Safe Passage in 2022, 3^rd with Royal Victory in 2024, 4^th with Royal Victory in 2025, 4^th in his first July ride on Thundering Star in 2009, 5^th with Happy Valley in 2010 and 5^th with Solo Traveller in 2012.

The only winner of the Durban July in history to have been unbeaten before the running and to thus remain unbeaten was the 1987 winner Bush Telegraph.

In the 1969 July three-year-old Home Guard arrived on course as the unbeaten winner of eleven races, which remains a South African record for number of races unbeaten. However, he had to give eleven pounds to fellow three-year-old Naval Escort and was beaten 0,75 lengths.

The Fred Murray-trained Nobleman is the only two-year-old to ever win the July.

It would be pointless for a two-year-old to run today with bottom weight restricted to 52kg as they would be way under sufferance at the weights.

Fred Murray in fact holds a July record himself as the winning trainer for four successive years. Justin Snaith threatened to equal this record in 2021 but his leading runner was Do It Again in fourth place.