Turf Talk Newsletter – 23 July, 2026

Eight On Eighteen could bounce back to his best in the Champions Cup

Justin Snaith has enjoyed a magnificent campaign in KZN, claiming the exacta in the Gr 1 R10 million Hollywoodbets Durban July and also winning two Gr 2s, five Gr 3s, one Listed race and one Non-Black Type event.

If the KZN Championships was decided on stakes earnings he would have run away with it having accumulated R11,820,556 in stakes in KZN this season to date with the next best being Gareth van Zyl on R6,600,181.

Van Zyl has had 49 wins in KZN this season with Alyson Wright next best on 46, but Van Zyl will retain his title because Wright only contests one more race this term.

Snaith can add more Graded wins to his tally on Sunday at World Pool Gold Cup day, where he contests three races with a strong team of horses.

In the R1 million Gr 3 Gold Cup over 3200m he has three runners, Ahead Of The Facts, Native Ruler and Magic Verse. The field is down to 12 runners after the scratching of Enflame and his runners are drawn six, eight and four respectively and will be ridden by Richard Fourie, Keagan de Melo and Tristan Godden. They are quoted by Hollywoodbets at 3/1, 8/1 and 14/1 respectively.

Jonathan Snaith said about them, “Ahead Of The Facts has established himself as South Africa’s leading stayer this season, but a 20-point rise in the ratings over the past seven months means the handicapper is beginning to catch up with him, especially over this testing 3200m. Even so, he remains in with a genuine winning chance. With Richard Fourie in the saddle and his trademark consistency, he deserves the utmost respect.

Native Ruler had little luck in the Hollywoodbets Durban July and, with a clearer passage, could easily have finished third. He has come through that race in outstanding order and is thriving at home. If he sees out the 3200m, he is capable of running a huge race and looks outstanding value at around 8-1. He is an underrated horse with his best racing ahead.

Magic Verse returned to something close to his best with an encouraging performance last time out when winning the July consolation race. While there are slight stamina concerns over the two miles, a slow run race, which appears very likely, would significantly increase his chances.”

The yard have a strong team of four in the Gr 1 wfa HKJ Champions Cup over 1800m, Eight On Eighteen, See It Again, Legal Counsel and Malmesbury Missile, who will respectively be ridden by Richard Fourie from draw four out of eight, Keagan de Melo from draw three, Callan Murray from draw six and Gavin Lerena from draw eight. They are quoted at odds of 2/1, 22/10, 10/1 and 25/1 respectively.

Jonathan said, “Eight On Eighteen is looking an absolute picture heading into Sunday. While there has to be some caution after his disappointing last start, virtually everything went against him on that occasion in a slowly run race that didn’t suit. His preparation has been faultless, his work has been excellent, and at his best he is an exceptionally difficult horse to beat. Pure class.

See It Again has been aimed specifically at this race and arrives in peak condition. He has enjoyed another outstanding campaign and victory here would see him complete the remarkable feat of winning three Gr1 wfa races in three different provinces as a six-year-old. On current form, he looks the horse they all have to beat. He is a Warhorse.

Legal Counsel may be feeling the effects of a demanding Hollywoodbets Durban July, which would have taken plenty out of him. Nevertheless, he has produced a series of top-class performances throughout the season on weight for age terms and, returning to what is arguably his ideal trip, he cannot be dismissed if reproducing his very best. He is an exciting prospect for the Cape Summer, which he will take in after a nice break.

Malmesbury Missile is probably at his most effective between 1400m and a mile, but if the pace is moderate he has enough quality to stay on into the money. At 25-1, he appeals as an interesting outsider, although the running of the race will have to go his way. Gavin Lerena is a huge asset to his chances.”

The yard have one runner in the Gr 2 Bet With The World Gold Bracelet over 2000m and Jonathan said about the 25/2 shot who will be ridden by Muzi Yeni from draw four, “Kubu takes a significant step up in class but enjoys a favourable weight pull against many of her rivals. While this is undoubtedly a stiff assignment, she has been working nicely at home. A top-three finish and valuable black type would be an excellent result, but she would need to deliver her best performance yet.”

The retirement at the end of this month of energetic Race Coast Chairman Greg Bortz will close another chapter in the extraordinary ‘renaissance’ of Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal horse racing over the past four years.

At the age of 56, the man who has led by example from the front and properly broken the mould of the stereotypical stand-off corporate leadership of old, told the Sporting Post that he is now ready to step away from the boardroom and start enjoying married life and his racing, as an owner and a fan.

He and long-time partner Gina Goldsmith tied the knot on 28 December 2025 and are looking forward to pursuing their passion for racing.

The couple have acquired a farm in Franschhoek, and intend to stable a portion of their burgeoning broodmare band there, as they gear towards plenty of support for their much-loved Hollywoodbets Durban July winner Oriental Charm, a member of the illustrious Drakenstein stallion barn.

Reflecting back on his experience at Race Coast and as an agent of industry change, Greg Bortz says that the time has flown by.

“It has been both exhausting and rewarding in equal measure. When I was in discussions with Owen Heffer and Basil Thomas of Hollywoodbets in July 2022, I said I could commit to three years. In the blink of an eye, and suddenly it is already four years later! But I am happy. And proud,” enthused Bortz as he explained that most of the strategic milestones that had been established at the outset, have been reached, some of which ‘came with a high degree of difficulty’.

Click here to read the full Sporting Post article

Got The Greenlight, one of the best sons of multiple champion sire Gimmethegreenlight, was an exceptional racehorse.

An Equus Champion at both two and three (he was named both Champion 3YO Colt and Champion Middle Distance Horse in 2019-2020), Got The Greenlight won or placed in 18 of 21 starts and earned more than R3.4 million in prize money.

A brilliant, three length winner of the G1 Premiers Champion Stakes at two, Got The Greenlight went on to win the G1 SA Classic and G1 Daily News 2000 at three. The champion trained on well to add wins in the G1 H F Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes and G1 4Racing Premier’s Champions Challenge at four.

Big Sky Ranch, as agent, will be offering a blue blooded filly by this champion at the August Two Year Old Sale this year. Named Instant Coffee (Lot 19), she is out of a seven time winning full-sister to G1 Betway Summer Cup winner Mocha Blend and half-sister to multiple graded stakes winner Barahin. The latter, like Got The Greenlight, was sired by Gimmethegreenlight!

Other appealing lots to be found in this draft include Aarya (Lot 256), a Flower Alley half-sister to four winners from the family of Equus Champion Al Nitak, and Steel Dust (Lot 196). The latter is a Querari colt out of a full-sister to G1 Wavin’ Flag, and this colt is bred on the same cross as such G1 winners as Bavarian Beauty, Cosmic Speed and Star Major.

These four two-year-olds can be viewed from Blocks D and F at the TBA Complex in Germiston.

The Birch Bros’s Vogel Vlei Stud has a long and proud tradition of breeding top-class horses.

The farm prides itself as having been a nursery for champions for more than 100 years. Buyers will have a chance to buy their own Birch Bros champion this August, when Vogel Vlei Stud bring a five strong string to the August Two Year Old Sale.

Trippi’s G2 Selangor Cup winning son Gold Standard has enjoyed notable success despite having had relatively small crops. The sire of high-class stakes winners Oxalis Gold, Hold My Hand, and Gold Poker Game is responsible for four of the five thoroughbreds in this draft.

First In Line, a Dynasty sired three-parts sister to champion Lady In Black, is represented here by a Gold Standard filly (Lot 24), and this filly’s other notable relatives include G1 winner Talahatchie and Singpore champion Lizarre.

Gold Standard’s three colts on offer include a half-brother (Lot 54) to the smart Globetonic, and a colt (Lot 315) from the family of champions Greys Inn and Smart Call. However, perhaps the pick of the Gold Standard colts in this draft is the son (Lot 199) of Star Fusion, a half-sister to dual South African Horse Of The Year Legal Eagle and the dam of current high-class galloper Jet Force.

Western Winter horse Red Ray, whose progeny include the likes of Red Saxon and Alula’s Girl, has a single lot on offer. This filly (Lot 321), bred on the same cross as multiple graded stakes winner Alula’s Girl, is out of a three time winning daughter of Captain Al and the G1 placed Hello Margarita.

This draft can be viewed from Block B at the TBA Complex in Germiston.

Camargue Stud’s Brett Van Laun is very bullish about the Got The Greenlight colt (Lot 234) that he is bringing to this year’s August Two Year Old Sale.

Brett says, “Obviously our August Sale stand out is the Got The Greenlight colt who was held back as he’s a November foal.” Bred to be classy, this half-brother to three winners is out of the high-class Silvano mare Vino Veritas, a full-sister Hong Kong G3 winner Chefano and half-sister to multiple graded stakes winner Madison Valley.

Another potential star attraction here is the Futura colt (Lot 38) out of Listed Gardenia Handicap winner Ha Lucy. Brett describes this well bred colt (who is bred on the hugely successful Futura/Trippi cross) as a “smashing colt with lots of presence about him.”

Polar Jet, the dam of six winners including G1 Daily News 2000 runner up Padre Pio, is another represented by an exciting prospect here, with Brett describing the Declarationofpeace filly (Lot 141) out of Polar Jet as a “stunning filly with a great walk.”

Other lots to take note of in Camargue Stud’s August draft include the full-sister (Lot 33) to the smart Golden Operator, the Eden Roc filly (Lot 176) out of G3 Strelitzia Stakes winner She’s A Stunner, and the Act Of War filly (Lot 271) from the family of smart sprinter and successful sire Ballad Rock.

This draft can be viewed from Blocks E and F at the TBA Complex in Germiston.

Jazz Cafe is led in after winning the Gr 3 Winter Fillies Stakes (Picture: Race Coast) 

Robbie Hill, Frank Robinson, Stuart Ferrie, Peter Muscutt and Lucinda Woodruff spoke during the week about their chances on World Pool Gold Cup day on Sunday.

Robbie and Shannon Hill have a runner in the Gr 3 World Pool Gold Cup over 3200m, a race Robbie won twice as a jockey in the days when it was a Gr 1 and was arguably the second most prestigious race in the country after the July.

A horse who wins its first attempt at a staying race always has room for improvement in long distance races, because the connections can approach the next race with a touch more confidence and such could be the case with the Hill-trained Canford Cliffs five-year-old mare Jazz Cafe, who had taken a leap in trip from 1600m up to 2000m when finishing second in the Listed IOS Insider East Coast Cup over 2000m and she then took another big step up to 2400m and won the Gr 3 Lucky Fish Winter Fillies Stakes, beating SA Derby winner Curious Girl.

Robbie said, “If we don’t try we don’t know. She switches off nicely and won the Oaks (Winter Stakes) well. It’s the first time she is going this sort of trip and once again we don’t know, but we’ve got a ticket and we’ve thus got a chance.”

Robbie famously did the July/Gold Cup double in 1999, winning the former on the Geoff Woodruff-trained El Picha and the latter on the Pat Shaw-trained Place Of Gold. He won the Gold Cup again in 2003 on the Dennis Drier-trained Highland Night.

He said, “One of my favourite races to ride, funnily enough, was the Gold Cup, I loved riding in it.”

He said about the secret to success in the iconic staying race, “You need your horse to switch off, that’s the first part, and then if you get the pace right Bob’s your uncle!”

He continued, “Our filly switches off and hopefully she can do the work up the straight.”

He concluded, “She has been doing well.”

Frank Robinson runs the Gr 1 Betway Summer Cup winner Mocha Blend in the Gr 2 Bet With The World Gold Bracelet, in which she unfortunately has to carry a welter burden of 63kg and she has a wide draw.

He said, “The July was obviously a very slow pace and she came into the straight with too much to do, but her fractions from 400m to finish weren’t bad actually, they were the same as Wish List’s. We will need a bit of luck from her draw on Sunday (12 out of 13), we will have to try and get her in halfway. She is classy and she has taken her July run well and her work has been very good, so I’m hoping. The weight is obviously going to be an issue. But let’s see what happens.”

Stuart Ferrie sends out Gladatorian to defend his Gr 1 wfa HKJC Champions Cup title and he also runs Rafeef two-year-old filly Menagerie in the Gr 2 World Pool with Race Coast Debutante over 1200m.

He said about the six-year-old Vercingetorix gelding Gladatorian, who is drawn two in the HKJC Champions Cup over 1800m and has Sean Veale back aboard after finishing five lengths off them in the July, an identical run to last year, “He is doing as well as he was last year. He is a tough horse and has had no issues post race.”

He said about Menagerie, “Her middle draw is tricky because you don’t know whether you want to make it or drop her in. We are up in class but her form is good and we will see where we are.”

Peter Muscutt runs July fifth-placed Isivivane in the Listed Tote Stakes over 1600m and he runs St. Harry (Harry’s Angel) and Bennie and Paul (Querari) in the Gr 2 World Pool Bet With Tote Umkhomazi Stakes over 1200m.

He said, “Isivivane has come out of the July in perfect order. Obviously it is never easy going from 2200m back to a mile, but I have freshened him up as well as possible. He is awkwardly drawn (8 out of 14), so we are going to have to use his natural gatespeed to overcome it. He is ready to run to the top of his game.”

He continued, “Benny And Paul has come through his impressive maiden win in great order. He is still a little on the immature side and I think all the best still lies in front of him. However, he’s got good natural gatespeed and he’s reasonably well drawn, so he should get a very good run in transit and if he’s good enough he will be competitive.”

He added, “St. Harry is a horse loaded wit talent. He does have some wind concerns (and wears a tongue tie). He probably did need his return. Dropping him back to 1200m I don’t foresee as a problem. If the wind issues don’t kick in during the run, he should be right there as well.”

Lucinda Woodruff runs former Post Merchants winner Cafe Culture in the Gr 1 wfa Mercury Sprint over 1200m and she said, “He’s got a wide draw, but he is in a good space and loves the course. Callan will have to navigate him from the draw. He was caught out when going forward in the Post Merchants last time, so we will drop him out this time and run on.”

Chatterbox has been tipped to win the Listed TAB Casino Champion Juvenile Cup over 1400m (Pauline Herman Photography)

Jack Milner (TAB4Racing)

Once again, Friday’s meeting scheduled for the turf track at Fairview has been shifted to the Polytrack.

The change came on Thursday after an average penetrometer reading of 35 was ascertained and gallops had been carried out in the morning. The distance of Race 1 has changed to 2200m.

Of course, that helps some and hinders others and once again there are a number of scratchings due to the change of surface.

The feature of the afternoon is Race 7, the Listed TAB Casino Champion Juvenile Cup over 1400m, and with the field reduced to seven runners after a scratching, Greeff has four of them, Dean Smith two and Kelly Mitchley one.

The best of Greeff’s quartet could be Chatterbox, with Fourie possibly on the right one. This well-bred filly has only had two starts so far.

The Canford Cliffs filly was well backed to win on debut in a feature race. Inexperience was shown and she proved no match on the day for unbeaten Marchland who will be in action in a Grade 2 race at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Sunday.

That was back in March and Chatterbox was next seen when scoring very easily on the Polytrack in May over 1000m. Chatterbox quickened nicely that day and the runner-up has won since.

Fourie has been aboard all five of the Greeff winners, so he will have a good idea of who is the best of them and how he can get the best out of Chatterbox.

Incoming champion jockey Craig Zackey has also ridden and won on both of the Smith-trained runners, and he rides Global Thriller and not Just Carter.

That is a very interesting choice, as Just Carter quickened nicely last time out and should contest the finish yet again.

Jockey Andrew Fortune likes upstaging his more fancied stable companions, so one must take note of his ride, Gimmethatworldcup. The gelding impressed when winning his second start and could be anything.

Jack Milner’s selections

Race 1: 1 Monkey’s Wedding, 2 Sapphire Sun, 3 Capranica, 6 Lyrics And Songs

Race 2: 17 Remind Me Of You, 16 Lucy’s World, 1 Spirit Of Nical, 5 Tipsy

Race 3: 2 Song Of Myself, 8 Genovefa, 9 Cherry Oh Baby, 4 Lotus Silk

Race 4: 7 Augusta Rosso, 10 North Star, 9 Dupont Emerald, 11 Overture

Race 5: 1 Kleinzee, 3 Ingqwele, 7 Above The Horizon, 5 Laguna Verde

Race 6: 4 Pyro Edition, 3 Sliver Of Sunshine, 10 Green Planet, 12 Run The World

Race 7: 7 Chatterbox, 3 Gimmethatworldcup, 6 Casperita, 1 First Officer

Race 8: 6 Real War, 4 Honorine’s Gimmie, 2 Teerex, 8 Travel Master

BEST BET

Race 2: 17 Remind Me Of You

VALUE BET

Race 6 4 Pyro Edition

BEST SWINGER

Race 3 2×8

BIPOT

R216

Leg 1: 1, 2, 3, 6

Leg 2: 17

Leg 3: 2, 8

Leg 4: 7, 9, 10

Leg 5: 1, 3, 7

Leg 6: 3, 4, 10

PLACE ACCUMULATOR

R144

Leg 1: 17

Leg 2: 2, 8

Leg 3: 7, 10

Leg 4: 1, 3

Leg 5: 3, 4, 10

Leg 6: 3, 7

Leg 7: 2, 4, 6

PICK 6

R1440

Leg 1: 2, 8

Leg 2: 6, 7, 9, 10, 11

Leg 3: 1, 3, 5, 7

Leg 4: 3, 4, 10, 12

Leg 5: 3, 6, 7

Leg 6: 2, 4, 6

JACKPOT 1

R240

Leg 1: 6, 7, 9, 10, 11

Leg 2: 1, 3, 5, 7

Leg 3: 3, 4, 10, 12

Leg 4: 3, 6, 7

JACKPOT 2

R144

Leg 1: 1, 3, 5, 7

Leg 2: 3, 4, 10, 12

Leg 3: 3, 6, 7

Leg 4: 2, 4, 6