The Real Prince connections and victorious jockey Craig Zackey amid post-race celebrations after the 2025 Hollywoodbets Durban July (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
R10 Million Hollywoodbets Durban July – All Set For New Records In 2026!
130th renewal will be the biggest yet
Sporting Post
The historic and time-honoured Hollywoodbets Durban July is set to deliver its most compelling blend of sport, style and celebration yet on the occasion of the 130th renewal on Saturday 4 July 2026 with the news that big-race sponsors Hollywoodbets have raised the bar with a record-breaking R10 million stake.
The move reinforces the iconic event’s position as Africa’s richest ever graded race – both in prize money and in cultural impact!
The announcement was made at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Friday evening, during a vibrant “July in Christmas” twilight racemeeting that offered guests a festive taste of the July magic to come.
The Hollywoodbets Durban July remains South Africa’s most iconic racing event and an internationally recognised lifestyle spectacle, where high-performance horse racing meets high-fashion energy, and where the nation gathers for the race that stops South Africa.
In 2026, the horse racing story at the heart of it is set to be as exciting as the style in the stands.
Internationally acknowledged as Africa’s Greatest Horse racing Event, the Hollywoodbets Durban July has been run without interruption every year since Saturday 17 July 1897.
It is steeped in the colourful tapestry and drama that only a great handicap can deliver: big fields, unpredictable outcomes and the belief that on the day, anything can happen.
Hollywoodbets took over sponsorship of the Durban July in 2022, when it raised the stake from R2 million to R5 million.
In 2026, the year-on-year 100% boost in stakes money will be celebrated with a bold return to its true handicap heritage, reintroducing a more ‘open handicap’ designed to boost competitiveness and elevate the spectacle for racing fans and casual viewers alike.
In handicap horse racing, weights are adjusted according to each horse’s rating, age and sex to level the playing field, thus helping to deliver the kind of edge-of-your-seat finish that has built the July’s legend.
Key changes for 2026 include a return to a wider weight spread across the field:
Bottom weight has been reduced from 53kg to 52kg.
Top weight increased from 60kg to 62kg.
Restoring a full 10kg spread in the range of weights means the race boasts the hallmark of a true, open handicap.
The R10 million prize money – twice its previous level and R8 million up from the COVID years – is a key factor in the evolution to increase opportunity and reward performance across the field, and expand the prize-money distribution to recognise more finishers.
In 2026 the first 12 horses past the post will now earn prize money (up from 10 previously), while the winning connections will bank R6 million – the biggest cheque in the history of graded stakes racing in Africa.
To uphold the integrity of this world-class contest, Race Coast will assemble a five-person national panel of racing experts, which will be announced in due course, responsible for determining the final field.
“The Hollywoodbets Durban July is an internationally recognised raceday where sport, style and South African spirit come together — and we’re proud to be raising the stakes for the milestone 130th running,” said Devin Heffer, Brand and Communications Manager at Hollywoodbets.
“With a record R10 million on offer and a bold return to a more open handicap, the racing will be as dramatic as the day is stylish. It’s a celebration of our heritage — on the track and in the culture — and 2026 is set to be unforgettable.”
While the racing is the heartbeat, the Hollywoodbets Durban July is defined by the full experience that embraces heritage, fashion, hospitality and Durban’s winter social season.
The 2026 theme will be announced in February 2026, which signals the start of the creative countdown that turns designers, stylists and racegoers into storytellers, and transforms Hollywoodbets Greyville into a vibrant runway alongside a world-class sporting stage.
