Bush Telegraph was eight from eight after winning the Daily News 2000 in 1987 and he made it nine from nine next time out in the July before finishing third in “The Race Of The Century”, the Mainstay International over 1800m at Clairwood, a race won by Main Man with the great Model Man, who conceded the winner 8kg, finishing a shorthead second. Model Man was also a Daily News winner.
This year marks the 45th renewal of the Daily News 2000 Gr 1, arguably the defining classic on the South African racing calendar.
It boasts an honour roll replete with three-year-old champions of which Roland’s Song, London News, Dynasty, Irish Flame, Legislate and Eight On Eighteen were all crowned Horse of the Year at the end of their three-year-old season.
Many a winner has used the Daily News 2000 as a stepping stone to the Hollywoodbets Durban July. All of Bush Telegraph (1987), Teal (1995), London News (1996), Dynasty (2003), Big City Life (2009) and Legislate (2014) went on to add the country’s most iconic race to their Daily News 2000 success.
No winner could have been more impressive than London News in 1996. Backed as if defeat was out of the question, he utterly demolished his rivals to cross the line 4.50 lengths clear of his closest pursuer, to this day, still the widest winning margin.
As a stallion, Dynasty’s impact on the Daily News 2000 has been profound. First-crop son Irish Flame won the 2010 renewal and after Run For It was beaten a shorthead by The Apache twelve months later, Dynasty bounced back in 2012, when Jackson cruised home by 3.75 lengths. Legislate made it a treble for his sire with a shorthead victory in 2014. Dynasty was deprived of a fourth winner in 2016 when It’s My Turn failed by a diminishing neck to reel in Rabada.
There is every likelihood that this year’s renewal could yield a third-generation Daily News 2000 winner, as hot fancy Note To Self is by Dynasty’s champion son Futura.
Only three fillies have managed to win the Daily News 2000, and remarkably, in the space of just three years. First up was Roland’s Song, who fully justified her 2-1 starting price by coming home clear of her rivals in 1989 under Gavin van Zyl. She was saddled by Jean Heming, the only female trainer to date of a Daily News 2000 winner.
Twelve months later, the honours again went north when Ormond Ferraris’ SA Oaks winner St Just came from off the pace to defeat Olympic Duel on the post, with future Hollywoodbets Durban July winner Spanish Galliard back in third.
In 1991, Star Effort capped a formidable seven-win streak, her half-length victory coming on the back of success in the Cape Fillies Guineas Gr 1, Topsport Bloodline Guineas Gr 1 and SA Fillies Guineas Gr 1. Trained by Geoff Woodruff, this outstanding filly suffered defeat just once in eleven career starts.
DID YOU KNOW
Ormond Ferraris and son David both saddled two Daily News 2000 winners. Ormond sent out 1990 winner St Just, as well as Fluent Stride, who claimed the scalp of Empress Club two years later, while David tasted success in 1997 with North By Northwest and returned to the winner’s enclosure after Fiery Fred landed the 2002 renewal.
The maestro Terrance Millard trained Potomac (1986), while son Tony saddled 1993 winner Dancing Duel and Flying Duel (1998). Interestingly, the latter was out of Dancing Duel’s champion sister Olympic Duel, who had finished second to St Just in the 1990 race.
Peter Kannemeyer and son Dean have between them trained four Daily News 2000 winners. Peter saddled the Beck-owned Free My Heart to victory in 1999. Four years later, Dean celebrated his first winner with the marvel that was Dynasty, repeated five years later with ill-fated Rabiya and following a 19-year-old hiatus, registered a third winner when Green With Envy scored by a neck.
Trainer Mike de Kock holds the record of five Daily News 2000 winners, the first of which, Badger’s Coast, rang in the new millennium with a neck victory in 2000. It took a decade before De Kock notched up his second winner, but it was worth the wait, for he saddled both the winner Irish Flame and runner-up Bold Silvano, with just a neck separating the pair at the line.
Three years later in 2013, Vercingetorix triumphed in a pulsating three-way finish, in contrast to Hawwaam, who strode to a facile 1.50 length victory in 2019. Safe Passage rounded out De Kock’s quintet with a clear-cut success in 2022.
The Daily News 2000 was the last start on local soil for both Vercingetorix and 2018 winner Surcharge. Unbeaten in four local starts, Vercingetorix went on to further Gr 1 success in Dubai, whilst the latter ended up in Australia where he raced as Yulong Prince and likewise scored at the elite level.
LUCKY FISH WOOLAVINGTON 2000 GR 2
The Lucky Fish Woolavington 2000 was first contested in 2001 when it carried Gr 2 status, with victory going to New Zealand import Hoeberg in the famous Jaffee silks. She already had both the World Sports Betting Cape Fillies Guineas Gr 1 and SA Fillies Guineas Gr 1 in the bag and was honoured with a championship at the end of the season.
That the race was upgraded to Gr 1 status in 2005 came as no surprise, given that Hoeberg was joined in quick succession by champions Ipi Tombe, Icy Air and Promisefrommyheart.
The upgrade was fully vindicated, given that 2005 winner Irridescence would go on to excel on the international stage, the highlight of which her victory in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes Gr 1 in Hong Kong, a race London News had won before her.
The 2007 victress Sun Classique likewise flashed her prowess overseas and put an exclamation mark on an unbeaten treble of wins with a comprehensive three-length score in the Dubai Sheema Classic Gr 1 to become its first female winner.
Furthermore, the Lucky Fish Woolavington 2000 Gr 2 has made a significant impact on the breeding industry, with many of its contestants going on to great success as broodmares. Remarkably, their descendants have also featured in the outcome of the race itself.
Third behind Sun Classique in 2007, Festive Occasion produced Do You Remember, who avenged her dam by defeating Blueridge Mountain and Jet Belle in a head-bobbing three-way finish to the 2013 Woolavington. In turn, Jet Belle’s daughter Silver Darling went one better when she claimed the 2022 Woolavington by a clear margin.
Little Suzie, the first foal out of 2018 winner Oh Susanna emulated her dam by claiming last year’s renewal, whilst continuing the stranglehold of owner/breeder Drakenstein on the Lucky Fish Woolavington 2000 Gr 2 as its fourth consecutive winner in as many years, having been preceded by Silver Darling, Rain In Holland and Silver Sanctuary.
This once revered fillies classic suffered a downgrade to Gr 2 status in 2025 and is no longer reserved strictly for three-year-olds.
