Between now and the running of the Hollywoodbets Durban July on the first Saturday of July there are bound to be plenty of rumours about the runners, especially the fancied ones, and they will spread like wildfire leaving their less thick-skinned connections exasperated.

This writer’s most memorable experience in this regard was when I received a phone call two weeks before the July about 15 odd years ago to tell me the great Pocket Power had been seen in a sling at Clairwood.

This came as quite a shock as the big horse was favourite and was a public idol.
] None of my colleagues had heard anything about him being in a sling.

However, we surmised, in our naivete, that perhaps he was shod while being held in a sling due to his notoriously troublesome foot.

I thus phoned the Mike Bass yard and got through to Candice Bass-Robinson who confirmed Pocket Power was most  definitely not in a sling.

She was highly amused by my question about him being shod in a sling so I felt quite foolish to say the least.

Most July rumours are harmless and it is important to never report on them before checking the facts.

However, in 1980 the great four-times national champion trainer Jean Heming believed a false newspaper report cost her winning the July. 

Her four-year-old gelding Denim Dandy, who was by the greatest July hero of them all, Sea Cottage, had won four races in the build up to the July that year.

The horse had been bought by the big time punter Ronnie Skjold-hammer  earlier in the season after showing himself to be a potential July horse.

After opening at 100/1 Denim Dandy was punted down to a price at one stage of a reported 5/2.

The story goes that Denim Dandy travelled down to Durban well from Heming’s Viljoensdrif farm in the Free State on the Friday morning the day before the big race.

The afternoon newspaper, the Daily News, duly carried a headline saying the July favourite was “Fine And Dandy.”

Heming as well as the horse’s veterinarian, grooms and farrier had travelled down in tow with the horse float.

The farrier had not travelled at all well and was car sick all the way from the Free State to Summerveld.

He recounted his woes that night in the hotel bar.

However, an over zealous reporter, and probably not a racing one, overheard him and mistakenly thought he was talking about the horse.

Lo and behold the next day’s banner headline read “Favourite for the July Handicap collapses on the way to the course.”

The stipendiary stewards were furious and questioned whether he could still run, considering he had collapsed the previous day.

They also wondered whether he had been doped.

Denim Dandy was despatched straight to the specimen box upon arrival at the course at 11 a.m. on the day of the race and apparently spent the next four hours there.

He reportedly even had to be saddled there and by that time was stressed and tired.        

However, he was brilliantly ridden by Michael Roberts and still managed a 1,2 length third to Beau Art, who won the big race on his fourth attempt..

However, Heming said, “I am convinced that had this misunderstanding not occurred, Denim Dandy would have walked the race.”  

Well so the story goes, but perhaps it was just a rumour …

Picture Copyright: Steve Haag Sport 

Source: The Centenary History Of The Durban Turf Club 1996