The presence of Gr1 winning sprinter William Robertson in the Hollywoodbets Gr1 Gold Challenge over the Hollywoodbets Greyville mile is sure to raise some eyebrows.
William Robertson – Gr1 winning sprinter has been placed at Gr1 level over a mile (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
Many would have bet on the son of Rafeef contesting the Golden Horse Sprint.
However, trainer Corné Spies elected to bypass the Hollywoodbets Scottsville dash for the simple reason that with its downgrading from Gr1 to Gr2 level and change in conditions, his charge was set to concede up to 11 kg to his rivals.
“It would have been a bitter pill to swallow if he had been beaten on the line by a bottom weight, whereas the Gold Challenge is run at weight-for-age conditions,” Corné remarked.
“Besides, the Hollywoodbets Greyville mile is a soft mile and let’s not forget that William ran third in the Gr1 Premiers Champion Stakes as a juvenile, finishing just over a length behind the winner.”
William Robertson’s presence certainly adds intrigue to the line-up, yet history shows that this prestigious race has been won by some of the fleetest horses of the modern era.
Retired star Do It Again – achieved Gold Challenge – Durban July double in 2019 (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
First run in 1972 as the Clairwood Champion Stakes at the now defunct Durban South racetrack, there was no stopping iconic sprinter Sentinel, who fully justified favouritism by almost a length.
The Ellis homebred repeated that feat twelve months later under Michael Roberts at the prohibitive odds of 18/10.
The twentieth century was closed out when superstar Jet Master annihilated his rivals by 3,50 lengths in 1999, having just cruised to victory in the Golden Spur.
He subsequently claimed both the Gr1 Cape Flying Championship, a second Golden Spur and Gr1 Mercury Sprint and was denied a Gold Challenge double when defeated a neck by Free My Heart in 2000.
Key Of Destiny, who had handed three-time champion sprinter Nhlavini an almost four-length drubbing in the Golden Horse Sprint, chased home Horse of the Year Yard-Arm in the 2004 Gold Challenge and in a cliff-hanger finish to the 2007 race, champion Kildonan, fresh off his record-breaking victory in the Golden Horse Sprint, just failed to hold off Successful Bidder and the mighty Pocket Power by two shortheads!
Milers have obviously dominated the race, and the honour roll is replete with true legends over that distance, with several winning it on more than one occasion.
Another Durban July winner to have won the Gold Challenge – Yataghan (Pic – Supplied)
Take the smashing grey Wolf Power for instance. He defeated Foveros in 1982 and duly completed the double when leading home Arctic Cove and Spanish Pool the following year.
Spanish Pool got his revenge in 1984 and repeated a year later when Jeff Lloyd lifted him over the line to hold off Felix Coetzee on Beldale Lustre.
Fast forward to 2012 when three-year-old Variety Club put a small, but high-quality field of older rivals to the sword with a splendid start-to-finish victory, and under similar dictating tactics, completed the double twelve months later at the expense of champion mare Beach Beauty.
Remarkably, that capped an eight-win streak for the country’s dominant miler, who of course, went on to take the international stage by storm and reached the ultimate pinnacle at Sha Tin where he disposed of Hong King’s best to claim the Gr1 Champions Mile by an imperious four lengths.
It’s not just sprinters and milers who have stamped their authority on the Gold Challenge. Many a middle-distance champion has used the race as a stepping stone towards the Durban July.
Snaith fairer sex champion Dancer’s Daughter – achieved Gold Challenge – Durban July double in 2008 (Pic – Supplied)
Since its inception, the Gold Challenge has been won by no less than ten July winners (eleven, if one includes the disqualified Gatecrasher) and the list reads like a who’s who of the very best horses to have graced the turf: Yataghan, Politician, Over The Air, Royal Chalice and Flaming Rock were joined this millennium by Dancer’s Daughter, Pocket Power, Big City Life, Legislate (who won the Challenge when it moved to Hollywoodbets Greyville in 2015) and Do It Again.
It would be remiss not to mention that both Over The Air and Flaming Rock won the Gold Challenge on three consecutive occasions. Trained by Peter Kannemeyer, the former won the race in 1979, 1980 and 1981, all under Garth Puller, whereas Irish-bred Flaming Rock and Karl Neisius proved unbeatable from 1991 to 1993 for owner Shirley Pfeiffer and trainer Chris Snaith.
This year, young James Crawford will saddle Oriental Charm in a bid to add the Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge to his victory in last year’s Hollywoodbets Durban July.
So, William Robertson will face some formidable foes, most notably reigning Horse of the Year Dave The King, who will be all out to defend his crown. Last year, the De Kock stable’s champion took the lead a long way out and kept up a relentless gallop in the straight to come home unharassed.
Out of a daughter of the 1999 winner Jet Master, he has shown his best form at sea level and following a smashing pipe-opener at Scottsville last month, will look to continue his love affair with the Durban track.
