The 127th renewal of the Hollywoodbets Durban July to be run at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Saturday 1 July will host a capacity field of 20, including 2 reserves.
The highly anticipated final field for the R5 million spectacular was unveiled at the big-race sponsors’ Head Office in Umhlanga Rocks on Tuesday, and included no real surprises, bar possibly the exclusion of 2022 Gr1 SA Derby winner Aragosta, who failed to make the cut despite his level-weights second behind the 92-rated Runaway Song in last Saturday’s Gr3 Track And Ball Derby.
Sparkling Water – retired and won’t defend her 2022 title (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
The son of Rafeef’s exclusion will mean that defending champion trainer Mike de Kock has two runners representing his team.
De Kock has the very smart 3yo Dave The King, a close-up second behind race favourite See It Again in the recent Daily News 2000, and Safe Passage, who has enjoyed a low-key prep into the race and will be ridden by ten-times French champion, Christophe Soumillon.
Justin Snaith, who bids for his sixth July winner, has a powerful hand in terms of pure numbers, with 5 runners, including history making dual winner Do It Again, who becomes the most capped Durban July runner of all time.
The Snaith jockey choices were always going to evoke interest and Richard Fourie’s ‘preference’ for Without Question will be a major drawcard for the top rider’s legion of fans.
The final field for the 2023 Hollywoodbets Durban July:
Hollywoodbets DURBAN JULY (Grade 1) FINAL FIELD Sc# Horse Mass MR Draw B A T M Jockey Trainer 1 BLESS MY STARS 52.0 109 1 A A Mgudlwa Sean Tarry 2 WITHOUT QUESTION 54.5 120 2 A R Fourie Justin Snaith 3 TIME FLIES 55.0 117 3 C A L Mxothwa Brett Crawford 4 WINCHESTER MANSION 53.0 112 4 C A K Matsunyane Brett Crawford 5 BILLY BOWLEGS 53.5 118 5 A S Veale Alec Laird 6 DO IT AGAIN 57.0 121 6 B A G Lerena Justin Snaith 7 SEE IT AGAIN 56.5 124 7 B A P Strydom Michael Roberts 8 SILVER DARLING 55.0 117 8 B A J P v’d Merwe Justin Snaith 9 SON OF RAJ 53.0 115 9 B A M Yeni Weiho Marwing 10 DAVE THE KING 55.5 122 10 A C Zackey Mike de Kock 11 PUERTO MANZANO 58.0 123 11 B A K de Melo J A Janse van Vuuren 12 PACAYA 53.0 110 12 A G van Niekerk Justin Snaith 13 SECOND BASE 56.5 120 13 B A C Maujean Robyn Klaasen 14 SAFE PASSAGE 58.0 123 14 A C Soumillon Mike de Kock 15 RASCALLION 57.5 122 15 A C Orffer Vaughan Marshall 16 TRIP OF FORTUNE 60.0 127 16 B A T A Domeyer Candice Bass-Robinson 17 RAIN IN HOLLAND 56.5 120 17 B A S Khumalo Sean Tarry 18 POMP AND POWER 58.0 123 18 A B Fayd’Herbe Justin Snaith Reserve Runners 19 NEBRAAS 55.0 117 19 B A T Reserve 1 Sean Tarry 20 JIMMY DON 53.0 116 20 A Reserve 2 Erico Verdonese
Going for his third July trophy, Sean Tarry has three runners, one of which is his champion stayer Nebraas, who is first reserve.
Tarry, who has enjoyed a massive feature season, also saddles a pair of fairer sex gallopers Rain In Holland and Bless My Stars in a bid to make it a double for the ladies after Sparkling Water’s big win last year.
The other two fairer sex gallopers in the final field are Snaith’s Silver Darling and Brett Crawford’s Time Flies.
Michael Roberts and Piere Strydom team up with favourite See It Again (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
Michael Roberts and Piere Strydom have both been to this well in the past, but look to write their names into the history books again when current favourite See It Again goes to post in a bid to win his third Grade 1 race of the season.
The lady trainers will bid to make it 3 wins in 7 years for female conditioners, with Robyn Klaasen saddling her first Durban July runner in Second Base, while Candice Bass-Robinson, who won the race in 2017 with Marinaresco, saddles the much debated supplementary entry, Trip Of Fortune.
The official public gallops will be held at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Thursday morning at 07h00.
The rest of the Hollywoodbets Durban July day card will be declared on Wednesday and racecards published on Thursday.
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