The R3 million Gr1 Vodacom Durban July has been variously described as lacking depth and overall class, but whatever the opinion, one thing is guaranteed. Africa’s Greatest Horserace always provides thrills and entertainment out of the top drawer.
ROBYN LOUW: Every ‘July’ is an event and this year an unusually interesting and interconnected group of runners in this Durban July
LANCE BENSON: The Vodacom Durban July is now in its third century of a colourful history and proud tradition. The race has also developed into a mega-event and today it is a serious money spinner and tourist magnet on the East Coast.
If the official handicapper sticks to Merit Ratings, the weights for the big race will have Big City Life on top
43 entries for the R3-million Vodacom Durban July but not include a single runner from the stable of champion trainer Mike de Kock.
The July has begun in controversy with Mike De Kock failing to nominate any of the stable’s stars. The ante-post market has been thrown into turmoil but Hollywood has gone with the unique approach of opening a book on the original 43 first nominations only.
A man we are privileged to have known as a loyal friend of this great game and of the Sporting Post, a personal mate, and one of South African horseracing’s great characters, Shaheen Shaw, a husband, loving Dad and Grandad, passed away suddenly at the age of 55
The sad reality is that no matter who did what wrong, the Peter saga has been a scar on the SA horseracing landscape for far too long and besides the old favourite of justice delayed, it has lingered lengths ahead of KZN star Royal Victory’s big win in the 2023 renewal of the Highveld showpiece
