Gold Circle and Hollywoodbets are pleased to announce that Champions Season 2023 will boast more than R29-million in prize money for the Feature race programme, which comprises 13 Grade 1 races, 12 Grade 2 races and a host of Grade 3 and Listed events. In addition, an amount of R24-million will be paid out for the minor races during this period.

Speaking on behalf of Gold Circle, CEO, Michel Nairac said “At this time, when horse racing is facing many challenges, we are delighted that the status of our Champions Season has not only been retained, but it has also been enhanced. Of course, this would not have been possible without the generous support of our loyal headline sponsor and partner, Hollywoodbets. All stakeholders are indebted to Hollywoodbets for their continued backing and belief.”

With all the Covid protocols and regulations now firmly behind us, racegoers can look forward to a Champions Season of high-quality horse racing, with visitors descending on KwaZulu-Natal from all around the country. Annually, the Champions Season which brings the racing year to a glorious conclusion, attracts the best horses, jockeys, and trainers to compete in the “National Championship” of South African horse racing.

The R5-million Hollywoodbets Durban July remains the most sought-after and valuable prize. However, there are significant increases for the following important Graded races:-

1.    Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge (Grade 1) from R1,25-million to R1,75-million

2.    Daily News 2000 (Grade 1) from R1-million to R1,50-million

3.    HKJC Champions Cup (Grade 1) from R1-million to R1,25-million

4.    Garden Province Stakes (Grade 1) from R1-million to R1,25-million

5.    Woolavington 2000 (Grade 1) from R750 000 to R1-million

6.    The Gold Cup 3200m (Grade 3) from R750 000 to R1-million

7.    Premiers Champion Stakes 2yo’s (Grade 1) from R500 000 to R700 000

8.    Thekwini Stakes 2yo fillies (Grade 1) from R500 000 to R700 000

In addition, the following Grade 2 races have had their stake increased from R400 000 to R500 000:-

1.     World Sport Betting Guineas

2.     Independent on Saturday Drill Hall Stakes

3.     Post Merchants

And the following Grade 2 races:-

1.       World Sports Betting Fillies Guineas from R350 000 to R450 000

2.       World Sports Betting 1900 from R350 000 to R400 000.

THE GOLD CUP RACE MEETING MOVES TO SUNDAY 30 JULY

Gold Circle wishes to advise that The Gold Cup race meeting has been moved from Saturday 29 July to Sunday 30 July. This has been agreed to because the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot Racecourse in England has been moved to Saturday 29 July.

Both of these elite race meetings are “World Pool” events, and the Hong Kong Jockey Club has requested that the meetings take place on consecutive days rather than simultaneously.

“Given the status and value of hosting a World Pool race meeting, the decision to move the Gold Cup to Sunday 30 July was a no-brainer,” said Nairac.

WOOLAVINGTON 2000 OPEN TO ALL FILLIES AND MARES AT W-F-A

Gold Circle also wishes to advise that the conditions of the Woolavington 2000 have been changed with immediate effect. Formerly restricted to three-year-old fillies, the Woolavington 2000 will now be open to all Fillies and Mares at Weight-for-Age. The change in conditions was approved by the Asian Pattern Committee (APC) and Gold Circle Racing Committee and the race will retain its Grade 1 status.

“The Woolavington 2000 was struggling to maintain the levels required by the APC for a Grade 1 3yo fillies’ race and we are confident that the depth of quality will improve significantly now that it is open to all fillies and mares,” said Gold Circle Racing Executive Raf Sheik. “In addition, the change of conditions adds a significant Grade 1 opportunity for older fillies and mares over a middle distance and fills a gap in our Champions Season programme.”

David Thiselton

There will be no weight anomalies in the Hollywoodbets Durban July as the highest rated three-year-old in the country Charles Dickens will not be an entry.

Candice Bass-Robinson said the crack Trippi colt would be coming to KZN for the SA Champions Season, but added he would not be running in the Hollywoodbets Durban July.

She said about the yard’s reading of his Grade 1 SplashOut Cape Derby second place finish, “I don’t think it is that he doesn’t stay, he still ran a very good race, but he is probably not at his best over 2000m at this stage.”

She envisaged the Grade 2 IOS Drill Hall Stakes over 1400m, the Grade 1 Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge over 1600m and the Grade 1 Champions Cup over 1800m as possible targets.

Another horse who will likely be running here in the SA Champions Season is Marina.

Candice was not sure she was good enough to make the July field.

She is also probably going to go up to the Highveld first to run in the Grade 1 HSH Princess Charlene Empress Club Stakes at Turffontein Standside on April 15.

She said this Silvano filly’s chief KZN targets would likely be the Grade 1 Brentford FC Garden Province Stakes and the Grade 2 Gold Bracelet, which she won last year. 

The Grade 1 Schweppes Majorca Stakes third-placed Golden Hostess is likely to be on the float. 

The obvious first target for her is the WSB Fillies Guineas.

She will be an interesting contender in the Grade 1 Woolavington 2000, considering she is by Trippi stallion Gold Standard and is a half-sister to the useful stayer Silver Host, who has won three Grade 3s from 1800m up to 2500m and has also won a Listed race over 2400m.

Bass-Robinson said she would only bring feature horses and none for ordinary races, because Cape Racing’s new look program will cater well for the latter types this winter.    

She was not sure whether the promising two-year-old Winter Cloud, who is a full-sister to the top class Clouds Unfold, would be on the float.   

Meanwhile, Charles Dickens, whose only two defeats in eight starts have been narrow ones in the Grade 1 L’Ormarins King’s PLate and the Grade1 SplashOut Cape Derby respectively, has gone to the top of the points table on the Equus Horse Of The Year log.

His closest rival is Jet Dark, who has been retired, so Charles Dickens has a good chance of holding on.  

4Racing and Gold Circle reach interim agreement to air KwaZulu-Natal content on Racing 240

Johannesburg, 2 March 2022

4Racing and Gold Circle would like to advise that they have reached an interim agreement that KwaZulu-Natal racing will be available on Racing 240 with immediate effect.

The parties are committed to continuing their engagements to conclude an equitable and sustainable long-term agreement for a unified broadcast platform, for the benefit of the South African horseracing industry.

For any media inquiries contact Jermaine Craig at JermaineC@4racing.com or on 0832010121.

David Thiselton

Competition between operators in South Africa might have inadvertently led to a brighter outlook for the owner and breeder as they and their sponsors have driven stakes upward in order to attract the best horses to their respective jurisdictions.

SA Champion trainer Justin Snaith said, “I don’t think we have been in a more positive situation for years. We have gone through the hardest time ever in SA racing and the racing operators should be applauded for whatever they have had to do to pick up the pieces. Racing has been the winner at the end of the day.”

Towards the end of last year 4Racing announced a commitment to a total stakes increase from R186 million in 2021 to R207 million in 2022 and an announcement of handsome minimum stakes amounts for feature races.

Snaith said as a response to this commitment many Cape trainers had been set to take strings up to the Highveld at a time they would normally be travelling to KZN.

However, KZN then announced exciting stakes incentives at a glittering ceremony held on February 17 to announce a new Durban July sponsor. 

Gold Circle announced Hollywoodbets as the new sponsor and the two entities, who have been working together for some time to improve racing in KZN, then jointly announced a July stake increase to a record-breaking R5 million. A further R13 million has been injected into minor races and feature races from 1 March – 31 August, meaning a total R16m boost to the KZN stakes pot.

KZN also announced that from 1 March until the end of May 2022 grooms would receive R2000 for each winning horse, an increase of R1000.    

Snaith said the announcement by Gold Circle was sure to have attracted the attention of connections around the country.

He himself will be in KZN for the SA Champions Season which he has supported every year for the past 22 years.

He said the only negative in SA racing at present remains the export situation and he reiterated, “They would like me to send a horse to the USA but it takes me two weeks to get a horse from the Eastern Cape to Cape Town. They have to sit for two weeks in quarantine even if they return a negative PCR test. The horses we buy at the sales in other provinces will have to sit in quarantine halfway back to Cape Town before being allowed to go to their pre-racing centres. The question I have for the experts is, how is all of this seen to be ‘moving forward’.”

Snaith called his Grade 1 R1 million Jonsson Workwear Cape Derby winner Pomp And Power a “smart little horse” and added, “He needed his first run back and hasn’t put a foot wrong since.”

He revealed he had battled to book a rider for the Derby and divulged that Richard Fourie’s agent had said he was waiting “to see what else he could get” when initially offered the ride and had only accepted some time later.

Fourie was confident the son of Vercingetorix would stay and suggested a “happy bit” to try and help him settle. Fourie then surprised all and sundry by reining him back into midfield after a good break as everybody had expected him to lead. Pomp And Power proved himself to not be one-dimensional and ran on strongly in the straight to win easily.

He has only been given a 118 merit rating which will allow the connections an opportunity of targeting the Hollywoodbets Durban July by avoiding the classics and protecting his July weight. The route he takes is yet to be decided by the connections but he has not surprisingly been scratched from Saturday’s Grade 1 WSB SA Classic at Turffontein.

Pomp And Power gave Vercingetorix a third individual Grade 1 winner and saw him increase his lead in the national Sires Championship to just over R600,000 from reigning champion Gimmethegreenlight, whose son Cosmic Highway won one of the main supporting features, the R600,000 Grade 2 Khaya Stables Diadem Stakes 

Snaith was disappointed by the well beaten third of the favourite Double Superlative and said, “His Met run seemed to have flattened him. It was tempting to go for the Derby, but maybe it was the wrong call.”

He predicted a big future for the runner up, the Adam Marcus-trained Universal who had to do it the hard way in front, and called him “impressive”.

Snaith had one other winner on the day, his four-year-old Dynasty gelding Salvator Mundi winning the Listed Kenilworth Cup over 3200m.

In the Grade 2 Prix du Cap, won easily by the Adam Marcus-trained Princess Calla, he finished second with Rain In Newmarket (Kingsbarns) and said, “I couldn’t be happier with her and she has now finished second to two top horses, Marina and Princess Calla, but I’m not sure of her route because it will be hard to find races for a four-year-old filly of her class other than in the Grade 1s.”

He was disappointed with Rio Querari’s third place in the Diadem and said,  “He never traveled and was tailed off. He kicked but he has had some issues and an ordinary summer and I am going to have to change something.”

He said the reigning Equus Champion Sprinter was unlikely at this stage to defend his Computaform Sprint title.

He added if horses who had run at Hollywoodbets Greyville before were not allowed a gallop there it would be a detractor to Rio Querari going to KZN.

However, he concluded by saying all horses are checked for soundness and weighed after races to see where they are and it is taken from there.

The Durban July, internationally acknowledged as Africa’s Greatest Horseracing Event, has a new sponsor after the withdrawal of Vodacom. This year’s event will be sponsored by South Africa’s leading Sportsbook operator Hollywoodbets with effect from the 2022 renewal on Saturday 2 July.

The race also gets a 250% prize increase and will carry a stake of R5 million.

Hollywoodbets thus join Rothmans and Vodacom as only the third sponsor of the great race in
59 years.

The Hollywoodbets Durban July is the flagship event on the East Coast’s KZN Champion Season
roster, which will also be the recipient of a R13 million stakes injection. The increase in prize money for South Africa’s preeminent racing season will apply to both feature and minor races from 1 March to the end of the racing season.

In recognition of the vital role played by grooms in the racing industry, Hollywoodbets and Gold
Circle simultaneously announced an increase in the awards for the Grooms of winning horses
from R1 000 to R2 000 per race, for the months of March, April and May.

David Thiselton

Turffontein Inside stages a nine race meeting today and it is clear that three-and-half weeks into spring a better class of horse is being reintroduced. 

The highest rated race on the card is a MR 104 handicap over 1600m and Matterhorn is an interesting runner here. This Marchfield gelding gave the star filly She’s A Keeper 4kg and lost by just 0,90 lengths in the Grade 2 WSB 1900 but due to the conditions of the race he could not be raised so he is potentially well handicapped at present off a 101. He was good enough to be given a berth in the Vodacom Durban July and although this race will be on the sharp side he is well drawn, travels in a nice relaxed way in his races and has a good turn of foot so he could go close here running fresh. Ndlamu loves this course and distance and should also be involved in the finish, although he does have a tricky draw of six out of ten considering he is a handy type. Dr Doolittle has a fine record in handicaps with three wins and two seconds in five starts and his last win over 1800m was with 62kg on his back. He carries 62kg again here off a four point higher mark and has a tricky draw considering his handy style and the trip will be sharper than ideal too. However, his class might be telling and the Paul Peter yard are out in front in the championship so he is hard to ignore. Stablemate Green Haze is usually thereabouts but on jockey bookings looks to be the second choice. Full Mast has won once and finished second twice in five starts over this course and distance and showed a form return in his last two starts so he is a player from a plum draw with Khumalo up. Stone Cold is back to his winning mark and has snuck into the handicap with the minimum weight so is also a runner in this open contest. Kingsley’s Heart is better than his last run but has a tough draw. Leopold is capable over this trip but has a tough draw. Marchingontogether is off form but represents a new yard, although the trip will be on the sharp side. Alibi Guy won is first three starts but a one year layoff followed and he now returns from another one year layoff.             

A MR 94 handicap over 1200m is also full of interest and Grappler makes appeal having his third run after a layoff over a step up in trip he will relish. He has always struck as one who would come into his own with age so could have a good season. The talented Super Excited finished strongly last time to win over this course and distance and can overcome a six point raise but he does have a tougher draw this time. Topweight Captain Hindsight is in with a shout from a plum draw of two over a suitable trip. Three-year-old Prince Of Fire is unbeaten in two starts and although officially 1kg under sufferance he looks progressive so would not be a surprise winner from pole position. Sea Virescent is well regarded and has plenty of scope so is another who would not be a surprising winner and his number six draw should not be too much of a problem as he is capable of a strong finish. The form of his last win is not the greatest but he might have needed that run slightly. Bowie’s last win was over 1160m and this consistent sort can earn again although as a handy sort a wide draw makes it tough.