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.  

TABGOLD customers must please note that with effect from this Tuesday 7th March the minimum bet on commingled pools on USA racing will increase to R19 because of the US Dollar-Rand exchange rate.

Four TABGOLD bet types are currently commingled with USA totes – Win, Place (the American Show pool), Exacta and the Pick 3.

The unit cost of these bet types remains R1, but in all cases the total value of any commingled bet must be at least R19 and thereafter increase in R1 increments. So, you can bet R20, R21 or R25 on individual Win and Place bets, although in the case of eachway bets the incremental increase must be R2 (R1 for each of the Win and Place portions of the bet). Example R19 eachway (R19 Win and R19 Place) for R38 or R20 eachway (R20 Win and R20 Place) for R40.

A single Exacta must be played for R19, but you can bet a 3-horse Exacta Box (six combinations) for R24. In basic terms the total bet cost must be R19 or more and the unit cost R1 or increments thereof.

As of Friday 9th September, the requirement that TABGOLD Rolling Doubles must be taken twice and that the amount bet on the Pick 3 must be a multiple of R2, will fall away.

The unit cost of both bets remains R1 and going forward, a Rolling Double can be played once, while a Pick 3 can be bet at R1 per combination.

Also, from 9th September the minimum amount for online bets only on race meetings in South Africa, Kenya, Mauritius and Zimbabwe, as well as Place Accumulator and Jackpot Quickmixes, will be reduced to R1, provided that in the case of fractional betting the percentage of the bet played is not less than 1%.

The minimum bet amount in retail outlets remains R2 for Swingers and R6 for other horseracing bets.E

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.