The Hollywoodbets Durban July Handicap is a South African

Thoroughbred horse race Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...

held annually on the first Saturday of July since 1897 at

Greyville Racecourse Greyville Racecourse is a Thoroughbred horse race track in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The 2,800 metre pear-shaped turf track consists of several gradient features: it is run uphill from the 2,400 metre mark to the 1,800 m ...

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is locate ...

. Raced on

turf Sod, also known as turf, is the upper layer of soil with the grass growing on it that is often harvested into rolls. In Australian and British English, sod is more commonly known as ''turf'', and the word "sod" is limited mainly to agricultu ...

, the Durban July Handicap is open to horses of all ages. It is South Africa's premier horse racing event and currently offers a purse of R5 million First held in July 1897 at a distance of 1 mile (approx 1600m), the distance was modified several times until 1970 when it was changed to its current 2200 meters (11

furlong A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one eighth of a mile, equivalent to 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains or approximately 201 metres. It is now mostly confined to use in hors ...

s).

Field for 2022

Below is the final field for the 2022 Hollywoodbets Durban July to be run at

Hollywoodbets Hollywoodbets is a sports betting company based in South Africa. It is also known as Hollywood Sportsbook. It currently operates in South Africa, Mozambique, Ireland and the United Kingdom. The company offers betting via its website, mobisite, ...

Greyville racecourse Greyville Racecourse is a Thoroughbred horse race track in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The 2,800 metre pear-shaped turf track consists of several gradient features: it is run uphill from the 2,400 metre mark to the 1,800 m ...

on Saturday 2nd July, Race 7, 16h00. Should a horse be scratched early, then the reserve runner will take up the barrier position of the scratched horse.

Records

Only five horses have ever won the Durban July Handicap back-to-back. * Campanajo (1897, 1898) * Corriecrian (1907, 1908)
Milesia Pride (1949, 1950)
* El Picha (1999, 2000) * Do It Again (2018, 2019) Another horse named Pamphlet won twice in 1918 and 1920 There are three horses with the most runs in the Vodacom Durban July: * Gondolier: Ran 5 races, finally winning the race in 1985 * Beau Art: Ran 5 races and placed first in 1980 * Flaming Rock won his first Durban July in 1991 and then ran in the race 3 times more before retiring. Most wins by a trainer: *

Sydney C. Laird Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountains ...

- 7 : (1961, 1963, 1966, 1967, 1971, 1973, 1978) * Terence M. Millard - 6 : (1983, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990) Trainer F. Murray won the race four years in a row from 1910 through 1913. Most wins by a jockey: * 5 : Anton Marcus (1993, 2000, 2005, 2007, 2018) * 4 :
Harold "Tiger" Wright
- (1942, 1947, 1949, 1955),

Anthony Delpech Anthony Delpech (born 10 February 1969 in the Seychelles) is a thoroughbred horse racing jockey who competes internationally. Delpech's family moved to Durban, South Africa when he was thirteen years old and it was there that he embarked on a ca ...

(1998, 2004, 2010, 2011) Piere Strydom (2016,2012, 2001, 1996) * 3 : Bertie Hayden (1971, 1973, 1978),

Felix Coetzee Felix Coetzee (born 7 March 1959 in Durban, Natal Province, Union of South Africa) is a South African three-time champion jockey in thoroughbred horse racing. Felix Coetzee is the son of a KwaZulu-Natal trainer and his grandfather was an ow ...

(1984, 1988, 1990), Richard Fourie (2014, 2019, 2020) Of note to

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

n racing fans, the 1963 race was won by Colorado King who subsequently raced in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

and won the 1964

Hollywood Gold Cup The Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes is a Grade I American thoroughbred horse race for horses age three and older over a distance of miles on the dirt held at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California in May. The race currently offers a purse of $400,000. ...

plus set a World Record for nine furlongs in winning the

American Handicap The American Stakes is a Grade III American thoroughbred horse race for horses age three and older over a distance of one mile on the turf track held at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California in June. The race currently offers a purse of $100, ...

Hollywood Park Racetrack Hollywood Park was a thoroughbred race course located in Inglewood, California, about 3 miles (5 km) from Los Angeles International Airport and adjacent to the Forum indoor arena. In 1994, the original Hollywood Park Casino was added to the ...

. As well, the 2002 winner, Ipi Tombe, became the first horse bred in

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

to ever win a race at historic

Churchill Downs Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex located on Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, famed for hosting the annual Kentucky Derby. It officially opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was ...

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

. In 2013, S'manga Khumalo became the first black African jockey to win the Vodacom Durban July when riding Heavy Metal to victory for trainer Sean Tarry. In 2017, Candice Bass-Robinson became the first female trainer to win the Vodacom Durban July following the victory of Marinaresco. In 2021, Michelle Rix, along with her father Harold Crawford, became the second female trainer with the victory by Kommetdieding. In 2021, Ashwin Reynolds became the first owner of colour to own a Vodacom Durban July winner following the victory of Kommetdieding.

Winners of the Durban July Handicap since 1978

Winners from 1897 to 2021

References

Website for the Durban July

SAHorseRacing.com
{{Authority control Horse races in South Africa Open middle distance horse races Recurring sporting events established in 1897 Winter events in South Africa