Staff Reporter
The 130th Hollywoodbets Durban July will be run at Greyville Racecourse on Saturday after a late shake-up to the field removed two runners and brought fresh intrigue to South Africa’s biggest horse racing and fashion event.
The Grade 1 race, run over 2,200 metres, is scheduled for 4pm and carries a R10 million stake, with an 18-horse field set to line up before tens of thousands of racegoers at Durban’s flagship winter sporting event.
The build-up was disrupted this week when Star Major, one of the race’s headline runners, was scratched on Tuesday because of an elevated temperature. The Ultimate King was scratched a day later after being found lame, opening the door for reserve runners Choisaanada and Curious Girl to take their places in the field.
The changes mean Rachel Venniker will ride Choisaanada, while French jockey Mickaelle Michel has been declared for Curious Girl, giving the race two female jockeys.
Venniker became the first woman to ride in the Durban July in 2024. Trainer Justin Snaith, a five-time Durban July winner, remains strongly represented with runners including Wish List, Note To Self and Regulation.
Mike and Mathew de Kock will be represented by Aladdin’s Lamp and Curious Girl, with Mike de Kock seeking a sixth Durban July victory and a first in partnership with his son.
The event is a major tourism and business weekend for Durban, with about 40,000 racegoers expected and an estimated R798 million projected to be injected into the local economy.
eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba said the event “transforms our City into a vibrant hub of economic activity”, with hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, transport operators, retailers, tourism attractions and informal traders expected to benefit.
Municipal teams have also intensified clean-up operations on key routes, public spaces and event precincts ahead of the race, with the city saying the campaign is aimed at keeping Durban clean, safe and welcoming for residents and visitors.
This year’s event is being held under the theme “Country Allure”, which organisers have described as an invitation for racegoers and designers to draw on rural landscapes, equestrian culture and South African style.
Gates open at 9am on Saturday, with the first of 12 races scheduled for 11.45am and the Grade 1 Ridgemont Garden Province Stakes due to follow the main race at 5pm.
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