All the latest Durban July news

News stories about the 2025 Hollywoodbets Durban July are coming thick and fast as excitement builds for the country’s most famous horse race.

Developments include:

• Two horses were supplementary entrants into the Grade 1, R5-million, 2,200m contest this week.

Musical Score, trained on the Highveld by Lucky Houdalakis, and My Best Shot, trained in Eastern Cape by Alan Greeff, were added to the 49 July early entries remaining after the first declarations stage.

Three-year-old Musical Score popped into the big race reckoning with a nice win in a 1,400m Pinnacle Stakes at Turffontein on Sunday, though Houdalakis warned that the gelding would need to do well in the upcoming 1,800m Jubilee Stakes to make a trip to KwaZulu-Natal worthwhile.

Fellow three-year-old My Best Shot underlined his class when becoming the first horse to claim the daunting Eastern Cape Triple Crown, which involves winning over distances from 1,400m to 2,400m.

Eastern Cape-based runners are a rarity in the July and any increased diversity will be welcomed by racing aficionados.

• Grade 1 winner Fire Attack was the most significant scratching from the July nominations at first declarations stage. The 12-1 ante-post chance had a bruised foot, his trainer Alec Laird reported.

Red Palace, quoted at 25-1 for the July, was another withdrawal – due to a minor training setback, according to the Dean Kannemeyer stable.

Cape Eagle, who disappointed in the WSB 1900 that was won so impressively by his Andre Nel stable companion Selukwe at Greyville on Saturday, was another scratching. The Ultimate King, who at the weekend won a handicap at Turffontein at even money, was also pulled out of the July.

Other notable scratchings were Barbaresco and Without Question.

• Selukwe was hit with an eight-point merit-rating hike for his WSB 1900 victory, taking him to 111 and a likely slot in the final July line-up.

The handicappers made another July hopeful, Narina Trogon, the line horse in assessing the race and left his MR at 106. Fourth placed Okavango, also currently still in the July, was pushed up from 96 to 105.

My Best Shot’s comfortable win in Friday’s East Coast Derby didn’t shift his MR a jot from 111, even though he wasn’t the line horse. The handicappers said his reputation preceded him and they didn’t want his clearly inferior opposition to have their ratings hoisted unrealistically.

• First entries for two important Durban July prep races – the Daily News 2000 and the Woolavington on 24 June – were unveiled, with a number of July candidates involved.

The 13 names for the former event include seven from the stable of national champion Justin Snaith.

Whether the firepower of Snaith’s KZN raiding party scared off the connections of other three-year-olds isn’t clear, but it is a surprise that a so-called outstanding generation is not better represented in a prestige race with a R2-million purse.

Snaith will be expected to dominate with his two-time Grade 1 champ Eight On Eighteen and recent KZN Guineas winner Sail The Seas – both July noms and, strangely, both rated 127.

The main danger to the Snaith juggernaut could be Fabian Habib’s Confederate, winner of the SA Classic at Turffontein.

Mike and Mathew de Kock have entered star filly Spumante Dolce for both races on the day and she has drawn 5 and 7 respectively. It’ll be interesting to see which way they go.

ENTRIES
[draw, name, trainer, MR]

DAILY NEWS 2000 (Grade 1) R2m 2,000m

4 Confederate Fabian Habib 118
10 Eight On Eighteen Justin Snaith 127
3 Field Marshal Frank Robinson 102
1 Gran Canaria Justin Snaith 80
7 Grey Jet Weichong Marwing 108
6 Makazole Justin Snaith 98
2 Native Ruler Justin Snaith 103
0 Okavango Justin Snaith 105
8 On My Honour Glen Kotzen 116
9 Parisian Walkway Alec Laird 121
11 Regulation Justin Snaith 93
12 Sail The Seas Justin Snaith 127
5 Spumante Dolce Mike / Mathew de Kock 117

WOOLAVINGTON 2000 (Grade 2) R500,000 2,000m

13 Beating Wings Stuart Pettigrew 114
1 Celtic Beauty Tony Rivalland 100
10 Destiny Of Fire Mike / Mathew de Kock 90
9 Explosive Bond Paul Matchett 99
20 Gerbera Sean Tarry 99
16 Give Me Everything Dean Kannemeyer 108
4 Hat’s Queen Tony Peter 105
18 Indian Ocean Mano Pandaram 111
8 Little Suzie Justin Snaith 106
17 Mascherina Peter Muscutt 99
19 Miss Platina Tienie Prinsloo 94
12 Miss Scaletta Paul Matchett 102
14 Mocha Blend Frank Robinson 94
11 My Soul Mate Candice Dawson 107
5 One Path Frank Robinson 77
3 Rainbow Lorikeet Candice Bass-Robinson 111
15 Regeneration Robbie Hill 108
7 Spumante Dolce Mike / Mathew de Kock 117
6 Todoque Paul Matchett 100
2 World Of Alice Sean Tarry 108