A premier stamina test headlines the season finale at Greyville.
Greyville racecourse will host the Gold Cup on Sunday. Picture: Gerhard Duraan/Gallo Images
The Gold Cup in Durban was once known as the “punters’ graveyard” for serving up shock results whenever the country’s best stamina horses battled it out around 3200m of Greyville’s triangular circuit.
Infamous shock winners included Rack And Ruin, Sciantiso, Stateway and Milleverof – names that still send a quiet shudder through the ageing betting public.
The “roughie” tendency has eased in recent years, but Dynasty’s Blossom (14-1 in 2019), Paths Of Victory (18-1 in 2020) and even Master Redoute (14-1 in 2024) will remind bettors to cast an eye over the longer shots as they compile their bets for the 2026 meeting on Sunday.
However, most pundits are confident that the outright favourite will prevail in the World Pool Gold Cup this time. That is defending champion King Pelles, who was a red-hot 1.67 in the market this week. Indeed, many Pick 6 players will be bankering the Gavin van Zyl-trained five-year-old as he looks the best bet in a difficult exotic.
The magnificently pedigreed King Pelles won at 2.50 last year, but he looks a sharper horse a year on, having been trained and campaigned over shorter distances to build speed up for his recent Hollywoodbets Durban July attempt – which saw him finish a much-hailed third, just 1.55 lengths behind winner Note To Self, to whom he conceded 3kg.
The Pick 6 offering is once again the pot of gold tempting punters at a big meeting – the final one of the South African 2025/26 racing season and an appropriate finale that features the premier equine marathon alongside nine other feature races.
The Pick 6 pool is set to top R8-million, while the TAB Jackpot 3 should reach R2-million.
Selections
Gold Cup (Race 7)
6 King Pelles (1.67), 3 Enflame (16.67), 11 Master Redoute (8.33), 7 Ahead Of The Facts (3.33)
Champions Cup (Race 8)
3 See It Again (2.27), 1 The Real Prince (2.86), 2 Gladatorian (6.25), 4 Eight On Eighteen (2.00)
Pick 6 (Races 4 to 9)
3,5,6,7 X 1,2,4,5,7,9,14 X 4,11 X 6 X 1,2,4,5,8 (R1,400)
