Hollywoodbets Durban July (Group 1)

THE reigning SA champion trainer Justin Snaith and jockey Richard Fourie combined for their fourth success together in South Africa’s greatest race, the Grade 1 Durban July at Greyville last Saturday.

The Varsfontein Stud-bred three-year-old Note To Self stormed to victory in a thrilling 1-2 finish for the yard and owners Nancy Hossack and Jonathan Bloch in a record-setting renewal of the R10 million race as Hollywoodbets marked their fifth year of sponsorship, with the winning connections pocketing a cool R6 million.

The winner is very much a South African-bred, a son of Futura who was by Dynasty. He had only finished third when favourite in the Grade 1 Daily News 2000 in May. The winner there and mid-week favourite for the Durban July, Star Major, was scratched just four days before the race.

“He’s an unassuming baby. He walks like a leopard. There were people who asked what he’d done up till now. And his Daily News run was all wrong. He had a temperature for two days after. We weren’t sure if this was a year too soon. As it turned out, it wasn’t,” said Justin Snaith, celebrating his sixth success in the July after two of his five runners had the 50,000 crowd on their feet. Racing for the line to bank the largest graded stakes winning prize in history on African soil.

Richard Fourie had taken the bull by the horns and circled his field on Note To Self three furlongs out in a bold bid for victory, while veteran Andrew Fortune looked poised to rewrite the history books at the age of 59, as Wish List cruised into the lead after the two-furlong marker. But Note To Self was stronger at the finish as Wish List took second place, while King Pelles rounded out the placings.

The other Grade 1 on the card, the Ridgemont Garden Province Stakes for fillies and mares, saw the top three in the betting involved in the finish. It was the Vercingetorix filly Quickstepgal who came home in front from Mon Petit Cherie, with Justin Snaith’s short-priced Double Grand Slam favourite in third. The length and a quarter winner was partnered by Keagan De Melo for trainer Marthinus Nicolas Prinsloo.