Early birds to score at Vaal
Punters will have to contend with a competitive 10-race card on the Vaal Classic track on Thursday, with a number of low-level handicaps on the day.
However, there look to be some decent opportunities early on the card for racing fans to build up a kitty. This Pick 6 appears to be quite tricky but the rewards will be great for anybody who can catch it.
In Race 2, Tony Peter-trained Mighty Eagle and Alec Laird's runner Tenjiku square off over 1500m after recent victories over slightly shorter distances.
The former, a Danon Platina colt ridden by Gavin Lerena, won by four lengths in open company last time over 1450m and could have more to offer over the extended trip against two-year-old opposition.
Tenjiku, on the other hand, beat Whispering Death last time and that has turned out to be a very strong form line. Since then Mike and Mathew de Kock-trained Whispering Death has gone on to win twice and once again that form has been franked. He was sent off a 4-10 favourite after that second on debut and beat Chronicle King, a winner of his next start by 2.25 lengths.
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Whispering Death, a half-brother to Grade 1 SA Derby winner Aragosta and six-time winner Mrs Browning, went on to win his next start as well, going off at 4-10 in that field over 1600m and beating Ideal Summer by 2.40 lengths. Even that form was franked as the Alec Laird-trained runner-up went on to win his next start by 3.25 lengths.
For the record, Whispering Death is among the entries for the Grade 1 Gold Medallion over 1200m at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on 31 May.
Laird has a good line of form through Ideal Summer and that should make Tenjiku very hard to beat.
In Race 3, a Maiden Plate for fillies and mares over 1800m, Mike and Adam Azzie send out three-year-old World Tour. This daughter of One World has run four times, and there was a lot to like about her last run when third behind City Lights.
It was her first attempt at 1800m and she did suffer some interference at the start, so it was a promising effort. World Tour is a half-sister to Sheela, a six-time winner from four 12 starts, also trained by the Azzies. Diego de Gouveia took the ride last time and he will be back on board this time.
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The Azzies could also be in on the mark in Race 10, a MR 66 Handicap over 1000m, where they send out promising two-year-old and last-start scorer One Tiger. The One World colt opened his account at just his second time of asking and should improve appreciably with race experience, especially with blinkers fitted for the first time.
He makes his handicap debut and looks good value to get the better of his older hard-knocking rivals. The father-and-son training team have engaged Craig Zackey to take the ride.
Value Bet of the day could lie with James Crawford-trained Sorceress Supreme in Race 8, a MR 96 Handicap over 1000m. The last seven of her eight races have been in a feature race company and this three-year-old daughter of Erupt takes a drop in class for the first time in quite a while.
While her recent form has not been all that encouraging, her last start, which was in the Grade 3 Poinsettia Stakes over 1200m at Hollywoodbets Scottsville, saw her finish just 3.20 lengths behind Mai Sensation. That form looks strong enough to make her a contender in this field.
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The Citizen
09-07-2025
- The Citizen
Handicappers S.M.I.L.E. on July champ
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- IOL News
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Eight of Eighteen is the favourite to take top honours at this weekend's running of the Durban July at Greyville Racecourse. In an update, See It Again has been scratched and has been replaced by reserve Litigation. All eyes will be on the three-year-old colt, trained by Justin Snaith and ridden by champion jockey Richard Fourie, as he heads into the R5 million Durban July on the back of some impressive results. Eight of Eighteen, who comes in at 14/10 to win on Saturday, came out tops at the prestigious Cape Town Met in January, and again at the SplashOut Cape Derby a month later. And for good measure, the young colt was also victorious in the Daily News 2000 in Durban. Sail The Seas, the only horse to beat Eight of Eighteen this year, will not be in Durban. Oriental Charm, the winner from last year, is expected to give Eight of Eighteen a run for his money, coming in at 11/2 to take top honours.
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Numbers add up to Eight On Eighteen for Durban July
The favourite is likely to win, but there are no certainties in the Durban July. Logic, rationality and plain common sense tell us Eight On Eighteen will win the R5-million Hollywoodbets Durban July on Saturday 5 July. If Eight On Eighteen runs to his true ability; if he doesn't get badly hampered by other runners while navigating 2200m around Greyville; and if – as experts expect – he makes light of a relatively hefty 57kg weight against the best older horses in the country, he should win the 129th edition of South Africa's biggest horse race and justify his hot favouritism. But there are those ifs – and maybe more lurking. And some buts. Uncertainty and intrigue are the lifeblood of racing. There'll be people who tip and back other runners, yet they'll be relying not on cold, hard logic but on hunches, dreams, lucky numbers and the throwing of bones. The case for Eight On Eighteen · Of 10 starts as a two- and three-year-old, he has won five, including three Grade 1s, and has never finished out of the first three. · All three Grade 1 wins have been over 2000m, so the July's extra 200m will be no issue. His pedigree has both stamina and speed. · He won the prestigious Cape Town Met, unusually as a three-year-old in open company. · In his final prep race for the July, the Daily News 2000 at Greyville, he blew away his rivals with a jaw-dropping turn of speed in the final two furlongs. · Trainer Justin Snaith said after that race, 'The frightening thing is that there is so much still left in the tank!' After the Met and Cape Derby triumphs, months earlier, Snaith informed us that his charge then was fairly immature. · Regular jockey and reigning champion Richard Fourie recently said the colt was one of the three best horses he'd ridden. Snaith Racing's regular work rider Andrew Fortune – who has been in a few saddles in his 58 years – reckons Eight On Eighteen is nigh unbeatable. · The quality of the 2025 Hollywoodbets Durban July opposition might not be exactly moderate but is not exceptional. The ifs and buts: · Eight On Eighteen carried 54kg to victory against older horses in the Met. The extra 3kg raises a small question mark. The last five July winners have carried 53kg-53.5kg. · The Durban July is a notoriously rough and chaotic race, thanks to its glorious history and status. Snaith wryly notes, 'All the jockeys lose their heads from the very start and anything can happen!' · While some clever people reckon a draw in the middle of the field of 18 is ideal, others aren't convinced and believe Eight On Eighteen's No 11 gate is a tad wide and could see him shuffled back towards the rear of the field, out of the firing line, during the early frenzied charge. · A number of other runners are relatively unexposed in this elite company but will have been quietly revved up in hopes of a mighty effort – and a mighty surprise – on the big day. There is almost always a surprise or two among the top six July finishers. Other contenders The challenge is to find them. Selukwe is a late developer who has come into his own since transferring from trainer Andre Nel's Cape West Coast base to his satellite yard in KwaZulu-Natal. The five-year-old has shown superb speed down the short Greyville straight, notably in his last (and best) showing when he landed the Grade 3 Greyville 1900 by flashing past all rivals in the last stretch. Nel looks confident, as does devoted rider Serino Moodley. Draw No 6 has something to do with that. Atticus Finch won the Summer Cup on home turf at Turffontein but then lost his mojo with a trip to Cape Town for the summer season. After a break, he has shown signs of a return to form. Draw No 4 is a big help, while veteran trainer Alec Laird knows exactly what it takes to win the big one. Can Oriental Charm win again? Defending champion Oriental Charm is a tenacious front-runner and seldom delivers a sub-par performance. This year's burden of 60kg is a different proposition to the 53kg of 2024, but the four-year-old's obvious class and the magic preparatory touch of young trainer James Crawford make him impossible to ignore. Among the three-year-old contenders, Fabian Habib-trained Confederate probably carries the most credentials with a Grade 1 win in the SA Classic at Turffontein and a record of never being out of the first two in nine starts. Former dual champion jockey and current New Zealand champion Warren Kennedy has made the long flight back to his hometown to try and win his first July on Confederate. Such long-distance commitment – and perhaps a new sense of detachment – suggest Kennedy isn't one of the riders losing his head. Other young horses who fit the much-desired up-and-coming, lightly weighted July profile include Immediate Edge, On My Honour and My Best Shot – and none of them would be a completely shocking winner. The latter is very much a 'dark horse', coming from the supposed racing backwater of Eastern Cape racing, but has a very capable trainer in Alan Greeff and should not be left out of wider bet combinations. Selection for Saturday's Hollywoodbets Durban July 11 Eight On Eighteen 6 Selukwe 14 Confederate 1 Oriental Charm
