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The Citizen
28-05-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Eight On Eighteen floating to July winning post
The colt is rated tops but will get weight from all his rivals. Eight On Eighteen winning the Cape Town Met at Kenilworth earlier this year. Picture: Peter Heeger/Gallo Images The phrase 'weighted win' is guaranteed to turn any punter's head. Well, if colt Eight On Eighteen competes in the Hollywoodbets Durban July in six weeks' time, he will be weighted to win – and easily at that. The Justin Snaith-trained prodigy has been given a two-point merit rating rise for his facile victory in the past weekend's Daily News 2000 – from 127 to 129. That's a giddily high number for a three-year-old horse but is justified by three Grade 1 wins in just 10 outings, with a Grade 1 second thrown in, too. It makes him the highest rated of the 48 remaining entries for the July, with five-year-old See It Again in second position on 127. MRs are for determining imposts in handicap races, but the July isn't a pure handicap; it's a 'conditions' race, with a bit of this and a bit of that in terms of make-up. Though the race rules set the top weight at 60kg, they also limit the maximum weight for three-year-olds to 57kg. Theoretically, See It Again will lug 60kg and Eight On Eighteen will have to carry only 57kg, despite his two-point higher MR. Knowledgeable Turf Talk puts this advantage at a nett 4kg. It's 'theoretically' as the line-up for the country's biggest race is a long way from being finalised. Uncertain for July Indeed, Eight On Eighteen's connections have maintained for weeks that their star is by no means a definite July runner. He is hot property value-wise – for racing in the near future and for stud purposes in the long term – and, as Snaith stated on Saturday, the July is always a rough affair with everyone involved hell-bent on getting their names into the history books. 'Committing to the July, we've had a lot of horses go wrong in the race,' said Snaith after Saturday's Daily News 2000 at Greyville in Durban. 'It's the most interesting race in South Africa as, when the starting stalls open, the jockeys completely lose their heads and their brains. Its importance, history … there's so much at play in a race like that and you also have to think about his wellbeing. It's a decision that will be made a little later, but when you have a horse of this ability it's very hard not to go for a race like that. We will put it all in and make the call.' Many a racing fan would lay short odds on owners Nick Jonsson and Johan Rupert going for it. The two gentlemen are in the game for the thrills and there's no bigger thrill than winning a July. Durban July odds In terms of laying odds, July sponsors Hollywoodbets have chopped Eight On Eighteen's big-race ante-post odds by half – from 5-1 last week to 5-2. July defending champion and second favourite Oriental Charm has eased from 6-1 to 7-1. In adjusting merit ratings after Saturday's Daily News 2000, the handicappers made runner-up Spumante Dolce their line horse, keeping her rating at 117. Okavango, who finished third, was pushed up sharply from 105 to 120, having finished 0.25 lengths behind Spumante Dolce while conceding 2.5kg in weight. Native Ruler, who finished 0.3 lengths behind Okavango, also got a big bump: 103 to 119. Little Suzie, winner of the Tote Woolavington 2000 – also for Snaith – had her rating raised from 106 to 108.
IOL News
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- IOL News
The favourite horses and jockeys you should pay attention to at the Durban July
Key horses and jockeys to watch out for at the Hollywoodbets Durban July, Image: Supplied Image: Supplied Horse racing fans in South Africa and other parts of the world will soon have access to the Hollywoodbets Durban July. The latter is one of the most intriguing horse racing competitions of the year, so it's not surprising that there will be loads of top-tier jockeys and horses. Speaking of the horses, as well as jockeys, Efirbet News will look at all of the Hollywoodbets Durban July 1st favourites. The names you are about to see are in a better position to win than the rest, and the whole industry seems to agree. Even though they do not know the names of the participants yet, the team at Efirbet News researched a lot and concluded that it is very likely to come across a few specific jockeys. It is yet to see if they will take part in the competition, but let's go through each one. Horses Aside from the most recent results, some horses perform really well at events similar to the Durban July. Following Efirbet News' research and analysis, here are the horses that they think will shine. Eight on Eighteen and Richard Fourie Eight on Eighteen is a thoroughbred horse born in South Africa in 2021. It is one of the first entries in the Hollywoodbets Durban July 1st race that you should pay attention to. Trained by Justin Snaith, this talented horse has made 9 starts so far, achieving an impressive 4 wins and 5 placings. Notably, Eight on Eighteen has claimed victory in two prestigious Grade 1 races—the Cape Town Met in January 2025 and the SplashOut Cape Derby—securing a remarkable double at the highest level of competition. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading Checking some of the horse's recent stats, you will see he has excellent chances of winning. Of course, we will have to wait and see if this will be the case. Considering who is the jockey, however, we can definitely expect this horse to dominate. Eight of Eighteen is ridden by Richard Fourie. He is one of the first names that fans expect to see at the Durban July horse racing event. It's safe to say that he is one of the best when it comes to this race. Fourie has achieved impressive results so far and definitely has what it takes to do it again. Fourie is a South African jockey with an impressive career behind his back. After making his first appearance in 2001, he has slowly but steadily made a name for himself as one of the best in this sport. Born in 1985, Fourie will be one of the most experienced jockeys at the Durban July 2025 race in South Africa. Assuming he attends the competitions, fans will get the chance to watch one of the best in action. Oriental Charm and JP van der Merwe Oriental Charm is the next favourite for this Year's Durban July Race that you should pay close attention to. Many experts and fans alike believe that he is in the same position as Eight of Eighteen, so it's definitely an option to consider. While its overall stats are not as striking as those of Eight on Eighteen, Oriental Charm has proven its quality on the biggest stages. On July 6, 2024, he secured the most prestigious victory in the Hollywoodbets Durban July, outpacing legendary horses such as Green with Envy, Royal Victory, and See it Again. Moreover, on January 25, 2025, Oriental Charm finished a close second in the WSB Cape Town Met (Grade 1), with just half a length behind the winner Eight on Eighteen. With that said, Oriental Charm has what it takes to take the lead once again, and we believe it's one of the names you should keep a close eye on. The person who will do what he can to win with Orientam Charm is JP van der Merwe. Everyone who followed the 2024 Durban July knows that JP van der Merwe was in a league of his own. He won one of the most important races in South Africa after riding Oriental Charm. Considering his results, we definitely expect to see the reigning champion back in action. Those who follow the horse racing scene probably remember the events a few months ago. Some jockeys protested in March during the Hollywoodbets Durbanville, and some got in trouble. JP van der Merwe was one of them because he was fined for his actions. Legend of Arthur and Richard Fourie Born in South Africa in 2021, Legend of Arthur is another of the Hollywoodbets Durban July 1st favourites. Sean Tarry is the person behind the horse's training, and he is responsible for its success. Speaking of the devil, the horse has 10 starts so far and secured 3 wins and 4 placings. Considering Legend of Arthur's age, it's no surprise he is one of the main favourites to win the race. However, age is not the only thing that you need to consider. A major highlight in Legend of Arthur's career is his victory in the Grade 1 SA Derby on April 5, 2025, at Turffontein Racecourse. This win proves he can handle top-tier competition, and despite the strong field expected for the Durban July, he has real chances to secure a victory. The analysis also reveals that the horse is in a good streak compared to some of the names on the list. An interesting fact is that Richard Fourie is also the person who usually rides the Legend of Arthur. We already mentioned this name when talking about Eight of Eighteen, so it will be interesting to see if we will see him on the back of this or the other horse. The last time Fourie and the Legend of Arthur completed was on March 29, 2025. Read the Efirbet News Article to see the whole chart and gather all the essentials about the upcoming Durban July edition - the finest mix between sports, fashion and entertainment.
The Citizen
19-05-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Snaith sextet top entries for Daily News 2000
Two-time Grade 1 winner Eight On Eighteen heads up field for R2m race. Runners from the Justin Snaith stable dominate the entry for the Grade 1 Daily News 2000 at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Saturday. There are 11 runners entered in the R2-million race for three-year-olds and six of them come from Snaith Racing. Of course, leading the sextet is Cape Town Met and Cape Derby winner Eight On Eighteen, who is likely to go off as a hot favourite for this race. The Lancaster Bomber colt had a perfect warm-up for this race when finishing a 0.60-length second behind stable companion Sail The Seas in the Grade 2 WSB Guineas over 1600m at this course. Interestingly, Snaith has already declared three of his runners for the race and other than Eight On Eighteen, he has Native Ruler with JP van der Merwe up and Makazole, to be ridden by Andrew Fortune. Once again, Richard Fourie will be on Eight On Eighteen. ALSO READ: Callan puts Dave back on throne Another runner of interest is Fabian Habib-trained Confederate, who has not been seen in action since winning the Grade 2-1 SA Classic over 1800m at Turffontein on 1 March. He kept going resolutely to hold off Fire Attack, who went on to win the Grade 1 Premier's Champion Challenge four weeks later, by 0.70 lengths. Also run at the meeting will be the Grade 2 Tote Woolavington 2000, which is no longer restricted to three-year-olds and is open to all fillies and mares. Spumante Dolce, winner of the Grade 2 Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas, has been entered to run in both races and it will be interesting to see which of the two trainers Mike and Mathew de Kock choose. This race has got a strong entry of 19 runners so that should be quite a competitive event. ALSO READ: Local jockeys good enough for world league Entries for the R2-million Daily News 2000 (Grade 1) over 2000m 5 CONFEDERATE (F P Habib) 60.0 11 EIGHT ON EIGHTEEN (J S Snaith) 60.0 4 FIELD MARSHAL (F Robinson) 60.0 2 GRAN CANARIA (J S Snaith) 60.0 7 MAKAZOLE (J S Snaith) 60.0 3 NATIVE RULER (J S Snaith) 60.0 1 OKAVANGO (J S Snaith) 60.0 9 ON MY HONOUR (G S Kotzen) 60.0 10 PARISIAN WALKWAY (A G Laird) 60.0 12 REGULATION (J S Snaith) 60.0 6 SPUMANTE DOLCE (M/M de Kock) 57.5 Entries for the R500,000 Tote Woolavington 2000 (Grade 2) (Fillies & Mares) over 2000m
