Latest news with #MusicalScore
The Citizen
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Citizen
Durban July prospects reduced to 29
Eight On Eighteen is still in after the second declaration stage. Favourite Eight on Eighteen was among 29 names remaining after the 2025 Hollywoodbets Durban July second declaration stage on Monday. The colt's connections have been umming and ahh-ing about his participation in South Africa's biggest race, to be run at Greyville in less than a month's time, but the magic lure of the July will probably see him take his place. Among the more surprising withdrawals from the July entries was Olivia's Way, who ran a cracking second in the 1800m Jubilee Handicap at Turffontein on Sunday – the last chance saloon for Joburg-based hopefuls. The flying filly was only headed by colt Immediate Edge, who rocketed into serious July reckoning with a commanding performance. Also scratched were Musical Score, Let's Go Now, Navajo Nation and Infinite Wonder – all unplaced in the Jubilee. Still in the running Among those standing their ground for the July was The Equator, the well-pedigreed Irish import, who was carded for the Jubilee but fell foul of pre-race total carbon dioxide (TCO2) testing and removed from the race. This situation is primed for controversy, given a costly purchase, contention over TCO2 tests, trainer Tony Peter's battles with stipes, a lack of further suitable proving races for The Equator and the fact that the July field is selected subjectively by a panel. Pass the popcorn. An original 61 July entries cut down to 48 at the first declaration stage on 12 May. About 30 of those 48 were in action over the past weekend, after which 19 were excised from the R5-million, Grade 1, 2200m showpiece. Gqeberha trainer Alan Greeff kept his star My Best Shot in the mix after the three-year-old strolled to victory at Fairview on Friday, completing his sixth win in a row and his 10th in 16 starts. Defending champion Oriental Charm In Durban on Saturday, July defending champion Oriental Charm was a mighty impressive runner-up to Dave The King in the Grade 1 Gold Challenge. The 1600m was short of Oriental Charm's best trip, but he showed his wellbeing and distinct liking for the Greyville run-in. Unsurprisingly, trainer James Crawford kept him in the big one. Finishing like a bullet in the Challenge was Gladatorian, who snatched third place in the blanket finish and replenished conditioner Stuart Ferrie's July dreams. See It Again finished fifth in the race, after a sluggish start and hanging, and trainer Michael Roberts might reconsider blinkers when his game old stager tackles his third July. The Cup Trial at Greyville featured 11 July entrants and it was the biggest outsider, 40-1 shot Madison Valley, who leapfrogged his more-favoured rivals and into big-race contention. The July weights will be published on 17 June, final declarations close on 23 June and the final field and draw come out on 24 June.
The Citizen
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Citizen
All the latest Durban July news
East Cape ace My Best Shot joins big race hopefuls. 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
