DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA - JULY 05: Jockey Craig Zackey celebrates with The Real Prince after winning the Hollywoodbets Durban July at Greyville Racecourse on July 05, 2025 in Durban, South Africa. (Photo by Darren Stewart/Gallo Images)
Forty-four horses are still in the running for a starting spot in the R10-million Hollywoodbets Durban July after Monday’s first declaration stage.
Of the 63 original entries, 19 were withdrawn by connections who decided it wasn’t worth their while to pay a non-refundable R4,800 fee nearly two months ahead of South Africa’s premier horse race.
There weren’t any major shocks at the 11am cut-off, with Mike and Mathew de Kock’s Gauteng Guineas winner Splitheeights the best fancied name among the scratchings.
Champion trainer Justin Snaith pulled out just one of his 10 entries – four-year-old gelding Great Plains – from the 2200m contest at Greyville on 4 July.
The top five candidates in the race sponsor’s ante-post market are all from the Snaith stable: See It Again, Wish List, Okavango, Eight On Eighteen and Note To Self.
The latter three finished 1,2,3 respectively in a 1600m Conditions Plate at Greyville on Saturday, with Snaith commenting afterwards that it had been an orientation exercise for th two placed runners – and he was pleased with the performances.
Another winner on Saturday, Peter Muscutt-trained Isivivane – who impressed in landing the WSB 1900, one of the most-eagerly-watched Durban July pointers – is among the 44 who stood their ground.
Muscutt said the lightly raced four-year-old would not compete again before the big race as he had already qualified for the line-up – with a likely handy galloping weight.
Isivivane could have been claimed at 60-1 before the weekend but was chopped to 25-1 after showing a decent turn-of-foot down the Greyville stretch to edge out other July hopefuls Regulation, Trust and The Ultimate King.
Notable moves at the top of the betting board saw Eight On Eighteen and Note To Self join their stablemate See It Again as joint favourites at 6-1. Okavango, who was all heart in beating those two, eased slightly from 10-1 to 12-1. Wish List is the fourth name on the list at 8-1.
Regulation, also trained by Snaith, tightened to 14-1 from 16s after an eye-catching late charge behind Isivivane.
Operator Race Coast will publish the first of its series of Durban July logs this week, reflecting current thinking of the selectors about the final line-up.
Second declarations are due on 8 June, weights on 15 June and final declarations on the 22nd. The final field will be announced on June 23 and public gallops held on the 25th.
