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All the top guns were among the first entries for this year’s R1.5 million Grade 1 Vodacom Durban July when nominations closed today.

The 52 horses nominated for the showpiece at Hollywoodbets Greyville, included two-time winner of the race Do It Again, who, if he triumphs on Saturday, July 25, will become the first horse in the 123-year history of South African’s most famous race to achieve the treble.

But Justin Snaith’s champion will not be short of opposition should all pan out with Hawwaam, Rainbow Bridge and Vardy also amongst the nominations.

Do It Again has not been out since a disappointing effort in the Sun Met at Kenilworth but put in a pleasing gallop at Hollywoodbets Greyville last Sunday and looks on track for a tilt at his third victory in the race.

A somewhat surprising omission was Sunday’s Grade 2 Wold Sport’s Betting Guineas winner, Wild Coast, but with two further entry dates, Snaith still has opportunity.

Hawwaam, the disappointment last year when scratched at the start, was back in business at Turffontein last Saturday with a convincing win in the Grade 1 HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes. There are export issues to navigate before the race and his participation is not assured. If the European Union protocols are approved, Hawwaam will take his place but if the colt is to be exported via Mauritius he will need to be in quarantine before the race.

Rainbow Bridge, second last year, and second in the Sun Met, has not been seen out since the Met but will be out for revenge and give stalwart owner Mike Rattray the victory in a race he so desperately wants to win.

Stable companion to Rainbow Bridge and Grade 1 Cape Derby winner Golden Ducat, was an eye-catching third in last Sunday’s World Sport’s Betting Guineas and has also been nominated by trainer Eric Sands.

Vardy, a touch disappointing when third in the Grade 2 Independent On Saturday Drill Hall Stakes last Sunday, was a cracking winner of the Grade 1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate and will surely come on from that race after a four-month break from the track.

Marcus has also entered Twist Of Fate, third last year for Joey Ramsden who has since moved to Australia.

An interesting nomination by Dean Kannemeyer who has won this race twice, is KZN Derby winner It’s My Turn, off the track with injury for over a year.

Other notable entries are impressive Independent On Saturday Drill Hall Stakes winner Bunker Hunt and Soqrat.

*5 #kznbreds are entered, highlighted in bold.

First entries for the R 1,500,000  2200m

VODACOM DURBAN JULY (Grade 1) to be

0 ALIBI GUY          Mike de Kock     101     

0 AZORES             Dean Kannemeyer   99     

0 BELGARION          Justin Snaith    113     

0 BORN TO PERFORM    Dennis Bosch      98     

0 BUNKER HUNT        Justin Snaith    124     

0 CAMPHORATUS        R A Hill/S R Hi  111     

0 CAT DADDY          Glen Kotzen      101     

0 CHIJMES            Gary Alexander   120     

0 CORNISH POMODORO   Sean Tarry       102     

0 CROWN TOWERS (AUS) Justin Snaith    109     

0 D’ ARRIVEE         Candice Dawson   106     

0 DIVINE ODYSSEY     J A Janse van V  114     

0 DO IT AGAIN        Justin Snaith    135     

0 DUKE OF SPIN       Mike de Kock     101     

0 EYES WIDE OPEN     Glen Kotzen      116     

0 G G’S DYNASTY      Brett Crawford   103     

0 GOLDEN DUCAT       Eric Sands       110     

0 GOT THE GREENLIGHT Joe Soma         116     

0 HAWWAAM            Mike de Kock     131     

0 HERO’S HONOUR      Gary Alexander   117     

0 HERODOTUS          Glen Kotzen      110     

0 IT’S MY TURN       Dean Kannemeyer  118     

0 LADY OF STEEL      J A Janse van V  111     

0 LEOPOLD            J A Janse van V  108     

0 LIBERTY HALL       Dean Kannemeyer  101     

0 MAGNIFICENT SEVEN  Justin Snaith    114     

0 MAJESTIC MOZART    Candice Bass-Ro  107     

0 MIYABI GOLD        Justin Snaith    115     

0 MORE MAGIC         Candice Bass-Ro  102     

0 NEXUS              Justin Snaith    102     

0 PACK LEADER        Glen Kotzen      114     

0 PADRE PIO          Dennis Bosch     110     

0 PROMISEOFAMASTER   Candice Dawson   104     

0 RAINBOW BRIDGE     Eric Sands       134     

0 RETURN FLIGHT      Sean Tarry       108     

0 ROY HAD ENOUGH (AU Frank Robinson   115     

0 ROY’S RIVIERA (AUS Frank Robinson   111     

0 SACHDEV            Justin Snaith    108     

0 SHANGO             Sean Tarry       118     

0 SILVANO’S PRIDE    Justin Snaith    115     

0 SILVER HOST        Justin Snaith    102     

0 SNAPSCAN           Glen Kotzen      118     

0 SOQRAT (AUS)       Mike de Kock     133     

0 SOVEREIGN SPIRIT   Candice Bass-Ro   95     

0 TIERRA DEL FUEGO   Sean Tarry       124     

0 TREE TUMBO         Sean Tarry        91     

0 TRISTFUL           Tony Rivalland   109     

0 TWIST OF FATE      Adam Marcus      129     

0 VARDY              Adam Marcus      134     

0 VICTORIA PAIGE     Sean Tarry       112     

0 VIKRAM             Andre Nel        100     

0 WESTERN FORT       Paul Peter       108     

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Entries have opened for the KZN Breeders Series of seven races at a stake of R200 000 each, held on KZN Breeders Race Day taking place on Saturday 30 June 2018, and last year saw 700 horses entered for the day.

First entries close on Thursday, 14 December 2017.

The KZN Breeders Series was introduced to reward our owners and trainers who support our local breeders with the purchase of “KZN-bred” horses, by offering an opportunity to win a substantial stake on the day and has been an overwhelming success each year, with our owners and trainers and breeders who enthusiastically support our black and white race day, filling the Durban View Room to capacity.

Please note the supplementary entry dates and fees:

Pre Entries close Thursday, 14 December 2017 at 16:00 Fee: R57 (Fee R50 + Vat R7)
Supplementary Entries close Friday, 20 April 2018 at 16:00 Fee: R2280 (Fee R2000 + Vat R280)
Final Supplementary Entries close Thursday, 14 June 2018 at 11:00 Fee: R11400 (Fee R10000 + Vat R1400)

Download the entry form:

Entry Form KZN Br 2018

The races will all be run over Greyville’s Polytrack, excluding the Million Mile (and excluded from this pre-entry process) which will be run on turf on the KZN Breeders Race Day, taking place.

The KZN Breeders Race Day will see stakes being won for a total of R2,600 000 exclusively for KZN-breds, making it one of the biggest race days on Gold Circle’s calendar.

The KZN Breeders Race Day is restricted to horses that qualify as “KZN-breds” in terms of the KZN Breeders Premium scheme and need to be registered with the KZN Breeders Club.

The breeder must be registered and in turn, the breeder must have registered the horse with the Scheme to be considered for entry as a yearling or two year old (two year olds do incur penalties for late registration). Three year olds may not be registered under any circumstances and in accordance with the rules of the KZN Breeder Premium Scheme.

The race meeting comes the weekend before the KZN Yearling Sale and will give added incentive to prospective buyers to invest in KZN-bred stock – the winners and first three places of each of the KZN Breeders Series of races, in addition to the large winning stake, each receiving a voucher towards the purchase of a KZN-bred yearling at the KZN Yearling Sale a week later.

The seven supporting races will be two races each over 1200m, 1600m and 1900m, one each for fillies and mares and colts and geldings respectively and two juvenile races each for colts and fillies over 1200m. The races will be open to all horses country-wide whose credentials meet the criteria of “KZN-bred” as prescribed by the rules of the KZN Breeders Premium Scheme.

To qualify for the races, points will be awarded in the months leading up to the racemeeting, from 1 January 2018 to Final Acceptance in June 2018. All races run throughout South Africa qualify for point-scoring purposes.

Horses registered at first entry will receive a 4-point bonus but horses supplemented in April and June will not qualify for the bonus.

Points for Maiden races will be awarded on a 4, 3, 2 basis for first, second and third. All other races, including Grade 1’s, will have points awarded from first to fifth on 8, 6, 4, 3, 1 basis.

Points will be awarded regardless of the distance of the races and it will be up to the connections of the horses as to which races they nominate for. The intention is to publish a points log on a fortnightly basis.

Keep an eye on our website for the updated logs.

To check if your racehorse is registered with the KZN Breeders Premium Scheme in order to qualify, contact dhevm@goldcircle.co.za with the horses name, dam and year of foaling.

We look forward to the entries and attracting yet another day of quality fields of KZN-breds and a day of first class racing and entertainment for breeders and owners alike.

Click here to find out more information about our KZN Breeders Premium scheme.

There are a few hopefuls but barring Legal Eagle and overseas-bound Whisky Baron, most of the country’s top middle distance gallopers are among the first entries for the Gr1 R4,25 million Vodacom Durban July to be run over 2200m at Greyville on Saturday, 1 July 2017. Eight of the entries are either KZN-bred or by KZN resident stallions.

Entries closed at 11am yesterday and Gold Circle received 58 entries for Africa’s Greatest Horseracing Event.

Legal Eagle may not be an entry but Champion Trainer Sean Tarry has loaded his gun with 16 entries that include the promising Al Sahem, filly Smiling Blue Eyes and recent Gr3 Byerley Turk winner Africa Rising who put his field to bed in impressive fashion in spite of still wearing a brushing boot that had not been removed at the start.

Justin Snaith, not to be out-done, has entered nine horses including the smart filly Bela-Bela, Byerley Turk runner-up Copper Force and dark horse, Black Arthur.

Candice Bass-Robinson will be pinning her hopes on last year’s runner-up Marinaresco while Captain America, French Navy, Mac de Lago and Heavenly Blue are other notable entries.

Of the local contingent, Duncan Howells has entered two runners from last year, fifth-placed Saratoga Dancer and Ten Gun Salute together with the smart filly Dawn Calling who has yet to race beyond 1600m.

The full list of entries are as follows:

*Bold denotes KZN-bred horses or sired by KZN stallions

Entries:  58

Important Vodacom Durban July dates to diarise:

• First Declaration: Close 11:00 Monday, 8 May 2017
• First Supplementary Entries: Close 11:00 Tuesday, 9 May 2017
• Second Declaration: Close 11:00 Monday, 29 May 2017
• Final Supplementary Entries: Close 11:00 Monday, 12 June 2017
• Weights Published: Tuesday, 13 June 2017
• Final Declaration: Close 11:00 Monday, 19 June 2017
• Final Field and Draw: Announcement of the Final Field and Barrier Draws will take place on Tuesday, 20 June 2017
• Public Gallops:  7am at Greyville Racecourse, Thursday, 22 June 2017

Africa’s Greatest Horseracing Event, the Vodacom Durban July, traditionally run at Greyville on the first Saturday in July, is now worth R4,25 million, an increase of R750 000 over the prior year.  Further to the announcement of the increased stake, Gold Circle also confirmed that Vodacom has extended its sponsorship of the Vodacom Durban July for an additional three years.

First entries closed on Wednesday, 13 April 2016, and the 65 nominations were unveiled at the launch of South Africa’s Champion Season 2016 held at Greyville Racecourse.

KZN Sires represented include two by Toreador – Prospect Strike and Trading Profit, whilst Brave Tin Soldier has Gr1 winner Rabada in, and Rathmor Stud’s Romany Prince by Kahal and a half-brother to Gypsy’s Warning present.

The full list of entries are as follows:

(*Horses in bold denote horses by KZN Sires or KZN Bred)

Important Vodacom Durban July dates to diarise:

• First Declaration: Close 11:00 Monday, 9 May 2016
• First Supp. Entries: Close 11:00 Tuesday, 10 May 2016
• Second Declaration: Close 11:00 Monday, 30 May 2016
• Final Supp. Entries: Close 11:00 Monday, 6 June 2016
• Weights Published: Tuesday, 7 June 2016
• Final Declaration: Close 11:00 Monday, 20 June 2016
• Final Field and Draw: Announcement of the Final Field and Barrier Draws will take place on Tuesday, 21 June 2016
• Public Gallops:  7am at Greyville Racecourse, Thursday, 23 June 2016

The KZN Breeders Series has once again been launched for 2016. The KZN Breeders Race Day exclusively for horses registered with the KZN Breeders Premium Scheme taking place on Sunday, 26 June 2016.

The day incorporates the KZN Breeders Million Mile, won last year by Clifton Stud’s Bezanova and followed by the Scott Bros’ double of Wild One and Front Rank; with Wild One going on to win the Gr1 Gold Cup just over a month later.

The first entries closed in December and the growth of this race day, one of the biggest on Gold Circle’s racing calendar after the Vodacom Durban July by stakes on offer of R2,6 million exclusively for “KZN-breds”, has increased incredibly each year – this is the third year running and saw an astounding 913 entries received, for horses that are of two years of age and up.

Our first entries in 2013 for the KZN Breeders Series saw over 600 horses entered.

A big thank you to the owners and trainers of our KZN-bred horses that have supported our KZN Breeders Race Day so enthusiastically, we are looking forward to another fabulous day this year in June.

The KZN Breeders Series of eight races for a stake of R200 000 each will be run on the Polytrack, with one race each for juvenile colts and fillies over 1200m. In addition, the remainder of the races will consist of a race each for fillies and colts/geldings over distances of 1200m, 1600m and 2000m. The KZN Breeders Million Mile will be run the turf.

The KZN Breeders Race Day in the past has always been an enormous success with a “proudly KZN” black and white theme, it promises to be filled with fun for the whole family.

The owners of each winning horse on the day stand to take home a voucher of R10 000 redeemable towards a KZN-bred yearling at the Suncoast KZN Yearling Sale the following week, whilst the connections of the first three placed horses in each race will get a voucher of R5 000 each.

The KZN Breeders Million Mile winner stands to win not only the biggest stake of the day, but will take home a R20 000 KZN-bred yearling voucher in addition. The KZN Breeders Million Mile entries are excluded from this entry process, and will be run on turf for horses over the age of three with a suitable Merit Rating.

The races will be open to all horses country-wide whose credentials meet the criteria of “KZN bred” as prescribed by the rules of the KZN Breeders Premium Scheme.

Horses registered at first entry will receive a 4-point bonus but horses supplemented in April will not qualify for the bonus and it must be noted that horses purchased after first entries have closed, are still subject to the supplementary fees.

The points for Maiden races will be awarded on a 4, 3, 2 basis for first, second and third. All other races, including Grade 1’s, will have points awarded from first to fifth on 8, 6, 4, 3, 1 basis. Points will be awarded regardless of the distance of the races and it will be up to the connections of the horses as to which races they nominate for.

Only horses who have pre-entered or supplemented (by Thursday, 21 April 2016) for the KZN Breeders Series and earned points in qualifying races between 1 January 2016 to 19 June 2016 will be eligible to run on the day.

Horses will be eliminated according to points earned for the KZN Breeders Series (1 January 2016 to 19 June 2016), i.e. lowest point scorers will be eliminated.

In the event that two or more horses have the same number of points, and further horses require to be eliminated, the horses with the lowest merit rating will be eliminated. In the event that two or more horses have the same merit rating and further horses require to be eliminated, then further elimination will be determined by Gold Circle in its sole discretion.

Separate point logs for the Two Year Olds and Three Year Olds and up will be published on a fortnightly basis on the KZN Breeders website.

We look forward to the results!