Durban, July 2013

One of the biggest horseracing events of Africa is held in Durban in the month of July. Also known as Durban July, it indicates to a popular horseracing event of all time. About 50000 people is expected to pack into the Greyville Racecourse and few more millions is expected to follow the live horse racing action on their television sets in the 2013 Durban July to be held next year. It is said that about R100 million is wagered with the TAB on the day including tens of millions of rand more with the bookmakers.

The R3 million Vodacom Durban July at the Greyville will be run on the first Saturday of the month of July. This event is already billed as one of the greatest horse racing events of Africa and with good cause. Close to 50,000 people will set into the race course and you can experience a loud cheer as the runners break from their starting stalls at the 2200 m mark.

The runners race in straight line until fading behind the Drill Hall at 1600m mark. This is where they swing right into the long sweeping bend which turns sharply right into the short straight with 400m to go. The crowd starts to road as the runners gallop across the subway and then unwind into the final charge for the most prestigious horseracing prize on the African continent.

By and large, R3 million Vodacom Durban July is considered as one of Africa’s most high end races. Not only this, it is one of the 8 featured races run at the gathering that starts before the midday and continues into the nights under the floodlights.

Interestingly, the history of Durban July spans more than 3 centuries having been first run back in the year 1897. The race was sponsored by the Rothmans from the year 1963 until 2000 with the Vodacom taking over the sponsorship in the year 2002. The first race was help in the month of July in 1897. The first race covered a distance of 1 mile which is approximately 1600m. Since then, the distance of the race have been modified a lot of times until the year 1970 when the race was changes to its present 2200 meters.

The 2013 Durban July starts (6 July Saturday) at the Greyville Racecourse.

The featured races of Durban July 2013 are as follows:

1.       Big City Life (2009) Thukela Handicap (Listed) 1600m R125000.

2.       Vodacom Durban July (Grade 1) 2200m R3 million.

3.       Mango Gold Vase (Grade 2) 3000 m R350,000.

4.       Zulu Kingdom Explorer Golden Horseshoe.

5.       Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes (fillies and mares, Grade 1) 1600m R500,000

6.       Durban Golden Slipper (two year old fillies; Grade 1) 1400 m R500,000.

7.       eThekwini Sprint (3-year-olds ) 1200m R110,000.

8.       Durban Golden Slipper (two yea old fillies; Grade 1) 1400m, R500,000.

The only 4 horses that have ever won the Durban July Handicap back to back are Campanajo ( 1897 and 1898), Corriecrian (1907 and 1908), Milesia Pride (1949 and 1950) and last El Picha (1990 and 2000). The other horses namely Pamphlet had won twice in the year 1918 and also in 1920.