Vintage crop for Daily News 2000, but the sips are rather small
Good horses are dodging superstars at Greyville this weekend.
Every year racing people pass personal judgements on the quality of the current three-year-old crop of horses.
Are the sophomores better or worse than usual? There's seldom consensus; it's 'stronger' or 'weaker' on the spectrum.
Occasionally, the young guns are 'exceptional' – like this year. Champion trainer Justin Snaith even went as far as to say the class of 2025 was the 'best ever'.
Old gits point out that 1972 saw mighty clashes between Elevation, In Full Flight and Sentinel, but young Snaith's 'ever' was probably within the confines of the 21st century.
It is indeed a brilliant crop for any era. From Snaith's yard alone, Eight On Eighteen, Sail The Seas and Okavango are already making marks in the history books.
Count in other stables' stars like One Stripe, Fire Attack, Quid Pro Quo, Confederate, Fatal Flaw, Spumante Dolce and My Best Shot and you can't not be impressed.
So, then, why are fields for the three-year-old Classic races so tiny?
Seven horses for Daily News 2000
Only seven horses are due to line up for the Daily News 2000 at Greyville on Saturday. This is arguably the premier three-year-old contest in the country, with the prestige of Grade 1 status, a total purse of R2-million and valuable merit rating points on offer that could open doors to other important races.
A couple of months ago, the Grade 1 Splashout Cape Derby only got five takers, prompting officials to reopen entries and scrape together another two participants. Earlier, the storied WSB Cape Guineas had six runners, and before that the Gauteng Guineas and SA Classic in Joburg had 11 horses each – dismal for a generation of horses just coming to the peak of their abilities.
There have been some high-profile injuries reported, such as to Fire Attack and Sail The Seas, but one would then expect a clamour of wannabes for their places.
South Africa's merit rating system has been blamed for the problem. There might be some truth in the argument that the Daily News 2000 is positioned close to the Hollywoodbets Durban July on the calendar and owners and trainers of up-and-coming horses prioritise that glamour event and are reluctant to incur heavy MR penalties that might disadvantage them in their quest for immortality.
If that's true, and owners and trainers are eschewing the chance to win big money and big trophies, our racing scene is in a strange moment.
Rich owners and top-level trainers are vitally important in keeping the game going, but perhaps we have reached the stage when stakes on offer have fallen so far behind the game that they've become of little
consideration to the ultra-wealthy among us.
Durban July
The Durban July itself is also blamed by some. The fact that the country's biggest race is a handicap – with qualifications – is also cited as a reason for connections shying away from Classic clashes with highly rated opposition.
No-one is yet suggesting the July change its essential DNA. Nonetheless, there is an argument for the July's conditions to be tweaked to make it a wee bit tougher for three-year-olds. Eight of the last 20 renewals have gone to three-year-olds and a high proportion of the remainder to lightly raced four-year-olds with low weights.
Everyone is trying to get their nag selected for the final line-up with the lowest possible MR – and therefore a feather weight. That's clearly a major factor in the outcome and you'd imagine powers-that-be would want to even up the contest a bit and bring some of the country's top older horses back into the July reckoning.
There might only be seven horses lining up at Greyville's 2000m mark on Saturday, but they will not be short on ability. Cape Town Met and Cape Derby winner Eight On Eighteen will be a banker for many punters.
However, it should be remembered that young horses can improve quite suddenly and rivals such as Okavango, Spumante Dolce and Confederate could be ready to spring a surprise.
Daily News 2000 betting
5-10 Eight On Eighteen
6-1 Confederate, Okavango
7-1 Spumante Dolce
10-1 Native Ruler
14-1 Parisian Walkway
40-1 Makazole
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The South African
2 days ago
- The South African
Hollywoodbets Durban July: And then there were 27
The race for the coveted Hollywoodbets Durban July 2025 title has taken a dramatic turn with the withdrawal of SA Derby winner Legend Of Arthur, leaving only 27 contenders still in the hunt for a spot in the R5 million Grade 1 event at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Saturday, 6 July. The final field will comprise a maximum of 18 runners plus two reserves. Legend Of Arthur, trained by Sean Tarry and previously seen as a strong Durban July hopeful, was scratched due to a medical issue. The three-year-old was set to be the backup ride for champion South African jockey Richard Fourie. This latest development leaves Tarry, a two-time Durban July-winning trainer (with Pomodoro in 2012 and Heavy Metal in 2013), with just one possible runner in the shape of Litigation. All eyes are now on Justin Snaith's highly regarded colt Eight On Eighteen, whose participation remains uncertain. Conflicting reports have circulated in recent days regarding his fitness and intended entry. Monday, 23 June : Final declarations deadline : Final declarations deadline Tuesday, 24 June at 11:00 : Final field announcement and barrier draw live on Gallop TV : Final field announcement and Thursday, 26 June at 07:00 : Public gallops for KwaZulu-Natal-based horses at Hollywoodbets Greyville Gates open at 06:30 Free coffee and pastries available for attendees : for KwaZulu-Natal-based horses at As the excitement builds, racing fans are bracing for what promises to be another thrilling edition of South Africa's most iconic horse race. Horses remaining in contention for Hollywoodbets Durban July Horse MR Trainer Future Swing 117 Justin Snaith Immediate Edge 108 Mike / Mathew de Kock Purple Pitcher 122 Robyn Klaasen Rainbow Lorikeet 111 Candice Bass-Robinson Underworld 109 Justin Snaith Son Of Raj 119 Tony Peter The Equator (IRE) 110 Tony Peter Atticus Finch 121 Alec Laird Madison Valley 115 Frank Robinson Eight On Eighteen 129 Justin Snaith On My Honour 116 Glen Kotzen Magic Verse 113 Justin Snaith Selukwe 111 Andre Nel Confederate 118 Fabian Habib Royal Victory 125 Nathan Kotzen Beating Wings 113 Stuart Pettigrew Okavango 120 Justin Snaith Gladatorian 127 Stuart Ferrie Litigation 113 Sean Tarry Oriental Charm 127 James Crawford Pomodoro's Jet 118 James Crawford Holding Thumbs 107 Glen Kotzen Thunee Playa 104 Mano Pandaram See It Again 127 Michael Roberts Native Ruler 119 Justin Snaith My Best Shot 116 Alan Greeff The Real Prince 120 Dean Kannemeyer Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
The Citizen
13-06-2025
- The Citizen
Future Swing to cement his Durban July berth
Future Swing will be racing at close to peak fitness and should be hard to beat. When the second log for the Hollywoodbets Durban July was released on Tuesday, Justin Snaith-trained Future Swing was placed in 18th spot. Should he stay there, he is guaranteed his position in the final field. It is a precarious place to be, but the son of Futura could cement his place in the Grade 1 race over 2200m at Hollywoodbets Greyville on 5 July with a victory in the Grade 3 Tote Derby over 2400m at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on Saturday. Future Swing had no luck in last year's Durban July and since that rough race the five-year-old gelding has battled to maintain the attention he received prior to that event. However, in his second run after a rest, he came on nicely and was beaten by only 1.40 lengths carrying 63.5kg into second by handily weighted Field Marshal (52.5kg) in the Listed Lonsdale Stirrup Cup over 2400m last time. He now finds himself the best weighted runner in the Derby and in his third start after rest, racing at just about peak fitness, he should be hard to beat, especially with Richard Fourie up. Field Marshal is now 5.5kg worse with him on their Lonsdale run, so they should easily turn the tables. Candice Dawson-trained My Soul Mate looks the runner to beat in the Oaks. The Master Of My Fate four-year-old is as versatile as they come. Her earlier back-to-back wins were over 1600m, but she won the 2850m Caradoc Gold Cup this year and last time out finished second to Justin Snaith's blossoming filly Little Suzie, beating some of the top fillies around in the Woolavington 2000. Perhaps only Sean Tarry-trained World Of Alice can block her path. The bay filly was well beaten by Indian Ocean when fourth in the Grade 2 Igugu Stakes, but it was her previous run, where she flew up to finish second behind Fiery Pegasus in the Wilgerbosdrift SA Oaks over 2450m at Turffontein, that gives her a say, and she may be best over this distance. NOW READ: Underworld plots a Durban July heist
The Citizen
11-06-2025
- The Citizen
Underworld plots a Durban July heist
A big race final log has been unveiled amid a scramble for places. Bowlers take great delight in hurling surprise bouncers at batters who appear settled at the crease. Jolt them out of a comfort zone is the idea. Racehorse trainer Justin Snaith did something of the sort this week when he made four-year-old Underworld a supplementary entry for the Hollywoodbets Durban July, to be run at Greyville next month. Underworld wasn't among the 61 first nominations, or a late addition at the first supplementary stage of South Africa's premier horse race. Indeed, Snaith watchers had more than enough to keep them busy with a dozen or so of his July aspirants, including a clutch of them near the top of the betting boards. Then Underworld ran in the Grade 3 1800m Dolphins Cup Trial at Greyville this past weekend and did fairly well – as he should have as a 3-1 favourite. He finished a close runner up to 40-1 roughie Madison Valley, with 14-1 chance On My Honour just behind in third place. Here's the thing: Madison Valley and On My Honour were both Durban July entrants and the surprise Cup Trial result, along with a slew of scratchings at second declaration stage, saw them catapulted into the final July log announced on Tuesday. Neither had featured among the 20 'most favoured' entries of a few weeks earlier. Underworld gave 2kg and 1.5kg respectively to his adversaries in the Cup Trial, but the distance and venue were a good pre-July test and indicated that Snaith's charge might not be wildly outclassed in the big race. Shaking things up The bottom rungs of the Durban July ladder are always hotly contested spaces but connections of horses that make it into 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th on the final log can generally start planning their outfits for the parade ring at Greyville on the first Saturday of the seventh month. Comfort zone; but here comes the bouncer. Based on his merit rating of 108, Underworld has no chance of trumping Madison Valley (115) and On My Honour (116) in the minds of the July selection panel. But Snaith is fond of a mischievous argument and a dig at the official handicappers. One of the horses on those lower rungs of the new July log is My Best Shot in 17th spot. No-one can remember when last there was an Eastern Cape-based runner in the July and many would be delighted to see Alan Greeff saddle up his star three-year-old for the big race – and Snaith wouldn't be a popular chap if his Underworld nixed the country cousin. Merit rating adjustments following the weekend's hectic pre-July action saw Oriental Charm and Gladatorian both hiked to 127, which means they will share the July's top burden of 60kg with See It Again – when weights are concluded next week. Cape Town Met champion Eight On Eighteen – who wasn't in action at the weekend – still tops the final log with his MR of 129. The race conditions stipulate that, as a three-year-old, he cannot carry more than 57kg. The log indicates that there is unlikely to be a female horse in the 2025 July. Three fillies are on the 'next best' list, but they will only come into contention for a place in the field if there are scratchings aplenty in the coming week. Hollywoodbets Durban July Log of 10 June 1. EIGHT ON EIGHTEEN (3C) Justin Snaith 129 2. ORIENTAL CHARM (4C) James Crawford 127 3. SEE IT AGAIN (5G) Michael Roberts 127 4. ROYAL VICTORY (5G) Nathan Kotzen 125 5. CONFEDERATE (3G) Fabian Habib 118 6. GLADATORIAN (5G) Stuart Ferrie 127 7. PURPLE PITCHER (4C) Robyn Klaasen 122 8. ATTICUS FINCH (5G) Alec Laird 121 9. SELUKWE (5G) Andre Nel 111 10. THE REAL PRINCE (4G) Dean Kannemeyer 120 11. OKAVANGO (3G) Justin Snaith 120 12. NATIVE RULER (3G) Justin Snaith 119 13. LEGEND OF ARTHUR (3C) Sean Tarry 117 14. IMMEDIATE EDGE (3G) Mike / Mathew de Kock 108 15. MADISON VALLEY (4G) Frank Robinson 115 16. ON MY HONOUR (3G) Glen Kotzen 116 17. MY BEST SHOT (3G) Alan Greeff 116 18. FUTURE SWING (5G) Justin Snaith 117 19. MUCHO DINERO (5G) Justin Snaith 115 20. POMODORO'S JET (6G) James Crawford 118 Next 9 in alphabetical order BEATING WINGS (4F) Stuart Pettigrew 113 HOLDING THUMBS (4G) Glen Kotzen 107 JOY AND PEACE (4F) Alan Greeff 110 LITIGATION (6G) Sean Tarry 113 MAGIC VERSE (4G) Justin Snaith 113 RAINBOW LORIKEET (4F) Candice Bass-Robinson 111 SON OF RAJ (5G) Tony Peter 119 THE EQUATOR (IRE) (4C) Tony Peter 110 THUNEE PLAYA (4C) Mano Pandaram 104 Final supplementary entries close on Tuesday 17 June after which the weights will be published by the National Horseracing Authority. Final declarations are due on Monday 23 June and the field of 18 runners, with two reserves, will be revealed on Tuesday 24 June when the draw for barrier positions will also take place.
