Sunshine, good racing cheer Durban July crowd

The Citizen

20 hours ago

Facelifted Greyville venue dazzles racegoers.
Greyville was all set for the 2025 running of the Durban July. Picture: Darren Stewart/Gallo Images
Tens of thousands of racegoers were blown away by a facelifted Greyville as they filled the venue for the 2025 Hollywoodbets Durban July race meeting.
The sun shone brightly on the historic racecourse as veteran July attendees chatted about the massive infrastructure upgrade at the course, with phrases like 'brand new', 'paradigm shift' and 'exciting new era for racing' being exchanged.
Greyville and KwaZulu-Natal horse racing have been taken over by the Hollywood group, which has pumped in many millions of rands into newly named operator Race Coast to bring fading facilities up international standards.
Lighting around the circuit has been renewed, with LED technology that is cheaper, brighter and capable of staging spectacular light shows. The Polytrack has been relaid, New seating, paving, fencing, video screens and grand entranceways have been erected, And there's plenty more.
Fashion was sharply in focus in the early stages of the meeting – with top designers vying for lucrative prizes under the theme 'Marvels of Mzanzi'. Animal prints, African prints, horses' heads, even military-style outfits, were much in evidence.
The Hollywoodbets Durban July is a vitally important event for KwaZulu-Natal and the rescue of the floundering enterprise earlier this year has been a godsend for the province and the host city.
A huge injection for the city
Economic benefits of the July are huge, with 50,000 visitors to the historic event pushing hotel occupancy to 'choc-a-bloc' levels, according to Musa Zondi, KZN MEC of tourism, who circulated among racing personalities in the parade ring.
eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba said: 'It will bring into the city over R278-million direct spend and over R700-million investment into our GDP.'
For serious horse players, however, the day got off to a slightly ominous start with well-backed horses flopping in the first three races.
Race 1 went to Rugger Lover, a 14-1 shot trained locally by Tienie Prinsloo.
Race 2 winner That's My Baby, from Sean Tarry's Joburg yard, landed at 10-1, with hot favourite Princess Hannah running down the drain after starting badly.
When 25-2 chance Otto Luyken did the job for raiding Cape trainer James Crawford in Race 3, punters were worried a rough day loomed for favourites.
But the mood lifted with the arrival of the favourites in Races 4 and 5 – the first two legs of a Pick 6 that boasted a R13.5-million pool.
The Grade 3 3000m Gold Vase went to King Pelles for jockey S'manga Khumalo and trainer Gareth van Zyl, and the Grade 2 Golden Slipper to Eastern Cape raider Anotherdanceforme for Richard Fourie and Alan Greeff.
There was drama when an objection was lodged against Anotherdanceforme by the connections of second-placed Quickstepgal on grounds of the filly being hampered in the closing stages. The stipendiary stewards overruled the appeal.
The sixth on the card was a bit of a hiccup for Pick 6 and Jackpot investors with … shot Chronicle King popping up in a rough-and-tumble race. But, by then, the champagne and other libations were flowing and the crowd was in high spirits.