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IOL News
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- IOL News
The Real Prince is king of the Hollywoodbets Durban July
The Real Prince, ridden by Craig Zackey was crowned king at Hollywoodbets Durban July in Greyville on Saturday. Image: Leon Lestrade / Independent Media In a thrilling duel to the line, The Real Prince was crowned king at Hollywoodbets Greyville yesterday. Ridden by Craig Zackey and trained by Dean Kannemeyer, The Real Prince narrowly got the better of race favourite Eight On Eighteen in the Gr1 R5 million Hollywoodbets Durban July. Third was Selukwe with Royal Victory finishing strongly for fourth. The Real Prince's full brother Gimme A Prince was crowned Champion Sprinter two season's back so there was always a question mark hanging over his ability to stay the 2200m trip of the July. That was answered in no uncertain manner as The Real Prince fought off Eight On Eighteen who was attempting to become the first three-year-old to win the Gr1 WSB Cape Met and the July in the same season. As expected, Oriental Charm set the early pace but JP van der Merwe was in no great hurry, stacking the field up behind him. Richard Fourie angled Eight On Eighteen in from his 11 draw but was not able to get anywhere near the rail in the early exchanges. With the pace pedestrian, Fourie made a dash around the final turn hitting the front shortly after crossing the subway and going clear. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading The Real Prince narrowly got the better of race favourite Eight On Eighteen in the Gr1 R5 million Hollywoodbets Durban July. Image: Leon Lestrade / Independent Media It looked to be a winning move until The Real Prince loomed up on his outside. Zackey had given his mount a copy book ride, cosey on the rail and keeping Eight On Eighteen in his sights. As Fourie went for broke, Zackey got a clear path and gradually reeled in his rival. It was a nod of the heads at the line but Kannemeyer had his fourth July winner in the bag and his second for Lady Christine Laidlaw and Khaya Stables. It was a plan come together said Kannemeyer speaking in the third person. 'Where were we going to place him. The first time we tried him over a mile he won by six lengths. Great run in the Drill Hall. If we run him in the Gold Challenge and run fourth the handicapper is going to be looking for you. You have to come in at the right time with the right weight and we got the right draw.' SUNDAY TRIBUNE
The Citizen
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Citizen
Royalty will reign tomorrow, says sangoma
Royal names and symbols could spell success at the Hollywood Bets Durban July, says sangoma Fezile Pretorius. Horse racing is the sport of kings and the Hollywood Bets Durban July tomorrow promises the usual set of social royalty, influencers and thoroughbreds, both on and off the field. A sangoma, Fezile Pretorius, said the theme may extend to which horse finishes the main race first this year. 'It's all about royalty and power this year,' said Pretorius, who consulted two divination tools and dreamt of a prophesy that hinted at this year's big winner. Vision revealed purple and gold First, his nighttime vision revealed the colours purple and gold. 'Those colours represent royalty, power, wealth. It may relate to the name of the horse, the silks worn, or the spirit behind it,' he said. Looking at tomorrow's race card, there are four horses in an extended field of 20, including two reserves, connected to royalty. Son of Raj is presently listed as a reserve, 'but don't write it off', he said. 'The symbolism is strong. Raj means king. That's enough to keep an eye on it.' ALSO READ: Inside the must-attend marquees at the 2025 Durban July The Real Prince, Native Ruler and Royal Victory are all named to start. Then, Atticus Finch, a fictional character from To Kill A Mocking Bird represents power, while the same could be said for Litigation and On My Honour. Pretorius, who practices from the Heavenly Healing centre in Benoni, does not throw the bones as gambling is not an appropriate use of its power. Instead, he sought further clarity from tarot cards that narrowed his selection. Further clarity from tarot cards 'The standout in the reading was yet again the Emperor card. That confirmed authority, status, and control. 'These are traits tied to a winning energy. There was definitely a celebration, too. A party. And again, royalty imagery that came through strong.' He noted a lion. A throne. A leader. 'That's power. That's money.' There was also a hint in the cards that the winning horse could be lighter in colour than some of its competitors. ALSO READ: July day eyes on Pick 6's R15m prize Meanwhile, bookmakers have made Eight of Eighteen the favourite to take the honours. Pretorius used cowrie shells to ask direct questions. These shells are traditionally used across many African and Afro-Caribbean divination practices and reinforced the message that horses tied to authority, names of rulers or nobility, are the ones to watch. 'One shell short of a perfect 'yes',' said Pretorius. 'The ancestors say a ritual needs to be done, a prayer. There's work that must go into securing a win. But the message remains: royalty is key.' One shell short of a perfect 'yes' To test the divination method, several horses were run through the shells. While not every horse linked to regal naming passed the cowrie test, Pretorius said the top prospects at the time of the reading carried consistent signs. We asked specifically about each horse using the shells. Royal Victory received confirmation. So did Native Ruler and Son of Raj. NOW READ: Underworld plots a Durban July heist
