Pomodoro battles Smanjemanje to the finish of the Gr1 Vodacom Durban July
Champions Season in KwaZulu Natal is a three-month feast of superior racing offering feature race stakes in excess of R23-million in a programme of 45 Graded, Listed and special events, headed by Africa’s greatest racing spectacle, the R3,5-million Gr 1 Vodacom Durban July.
The Champions Season launches on Saturday 4 May at Greyville, with the running of the colts and fillies Guineas, as well as the Drill Hall Stakes.
Big Boost
The great news is that the stakes pot for the Champions Season feature races has been given a R6 million cash injection, which represents a 28% increase on previous levels.
This news follows hot on the heels of Gold Circle’s announcement earlier this year of an across the board stakes increase of between 10 and 11% for all minor races in the province and the news that this year’s Vodacom Durban July will be run for a stake of R3,5 million, making it the richest horserace on the continent.
The biggest Champion Season increases are the R500 000 added to the Vodacom Durban July stake, while the Daily News 2000 also gets a half-million rand cash injection and this year will be run for a stake of R1,5 million.
The stake for the Woolavington 2000, run on the same afternoon as the Daily News 2000, has been increased to R750 000. The stake for the Gold Cup, the country’s most important race for stayers and final feature of the season, also goes up by R250 000 and will carry a stake of R1,25 million.
Other significant increases for the Gr 1 races include the Golden Horse Sprint and Mercury Sprint, now both worth R750 000, the SA Fillies Sprint, up R100 000 to R600 000 and the Garden Province Stakes, up R250 000 to R750 000.
Million Mile
Added to Champions Season this year is the KwaZulu-Natal Breeders’ day scheduled for the Saturday before the July when the KZN Breeders Million Mile worth R1 million will hold centre stage. The Million Mile will be backed up by seven other races, all with a stake of R200 000
Running from the beginning of May to the end of July, Champions Season provides a comprehensive mix of events catering for all the needs of the thoroughbred population with major contests for two-year-olds, three-year-olds and the older horses from sprints through middle distance races to the strong-winded stayers.
Celebrating the importance of the classic races for three-year-olds, special meetings are staged for the KRA Guineas and KRA Fillies Guineas over the traditional 1 600m as well as the Betting World Derby and Betting World Oaks over 2 400m, races from which great champions of the future could emerge.
The four big Champions Season meetings are :
On Saturday May 25:
Golden Horse Sprint Raceday at Scottsville
The only race meeting on the Continent featuring four Grade 1 sprint races, this day draws the finest sprinters in the country.
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On Saturday June 8:
Rising Sun Gold Challenge Raceday at Clairwood
The Grade 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge is an open weight-for-age race over 1 600m and a major event for horses seeking a run in the Vodacom Durban July.
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On Saturday July 6:
The Vodacom Durban July Raceday at Greyville
There is not an owner, breeder, trainer, jockey and groom that has not conjured up dreams of winning Africa’s Greatest Horse Racing Event and for most, just to be involved in the prestigious event is something very special. If you have a runner you have a chance and that chance comes once a year and for most owners, possibly once in lifetime.
Supporting events on the day include the all-new KZN Breeders Juvenile Million. With a stake of R1-million, it is for juveniles graduates from the KZN Yearling Sales and is run at level weights over 1 300m.
The Grade 1, Garden Province Stakes is an important black type-earning event for fillies and mares at weight-for-age over 1 600m for a stake of R750 000
The Golden Horseshoe and Golden Slipper are Grade 1 events that each carry stakes of R600 000 and are for two-year-olds at level weights over 1 400m.
The Grade 2 Gold Vase carries a R400 000 stake and is an open merit-rated handicap over 3 000m.
The Grade 3 Campanajo 2200 is an open merit-rated handicap over 2 200m with a stake of R300 000. Celebrating the first winner of the Vodacom Durban July in 1897, the field is usually made up mostly of runners that never made the final field for the premier event.
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On Saturday July 27:
Super Saturday And The Gold Cup at Greyville
The meeting brings Cham-pions Season to a close in spectacular fashion with four Grade 1 races headed by the R1,25 million Gold Cup, an open handicap that is the greatest test for the cream of South African stayers over 3 200m.
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