The first Grade 1 contests of the stakes-boosted 2024 SA Champions Season will be run at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Saturday 25 May when the Daily News 2000 and the Woolavington 2000 headline Day 3 of the big season.
A benchmark 3yo male contest, the R2 million Daily News 2000 has attracted an entry of 12, headed by Dean Kannemeyer’s recent WSB Gr2 Guineas winner Green With Envy, who is scheduled to use this race as his final stepping stone into the Hollywoodbets Durban July.
Dean Kannemeyer – plotting and planning a big Hollywoodbets Durban July (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
History shows that the Daily News has produced the July winner only three times this century. Interestingly Dean Kannemeyer trained one of the trio, in the shape of the iconic Dynasty who registered the rare double back in 2003.
The other two are Glen Kotzen’s sadly ill-fated Big City Life (2009), and Justin Snaith’s dramatic 2014 July winner, Legislate.
Snaith has three Daily News entries in Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas winner Snow Pilot, Gr2 Cape Punters Cup victor Hluhluwe, who was well beaten in the recent Guineas by Green With Envy, and the consistently progressive The Grey King, who will need to do more to feature here.
Flag men! Serino Moodley and assistant Gavin van Zyl celebrate Flag Man’s eyecatching victory last Saturday 9Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
Gareth van Zyl’s Hollywoodbets Durban July supplementary entry Flag Man has won 3 of his 5 starts, and has emerged as a potential big race candidate after beating The Grey King (admittedly in receipt of 5kgs) going away in a 1900m Middle Stakes from an awful draw last Saturday..
R2 000 000 – 2000m (Turf)
Daily News Gr1 2000
| 9 | Barbaresco | J A Janse van Vuuren | 109 |
| 2 | Flag Man | Gareth van Zyl | 92 |
| 7 | Green With Envy | Dean Kannemeyer | 123 |
| 8 | Hluhluwe | Justin Snaith | 117 |
| 11 | Hotarubi | Sean Tarry | 116 |
| 3 | Jordan | Sean Tarry | 97 |
| 6 | Mid Winter Wind | Sean Tarry | 116 |
| 5 | Oriental Charm | Brett Crawford | 118 |
| 4 | Pure Predator | Fanie Bronkhorst | 119 |
| 12 | Snow Pilot | Justin Snaith | 120 |
| 10 | The Grey King | Justin Snaith | 96 |
| 1 | William Iron Arm | Tony Peter | 117 |
SA Champion trainer Justin Snaith has saddled the Woolavington winner five times in the last ten years, but does not hold an entry at this point in time, in the fillies and mares contest.
The race won last year by SA Triple Tiara queen of 2022 Rain In Holland, attracted a first entry of 13 on Monday.
Gold Circle CEO Michel Nairac (third from left) with the KRA representatives, enjoy Saartjie’s smart win last Saturday (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
While the Sabine Plattner owned Hollywoodbets Durban July entry Saartjie won a cracker when storming home late to win the KRA Listed East Coast Cup last Saturday, all eyes are likely to be on Brett Crawford’s Wilgerbosdrift Bridget Oppenheimer Gr2 SA Oaks winner Frances Ethel, who will have her first start in KZN if taking her place on Saturday 25 May.
A winner of her last four starts, the daughter of Rafeef now races in the globally recognized Team Valor International silks. Brett Crawford last won this race with Dynasty galloper Lady Of The House under Piere Strydom in 2017.
R1 500 000 – 2000m (Turf)
Tabgold Gr1 Woolavington 2000
| Horse | Trainer | MR | |
| 9 | Beating Wings | Stuart Pettigrew | 114 |
| 11 | Bellevarde | Joe Soma | 110 |
| 2 | Frances Ethel | Brett Crawford | 118 |
| 4 | Future Girl | Brett Crawford | 97 |
| 6 | Gilded Butterfly | Stuart Pettigrew | 108 |
| 10 | Hold My Hand | Glen Kotzen | 108 |
| 12 | Minogue | Wendy Whitehead | 102 |
| 8 | My Soul Mate | Candice Dawson | 115 |
| 7 | None Other | Lucky Houdalakis | 110 |
| 3 | Perfect Witness | Candice Dawson | 105 |
| 5 | Saartjie | Andre Nel | 110 |
| 1 | Silver Sanctuary | Mike de Kock | 116 |
Supplementary entries for both features close at 11h00 on Friday 17 May, with declarations due by 11h00 on Tuesday 22 May.
