Hollywoodbets Durban July 2026: All roads lead to Greyville for 130th edition
· The South African
Breaking new ground with all-time record prize money of R10 million as the richest graded stakes race ever run on African soil, the 130th edition of the Grade 1 Hollywoodbets Durban July, to be hosted by Race Coast on Saturday, 4 July, has attracted a bumper 63-strong first entry.
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Sponsored for the fifth consecutive year by leading international sportsbook operator Hollywoodbets, the year-on-year 100% boost in prize money will be celebrated with a bold return to the iconic race’s true handicap heritage, reintroducing an ‘open handicap’ designed to boost competitiveness and elevate the spectacle for racing fans and casual spectators alike.
The revised race conditions include bottom weight being reduced from 53kg to 52kg, while top weight has increased from 60kg to 62kg.
Restoring the full 10kg spread in the range of weights means the race boasts the hallmark of a true, open handicap.
Internationally-acclaimed sporting event
Hollywoodbets Brand & Communications Manager Devin Heffer said that all signs point to the 2026 renewal of Africa’s greatest horse racing and social event breaking new boundaries
“It has been a privilege for us as a leading brand to be associated with this internationally-acclaimed sporting event since 2022, and every year it just gets bigger and better. With the adjustment in the race conditions and a doubling of the prize money to a record new stakes pot, the first entries list is proof that the stars are aligned and Hollywoodbets Greyville is set to live up to its label of the ‘Theatre of Champions’ on 4 July,” added Heffer.
The quantum of first entries this year, which includes 13 fairer sex gallopers and 21 sophomores, compares favourably with the 61 of last year, while 58 entries were received in 2024, 60 in 2023 and 68 in 2022.
Top two finishers
The first entry roll is headlined by last year’s Hollywoodbets Durban July top two finishers, Dean Kannemeyer’s The Real Prince, and Justin Snaith’s SA Horse Of The Year Eight On Eighteen, and includes 11 Grade 1 stars, with 29 individual yards representing all of our major racing centres.
Seven of the 29 stables with entries have won the great race previously, with reigning SA champion Justin Snaith and international big-hitter Mike de Kock, now in partnership with his son Mathew, tied on five previous winners each. Between the two leading yards, they hold a power hand of 14 entries.
Another trainer with a strong entry is Alec Laird, who won the Durban July in 1996 with London News. The Randjesfontein-based horseman has a sextet of entries, headed by 2024 Summer Cup hero Atticus Finch.
The 2025 Summer Cup winner Mocha Blend is also in the mix. The daughter of Ideal World runs in the famous black and yellow silks carried by Hunting Tower and Greys Inn, who won the Durban July in 2007 and 2004 respectively, and were also carried with pride in this great race by four Oppenheimer family champions of last century.
Off an MR of 117, Frank Robinson’s champion Mocha Blend is the jointly highest-rated female alongside Corne Spies star Hazy Dazy, who recently went down narrowly in her bid for Wilgerbosdrift SA Triple Tiara honours.
Single entry
Reigning Hollywoodbets Durban July winning trainer Dean Kannemeyer has four of the prized trophies in his cabinet dating back to Dynasty in 2003, and holds just the single entry of defending champion, The Real Prince.
Milnerton resident Candice Bass made history in 2017 when Marinaresco’s victory bestowed on her the honour of the first lady trainer to saddle a winner of the Durban July. Alongside Randjesfontein-based sisters Candice and Tammy Dawson, and leading horsewoman Robyn Klaasen, the fairer sex stable flag is carried by eight entries.
Former multiple national champion trainer Sean Tarry won the Durban July in 2012 and 2013, and his trio of entries is headed by recent HKJC World Pool Grade 1 SA Classic star Grand Empire.
The first 12 finishers, up from 10 previously, will now earn prize money, while the winning connections will bank a record R6 million.
All roads will lead to Hollywoodbets Greyville
To uphold the integrity of this world-class contest, Race Coast will assemble a five-person national panel of racing experts, responsible for determining the final field.
A final field of 20 – including two reserve runners – will be announced on Tuesday, 23 June.
All roads will lead to Hollywoodbets Greyville on Saturday, 4 July. General admission entrance tickets are now on sale via Ticketpro.
Until 7 May, these will be available at a special, ‘Early Bird’ price of R250.
Stephen Marshall, Head: Major Events, Marketing and Broadcast at Race Coast said that planning for each running of the great race commenced immediately after the previous year’s event.
“The partnership between ourselves and Hollywoodbets takes the event to new levels of excellence every year, and the announcement of this high-quality first entry, which includes every top horse in the country over the distance, is the stamp of approval that we are all set for a vintage renewal. Couple that with the fashion theme ‘Country Allure’, which invites designers, fashion enthusiasts and racegoers to explore the interplay between rural landscapes and equestrian elegance, means we are set for a celebration of bold, imaginative and unbridled creativity, against a backdrop of world-class horse racing,” concluded Marshall.
Hollywoodbets Durban July 2026 timeline:
- First declarations: 11:00 on Monday, 11 May
- First supplementary entries: 11:00 on Tuesday, 12 May
- Second declarations:11:00 on Monday, 8 June
- Final supplementary entries: 11:00 on Monday, 15 June
- Weights: Monday, 15 June
- Final declarations: 11:00 on Monday, 22 June
- Final field & draws: Tuesday, 23 June
- Public gallops: Thursday, 25 June