Durban July 2023: Predictions, Betting Sites, Favourites

The biggest horse racing event in Africa is set to return for Durban July 2023. The competition was first staged at Greyville Racecourse in 1897, and every year since thousands of horse racing fans around the world join in on this exciting sporting event.  

In this guide, you will find the previous results as well as betting tips, horse racing predictions and the schedule for the Durban July 2023.

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Durban July Results

The Durban July 2022 was held at the standard 2200m. Although Muzi Yeni’s Safe Passage and Justin Snaith’s Pomp and Power were the favorites to win, S’manga Khumalo’s Sparkling Water went on to win the race.

You can find the results for Durban July 2022 in the table below.

Position	Horse	Trainer	Jockey
1st	Sparkling Water	M F De Kock	S Khumalo
2nd	Jet Dark	Justin Snaith	B Fayd’herbe
3rd	Safe Passage	M F De Kock	M Yeni
4th	Do It Again	Justin Snaith	A Domeyer
5th	Kommetdieding	Crawford/Rix	G Lerena
6th	Airways Law	Willem Nel	G Wright
7th	Astrix	Paul Peter	V’d Merwe
8th	Al Muthana	M F De Kock	C Murray
9th	Aragosta	M F De Kock	W Kennedy
10th	Pomp and Power	Justin Snaith	R Fourie

Durban July 2023 Predictions

The Durban July 2023 will be held on the 1st of July, at the Greyville Racecourse in Durban. The five-year-old Sparkling Water was crowned the champion of Durban July 2022, and Khumalo will likely return to defend his title. 

Moreover, the favourites for Durban July 2023 include Jet Dark, who finished the 2022 race as the runner-up and Safe Passage, who finished 3rd under Muzi Yeni. 

Additionally, Do It Again will most likely be a big threat to other contenders, in spite of finishing 4th this year. Besides him, there are many other promising horses, such as Lerena’s Kommetdieding, Merwe’s Asterix, Fourie’s Pomp and Power as well as Van Niekirk’s Linebacker who could go on to win the race. 

South African Horse Racing Predictions for Today

Durban July 2023 Favourites

Here are some of the predictions for the Durban July 2023 favourites.

Sparkling Water

The reigning and defending champion is set to return for the next edition of the race. Although the race looked to be a close one, the jockey, S’manga Khumalo, found an extra gear to finish the race as the winner. Furthermore, the horse is trained by Mike de Kock, and the five-year-old will most likely be one of the betting favourites for the Durban July 2023 race.

Kommetdieding

Kommetdieding was one of the favourites for Durban July 2022. The 4-year-old racehorse was looking to retain the title but finished in fifth place. Ridden by the jockey Gavin Lerena, Kommetdieding will probably be one of the favorites to win the race in 2023.

Do It Again

Do It Again is impossible to rule out as a favorite. The horse trained by Justin Snaith was the winner back in 2018 and 2019 and managed to get 4th place in the 2022 Durban July. Aldo Domeyer will come back as the jockey, and the pair will be among the favorites to get the title.

Jet Dark

After finishing as the runner-up, Jet Dark will surely be aiming for the crown for Durban July 2023. This is another horse trained by Justin Snaith, and it’s ridden by Bernard Fayd’Herbe. Despite the odds stacked against them, the pair managed to fight until the very end and came in second. The odds for them to win were 25/1, and they came very close. It’s highly likely that they will be among the top 3 favourites.

Safe Passage

Safe Passage is a four-year-old horse trained by de Kock. It’s ridden by the jockey Muzi Yeni, and it was one of the favorites for Durban July 2022, where it finished 3rd. The pair will look to do better in the next edition of the race after it finished as one of the youngest horses in the top 10 in 2022.

Pomp and Power, Universal, Double Superlative are also among the favorites for Durban July 2023, but odds are yet to be released.

Durban July Betting Tips

More experienced bettors may know that three-year-old runners have a solid rate of success in the Durban July Handicap. Moreover, 60% of races run since 1998 have been won by a three-year-old horse, while four-year-olds also have a good strike rate.

Nonetheless, in an open race, favourites don’t tend to do well. In fact, only three favourites won in the last 14 years. 

It’s also important to mention that Durban July currently offers a prize of R5 million, which is an increase from R4.25 million in 2021. This can be a great incentive even for the underdogs to perform better than expected.

What is more, as the event draws near, more betting tips for Durban July will be available. But here are some Durban July betting tips that you should take into consideration when the event starts.

Non-Runner

It’s crucial that bettors pay attention to non-runners before placing a wager. Sometimes, horses withdraw from the race just before it begins. So, this can affect the odds of other horses, and punters should take this into consideration while betting. 

Condition of the Track

Track conditions can have a big effect on the performance of both jockeys and horses during a race. Since Durban July is held in July, rainfall can sometimes affect the racecourse. Although some horses handle bad weather better, some won’t perform to their best in such conditions. 

Another aspect to consider is whether the field is right-handed or left-handed. Some horses prefer a left-handed track and others a right-handed one. 

Jockey

The jockey has arguably the biggest impact on whether a horse wins the race. Obviously, some jockeys are better than others, which can be quite reassuring for bettors. When a jockey rides a familiar horse, punters have more confidence in placing a wager. This is especially true if they have mutually succeeded in the past. 

Shape In the Parade Ring

It is very important for bettors to check the shape of each horse in the parade ring before placing a bet. There, they can see the physical and psychological state of the horse and how good their chances are in the race. For example, if a horse is agitated, injured or has a poor relationship with the jockey, it will have a lower chance of winning the race. 

Horse’s Form

The importance of checking the horse’s current form cannot be overstated. Therefore, before placing your bets, make sure to do some research. It’s needless to say that horses in the better form are more likely to win a race than ones in poor form.

Durban July Betting Sites

Just like in previous years, bettors get the chance to place bets on their favourite horse. You can place your Durban July online betting on Hollywoodbets, bet.co.za, Interbet, Sportingbet and Betway. Hollywoodbets is the new sponsor of this sports events, taking over from Vodacom.

Durban July 2023 Betting Offers

The Durban July handicap will provide bettors with bookmaker promotions, special offers and deals for the Durban July entries 2023 in due time.

Bookmakers offer welcome sign-up bonuses during the week of the Durban July Handicap, and it’s a good time to get signed up and enjoy the deposit bonuses. Bookmarkers also offer bettors promotions in the form of free bets, enhanced odds, extra places, best odds guaranteed, etc.

Durban July 2023 Live Streaming

Individuals who cannot be at the event venue will have the chance to stream this event. The event will be live-streamed, and few bookmakers will offer bettors this opportunity.

Betway and Sportingbet are some of the platforms that have live streaming options for the event.

Durban July 2023 Schedule

Each year, over 50,000 people come to see the Durban July races at Greyville Racecourse. The event is held on the first Saturday of July every year. The 2023 edition of the race will be held on the 1st of July, 2023.

Only the best 18 will qualify and race for the Durban July 2023. The tournament euphoria begins around April as the event draws close and many pre-events take place. Usually, there is also a fashion parade as well as a few races before the main event begins. 

Jockeys enter the parade ring and introduce themselves to the crowd before they mount their horses as they leave the ring. Then, the South African national anthem plays and the Durban July begins. In the end, the winner receives their title and is crowned champion and given the Silver Salvers and the winner’s sashes. 

However, the Durban July 2023 race schedule is yet to be confirmed.

Durban July History

The Durban July Handicap is South Africa’s Premier Horse racing event. The thoroughbred horse race is held annually on the first Saturday in July. The race is usually run on the turf, and it currently offers a purse of R4.25 million.

However, it isn’t just a sporting event but also a social event where individuals display their fashion sense and various designers.

The event was first held in 1987 at a distance of approximately 1600 m. The distance was modified several times until 1970 when it was changed to its current 2200 meters.

Campanajo (1897, 1898), Corriecrian (1907, 1908), Milesia Pride (1949, 1950), El Picha (1999, 2000), Do it again (2018,2019) are the only five horses to win the Durban July Handicap back to back.

Trainers with the most wins

• Sydney C. Laird – 7 wins: 1961, 1963, 1966, 1967, 1971, 1973, 1978
• Terence M. Millard – 6 wins: 1983, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990
• Trainer F. Murray won the race four years from 1910 through 1913.

Jockeys with the most wins

• Harold “Tiger” Wright – 4 wins: 1942, 1947, 1949, 1955
• Anton Marcus – 4 wins: 1993, 2000, 2005, 2007
• Bertie Hayden – 3 wins: 1971, 1973, 1978
• Felix Coetzee – 3 wins: 1984, 1988, 1990

Durban July Past Winners

Here are the previous winners of the tournament since July 2013.

Year	Horse	Trainer	Jockey
2022	Sparkling Water	Mike de Kock	S’manga Khumalo
2021	Kommetdieding	Harold Crawford and Michelle Rix	Gavin Lerena
2020	Belgarion	Justin Snaith	Richard Fourie
2019	Do It Again	Justin Snaith	Richard Fourie
2018	Do It Again	Justin Snaith	Anton Marcus
2017	Marinaresco	Candice Bass-Robinson	Bernard Fayd’herbe
2016	The Conglomerate	Joey Ramsden	Piere Strydom
2015	Power King	Dean Kannemeyer	Stuart Randolph
2014	Legislate	Justin Snaith	Richard Fourie
2013	Heavy Metal	Sean Tarry	S’manga Khumalo

Durban July 2023 FAQ

If you want to know more about Durban July, check out the FAQ section below.