Graduates of Bloodstock South Africa totally dominated the finish of Saturday’s G1 Hollywoodbets Durban July (2200m) at Hollywoodbets Greyville.
BSA buys Note To Self, Wish List, King Pelles and Viva’s Liberte finished 1-2-3-4 in Saturday’s R10 000 000 contest. The race was also a triumph for trainer Justin Snaith, who saddled the first two past the post. Snaith was winning the July for a sixth time, with winning rider Richard Fourie having won the race on four occasions. Fourie provided the well-backed Note To Self with a confident ride, with the former South African champion bringing his mount with a run on the outside which saw Note To Self get up to score by a neck. The 2026 July was also a triumph for Jonathan Bloch and Nancy Hossack, who own runner up Wish List and part-own the winner with Jonathan Snaith. The progressive Note To Self, runner up in this season’s G1 Lucky Fish Cape Derby (behind Wish List) and third in the G1 Daily News 2000, took his earnings to over R6.447 million with his July win. Bred by Varsfontein Stud, the blue blooded Note To Self was a R300 000 buy from the 2024 National Yearling Sale. A son of Horse Of The Year, and fellow BSA buy, Futura, Note To Self is out of the unraced Judpot mare Guiding Light, a half-sister to G3 Flamboyant Stakes winner Hashtagyolo. This is the family of prominent stallion Master Of My Fate and Triple Crown winner Malmoos among others.
Bloodstock South Africa graduates also enjoyed a near clean-sweep in Saturday’s G1 Ridgemont Garden Province Stakes (1600m), with BSA buys Quickstepgal, Double Grand Slam and Keukenhof finishing 1-2-4 respectively. Top-class three-year-old Quickstepgal, a R450 000 buy from the 2024 KZN Yearling Sale, picked up the second G1 win of her career when she won the Garden Province Stakes. Under a good ride from Keagan De Melo, the Tienie Prinsloo trained filly stormed home to beat top-class older rivals Mon Petit Cherie and Double Grand Slam by 1.3 and 1.4 lengths respectively. Bred by Greenacres Trust, the ultra consistent Quickstepgal is owned by the Wernars Family and Harry Willson. One of three graded stakes winners on Saturday for champion sire Vercingetorix, Quickstepgal has won or been placed in 12 of 13 starts with her latest wins taking her earnings to R2 642 189.
Yet another BSA buy, and fellow daughter of Vercingetorix, to impress on Saturday was Palace Of Arvernia, who won the G2 Amusnet Golden Slipper (1400m) in tremendous fashion. A full-sister to this season’s G1 HKJC World Pool SA Classic winner Grand Empire, the Dean Kannemeyer trained filly made it two wins from three starts when storming home to stamp her classic claims by over a length. Bred by Al Adiyaat, and owned by Messrs Irvine and Moor, Palace Of Arvernia was a R575 000 buy from the 2025 National Yearling Sale.
Ahead Of The Facts and Magic Verse added to the great success enjoyed by BSA graduates on Saturday when they won the G3 Durban Gold Vase (3000m) and G3 Magical Zulu Kingdom Campanajo Stakes (2200m) respectively.Both horses are trained by Justin Snaith, with Ahead Of The Facts steered to victory by Richard Fourie and Magic Verse partnered by rising star Zac Lloyd.
Bred by Syrilla Stud, Ahead Of The Facts, a bargain R100 000 buy from the 2023 National Yearling Sale, took his earnings to R961 025 with his Gold Vase triumph. The son of red hot sire Futura is owned by Messrs Zev Blieden, Ryan Copeland, Darren Smith, J Murcia, D Musikanth & Garth Musikanth.
His stablemate Magic Verse, a R400 000 buy from the 2022 National Sale, was claiming his first graded win on Saturday. The Drakenstein Stud bred son of G1 winners Vercingetorix and Little Miss Magic is owned by Greg and Gina Bortz in partnership with Leon Ellman.
Bloodstock South Africa enjoyed further feature race success at Turffontein on Sunday where the progressive three-year-old Errol Flyn captured the G3 TAB Sea Cottage Stakes (1800m) in scintillating fashion. The Joe Soma trained gelding made it three wins in a row when storming home, under Keagan De Melo, to land the Sea Cottage Stakes by a length and three-quarters. Bred by Sandra Michelle Ajax and Target Acquired, Errol Flynn, who has won five of seven starts, was a R400 000 purchase from the 2024 National Yearling Sale. One of three stakes winners this weekend for his sire Master Of My Fate, Errol Flynn races for the Wernars Family, Dayalan Chinsammy, and TKP Racing.
