Durban July 2026 review: Note To Self lands South Africa’s biggest prize

Every time I travel abroad for the racing my article format fits within tried and tested parameters – entry costs, value for money, food and drink options and the atmosphere on the day.

Having tried to embarrass British racing into looking at racegoers as long-term prospects rather than on the day cash-cows year on year with little to no success, I will keep that aspect shorter and sweeter this year – the Durban July from South Africa is cheaper to attend than anywhere in the United Kingdom, even what taking the relative costs of living not account, and far far more importantly, the public all feel not only welcomed, but valued.

For exclusive stories and all the detailed Racing news you need, subscribe to the Racing Ahead website, digital edition, or magazine from as little as 8p a day.

Fashion theme

The fashion theme this year is “Country allure” and there is an incredible atmosphere in the in-field and I think I finally understand why.

When I go racing in the UK I wear a suit, but perhaps only because I feel I must, and not necessarily because I want to.

I suspect that may be the case for many ladies too – whereas over here there is a good percentage who go all out, to shock and to be seen.

To be fair, not everyone goes to the extremes with simple cowboy hats seemingly a local big-seller but those who do are happy to talk with many professionally designed and looking for the exposure to either start their business or move up to the next level – hopefully you can see a little of how talented and original they are.

Food and course

Food is cheap and plentiful – chicken strips and rice £3.20, gourmet mutton burgers (?) for £5, and chicken tacos for the same, gin and tonic for £3 – and I suspect I may be reporting in considerably overweight by the end of the last race.

On to the course and it is beautifully laid out, flowers everywhere, green spaces and a real welcoming feel to it – though the “underground” section where the majority of the betting windows sit is a bit dark, much like the rest of the world, and it would be no great surprise to see that change in the years ahead.

What I do like (and credit where it’s due) is that the racecards came with a glossary of racing terms pull-out, as mentioned in the preview Hollywoodbets aren’t here to make a quick buck, they are in it for the long-term (UK bookmakers take note).

Attracting newcomers via fashion and music isn’t the worst idea in the world (I am coming to terms with that), but only if you educate them to promote the sport – selling out the big festivals is rarely an issue even at home but using them to get folk interested on a wet afternoon at Wetherby isn’t quite as easy and requires effort and thought, and I wish them the best of British.

Races

On to the racing and I fully understand the names I am about to bandy about will mean very little to the majority reading (why would they?), but they still deserve their name in lights however briefly, and the first two races went to jockeys Callum Murray and Keegan De Melo (on my next best), but it was race three that saw a little bit of history when Zac Lloyd rode his first winner in South Africa on Magic Verse.

Zac, who was successful at Royal Ascot on Moonfall is the son of English born Jeff Lloyd, who had a highly successful career as a jockey in South Africa being crowned Champion jockey six times, and five times in Mauritius, so this really must have been a special moment for his son and one the knowledgeable crowd certainly appreciated.

The next race saw my NAP of the day get up and make it a Snaith treble from the first four races when the classy stayer Ahead Of The Fact won with a bit more in hand than the official margin under Richard Fourie who celebrated before the line, a rare occurrence in the country by all accounts.

By now I knew things could only go downhill – even I can only have that much luck (I mean skill), as the countdown to the big one got going in earnest.

With 12 races on the card, I did take a break (and a G&T of course) and a second wander around the fashion village for an assault on the senses, and with no races of too much interest to me personally, I was able to enjoy the day.

COUNTRY CHIC: Racegoers embrace the Durban July’s 2026 fashion theme.
PICTURES: Liesl King

The big one

For the point of accuracy Craig Zackey won race five5, Sean Veale race six 6, but now it is all about the big one – the 10,000,000 Rand Durban July, the richest of all time by some margin.

At this stage (spoiler alert) I am thinking of changing how I get paid – from so much per article to so much for every time I use the words “Justin Snaith”.

Described by others as Africa’s Aidan O’Brien I am beginning to understand why – and worse still he’s a nice bloke and I can’t even begrudge him any of his success.

This time he didn’t only win the July for the sixth time and the first since Belgarion in 2020, he had the first with Note To Self, but the second (and my selection) Wish List.

JULY GLORY: Note To Self storms to victory in the 2026 Durban July.
PICTURE: Liesl King

Open and competitive

The race was all you could hope for, open and competitive with few if any hard luck stories, and a fantastic finish as Richard Fourie swooped fast and late form the back of the field to mow down 57 year old Andrew Fortune, whose life story needs to be made into a movie.

At the line there was a quarter of a length between them and gutted as I am, I can’t deny the victor the spoils.

As the adrenaline left my system the rest of the races became a bit of an afterthought, with Keegan De Melo winning race eight, Grant van Niekerk landed the gamble of the day on Jet Force in the ninth (25/1 to 4/1), race 10 went to Serino Moodley on Talk to The Master, 11 to Chad Schofield on board Warm Reception, and with one more suggestion to run my last few rand were saved for Claire De Lune, who ran an honourable second to the Moodley ridden 16/1 chance Thought Control giving me two winners and two seconds from four selections – I will take that any day of the week.

Conclusions

As the sun set on my latest trip to the Durban July I felt forcibly reminded that racing is and can be fun, even if we seem to have lost that at home in the United Kingdom.

The size of the crowd isn’t relevent if they aren’t even interested, but the grandstand here was packed with fans who cared, the unveiling of the South African flag was greeted by riotous applause, and the national anthem sung at a lung-bursting volume – pride in yourself and your heritage is very much alive here in Durban and it was an atmosphere to behold, perhaps the best yet in the many years I have been attending.

With a slackening off of quarantine restrictions in recent years, we may see less of South Africa’s top horses being sold to continue their careers abroad, and more looking to campaign on the internation stage with joint-trainer Mathew De Kock suggesting to us they are looking to set up a satellite yard in Dubai once more.

Whether they are yet good enough to launch an attack on the likes of Royal Ascot is open to debate (and I suspect not), but success breeds success, and the only way they can realistically gauge their progress is to give it a go – and learn from any mistakes – but make no mistake, there has been a rebirth of South Africa racing and the green shoots of progress are already showing through, and as a huge fan of international racing, another country taking the big step forward can only be seen as a positive.    

• Sean Trivass was a guest of Race Coast Kwa Zulu Natal and would like to thank them for their support. Photos taken by Liesl King and Richard Gross to whom I am grateful as always.

READ MORE: Durban July overview: The big race, trainers and jockeys