Durban July winner The Real Prince will chase a slice of history when he lines up in South Africa’s season-ending feature, the G1 Champions Cup (1800m), at Greyville on Sunday.
Since the Champions Cup – formerly the Mainstay 1800 – was elevated to Group 1 status in 1985, no horse has completed the Durban July-Champions Cup double. The last Durban July winner to attempt the feat was Marinaresco in 2017; he finished ninth in that year’s Champions Cup, although he won the race the year before.
However, trainer Dean Kannemeyer said there was no reason not to attempt the double, three weeks after the four-year-old became the first horse in half a century to win the 2200-metre Durban July at his first start beyond a mile.
“It’s always a tough ask,” Kannemeyer said. “However, the reason I am going to run him is because he took his run so well. The Sunday after the July, we trotted him up and he didn’t look like he’d had a run, his manger was cleaned out and he was so well. He’s such an easy horse.
“We looked at the race and thought, maybe 1800 metres is more his distance. A weight-for-age race is always a great race, it sorts out the men from the boys. There are some well-performed horses in there like Dave The King and See It Again, they’ve earned their stripes and I think we’ve earned our stripes after the July.
“He’s drawn well, he’s doing well, we’ve kept him fresh and he’s done everything right to give us reason to run him again.”
Rider Craig Zackey will maintain his association with The Real Prince as he seeks his first win in the feature.
Horse of the Year honours will potentially be on the line as the Champions Cup winner has been named South Africa’s champion horse the last two years. However, the Equus logs – an informal guide as to who will be named champions in each category – suggest that Durban July runner-up Eight On Eighteen, who does not run on Sunday, will be crowned Horse of the Year.
Last year’s Horse of the Year and Champions Cup victor Dave The King will attempt to defend both titles on Sunday.
The Mike and Mat de Kock-trained Dave The King skipped the Durban July to focus on this race, given it is felt his stamina does not extend to the July trip. He will once again try to complete the Greyville double of June’s G1 Gold Challenge (1800m) into the Champions Cup, which he achieved in 2024, with Callan Murray in the saddle.
“He’s been really well,” Mat de Kock said. “We feel that he’s made improvement from that last run which is a really positive sign heading to Sunday as it will be a great test of his ability. It’s his third run after a rest and he’s really peaking. It’s a tried and tested pathway and everything has gone according to plan.
“No Group 1 is ever easy, there are certainly horses in there that on their day are going to push ‘Dave’ – especially The Real Prince. He’s still an unknown factor – he ran a great race in the July and he’s a real up-and-comer. It’s a fascinating event, we love competing and we want to win – and we’ll be disappointed if we don’t – but it’s great to line up in a race like this with a horse who we feel is a realistic chance.”
The sentimental favourite will be See It Again, who is aiming to win this race at his third attempt after finishing second in 2023 and third in 2024. Trained by former champion jockey Michael Roberts, the five-year-old missed the Durban July due to an abnormal blood count.
Hong Kong-based rider Keagan de Melo, a former Durban resident, returns to take the mount, one of eight rides for the jockey on the 10-race card.
“It was obviously a big disappointment for all of us to miss the July,” Roberts said. “We’d worked so hard with him and it was just a hiccup at the wrong time. He’s fine, though, he’s back to himself and we’re happy with his training. He’s a happy horse and I couldn’t wish for him to be any better.
“I discussed it with the owner (Nic Jonsson) and we made the joint decision to book Keagan with his international experience under his belt. We think he will suit the horse and he’s a great jockey to be able to get.”
Others in the line-up include three other Group 1 winners – Royal Victory, Son Of Raj and the lone three-year-old Fire Attack – as well as Group 1-placed Gladiatorian and Montien.
The Greyville program also includes the G1 Champion Stakes (1600m) and the G1 Douglas Whyte Stakes (1600m), both for juveniles, as well as the G1 Mercury Sprint (1200m).
All 10 races from Greyville will be open to punters across the globe through World Pool and managing body RaceCoast is confident that there will be no repeat of the technical issues which prevented commingling on the Durban July.
“It was unfortunate what happened on Durban July Day,” RaceCoast’s racing director Graeme Hawkins told Idol Horse. “However, we get the chance to showcase South Africa to the world on Sunday and they get to see some of our best horses in action. We have great races up and down the card, including four Grade 1 features, and we look forward to welcoming the world to Durban.” ∎
