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When 18 horses will line up for the July Vodacom Durban this year on 2 200m at the Greyville Racecourse on Saturday, it will be for the 122nd time in a row.
The Durban July has been run continuously every year since Campanajo crossed the finish line at the Durban Turf Club Handicap on 1 600m at Greyville on Saturday July 17, 1897.
Not even two world wars and a wet track in 1989, which saw the first races abandoned, prevented the race taking place.
About 3,000 people attended the first meeting, never dreaming that in the coming years it would come to a point where a crowd of more than 50,000 people would be the norm.
On one occasion, the doors had to be closed for security reasons after the sale of all printed tickets.
And just as the ladies of this first meeting were dressed in their finery, this day has become one of the major fashion and entertainment events of the year in the country. "July Experience" or report on the biggest race event on the African continent.
Although it's a day of fashion and entertainment, it's the best thoroughbreds in the country put together for the biggest challenge of their careers.
For horses, jockeys, coaches and homeowners, it's the pinnacle of their racing experience just to get involved in the race. Many great thoroughbreds from some of the most famous stables and ridden by the best jockeys have competed over the years.
Few people will have forgotten how the mighty Sea Cottage, driven by tall Syd Laird, was pulled en route to a workout, but resumed running and finishing fourth a few weeks later.
He returned the following year to claim victory in an empty race with Jollify.
While coaches like Laird have won the race seven times and Terrance Millard six times, no jockey has won more than four times. They are Tiger Wright, Anton Marcus, Anthony Delpech and Piere Strydom.
Marcus and Strydom have a chance to break the hoodoo on Saturday while they overlap Do It Again and Abashiri respectively
Race on SuperSport
The Durban July, the continent's first horse racing event, will be broadcast on SuperSport this year. weekend after the organizers and the World of Champions concluded a three-year trade agreement.
"The month of July in Durban is more than a horse race, it's the biggest social event in the country that attracts people from all over." SuperSport is honored to have concluded this agreement, which will see both parties win tremendously, "said SuperSport CEO Gideon Khobane. "We are getting a new audience while offering the event a reach to the continent's scale."
SuperSport begins with a three-hour show on SuperSport 4 at 1:30 pm Saturday with a build-up of the place anchored by horse racing aficionado Neil Andrews, with his four-time winner in July and two South African jockey champion Anthony Delpech as a guest of his studio.
The first race of the day is the DStv Gold Vase race (SS 4HD and Blitz at 13:35). Then the broadcast takes a break, resuming at 14:30 with fashionistas Lalla Hirayama and Kriya Gangiah giving viewers a glitz and glamor look in the month of July.
The main race is at 4:20 pm and is also live on SS10 HD
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