Durban July Handicap - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Durban July Handicap is a South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

n Thoroughbred horse race

Thoroughbred horse race

Thoroughbred horse racing is a worldwide sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport: Flat racing and National Hunt racing...

held annually on the first Saturday of July since 1897 at Greyville Racecourse

Greyville Racecourse

Greyville Racecourse is a Thoroughbred race track in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The 2,800 metre pear-shaped track consists of several gradient features: it is run uphill from the 2,400 metre mark to the 1,800 metre mark, after which it slopes gently downward for...

in Durban

Durban

Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...

, KwaZulu-Natal

KwaZulu-Natal

KwaZulu-Natal is a province of South Africa. Prior to 1994, the territory now known as KwaZulu-Natal was made up of the province of Natal and the homeland of KwaZulu....

. Raced on turf

Grass

Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...

, the Durban July Handicap is open to horses of all ages. It is South Africa's premier horse racing event and currently offers a purse of R

South African rand

The rand is the currency of South Africa. It takes its name from the Witwatersrand , the ridge upon which Johannesburg is built and where most of South Africa's gold deposits were found. The rand has the symbol "R" and is subdivided into 100 cents, symbol "c"...

2.5 million (app. US

United States dollar

The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....

$360,000).

First held in July 1897 at a distance of 1 mile (approx 1600m), the distance was modified several times until 1970 when it was changed to its current 2200 meters (11 furlong

Furlong

A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and U.S. customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to 220 yards, 660 feet, 40 rods, or 10 chains. The exact value of the furlong varies slightly among English-speaking countries....

s).
Only four horses have ever won the Durban July Handicap back-to-back.

Campanajo (1897, 1898)
Corriecrian (1907, 1908)
Milesia Pride (1949, 1950)
El Picha (1999, 2000)

One other horse namely Pamphlet won twice in 1918 and 1920

Most wins by a trainer:

Sydney C.