Eight On Eighteen has much in his favour but!

The Justin Snaith-trained EIGHT ON EIGHTEEN runs in the 2025 Hollywoodbets Durban July at Hollywoodbets Greyville tomorrow.

- ANDREW HARRISON

THE Justin Snaith-trained Eight On Eighteen is officially rated the best horse in the country and will be out to prove it tomorrow when he lines up in the 18-horse field for the Gr1 R5 million Hollywoodbets Durban July.

He has a lot in his favour, but also a lot against. Because of the conditions of the race, he is well in at the weights with all of the opposition and has the added benefit of a plum draw of 11 and champion jockey Richard Fourie in the irons. Also, he was hardly out of a canter when winning the Gr1 Daily News 2000 against his own age group.

However, handicap ratings aside, he has to give lumps of weight to all of his three-year-old rivals and that will be no easy task.

He carries top weight for a three-year-old male of 57kg, the highest since Abashiri lumped 59kg into 13th place behind The Conglomerate in 2016. Eight On Eighteen will make history should he win and become the first three-year-old in history to win the Gr1 WSB Cape Town Met and the Gr1 Hollywoodbets Durban July in the same year. Snaith’s colt is currently the short-priced ante-post favourite but this is by no means a one-horse race.

The Real Prince has not been tested beyond a mile but Dean Kannemeyer knows what it takes to train a July winner, successful with Dynasty, Eyeofthetiger and Power King.