Greyville Race Course

About Greyville Race Course

Say the suburb name ‘Greyville’ to the average Durbanite, and you will discover it is virtually synonymous with the Durban July and Durban’s first and longest running sports venue - the Greyville Racecourse.

Did you know? The Durban July Handicap is an annual South African Thoroughbred horse race held on the first Saturday of July since 1897 at Greyville Racecourse in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. Raced on turf, the Durban July Handicap is open to horses of all ages. 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.

The Durban July is comparable to Britain’s Royal Ascot - high fashion, exciting horse racing, food, champagne and a lot of people.

And you don’t even have to know all that much about horse racing to enjoy the festivities. The race was first held in July 1897 with only seven horses and today it is one of the highlights of the horse racing calendar. Ladies and gents alike come out arrayed in the most incredible designer outfits - most of which are designed for visual appeal rather than practicality. Large hats and vibrant colors are the order of the day and once the race is over, most supporters head out to one of many after parties until the early morning hours.

The Durban July - currently sponsored by Vodacom - is the most talked about and attended horse racing gathering among South African horse racing fans. With over R1.5 million at stake, the Durban July - held at the Greyville Racecourse - is the one horse race everyone takes note of.

The race takes place over 2.2 km and is the main event on a packed card, the last four races of which are run under floodlights. The race card also includes the 1.6km Garden Province Stakes, the 3km Gold Vase, the 1.4km Golden Horseshoe and the 1.4km Golden Slipper.