2026 Durban July Betting Tips, Best Bookmakers & Free Bets

Our tips for the Durban July Handicap will be published closer to the day of the race. Once published, you'll find them at the top of this page.

Learn how to watch the race or stream the Durban July live via you mobile or tablet with bet365 or Stake.

If you are in South Africa and looking for free bets for the Durban July, there are five recommended bookmakers to bet with. 

Raced on turf, the Durban July Handicap is South Africa's best thoroughbred horse race and it has a long history of producing champion South African winners. 

It was originally run over 1600m but was changed to 2200m in 1970 when Court Day took out the Group 1 prize. 

World champion trainer Mike de Kock, who trained champion sprinter Rocket Man, has had good success in the July Handicap. 

De Kock has won four times with the likes of Ipi Tombe, Greys Inn and Igugu. The South African-born trainer doesn't hold the record for most wins, however, with Sydney C. Laird winning seven times. 

Terence M. Millard had an amazing stretch during the 1980's and 1990's, training six winners in a span of eight years. 

The most successful jockey is shared by four riders but Piere Strydom has had the most recent success, winning in 2016 with The Conglomerate for Australian-born trainer Joey Ramsden. 

There has been some international success with Colorado King winning in 1963. It would later win the Hollywood Gold Cup and set a world record for 1800m when winning the American Handicap. 

Ipi Tombe, trained by Mike de Kock, was the first horse bred in Zimbabwe to win at Churchill Downs in Kentucky.

Do It Again joined the illustrious list of back-to-back winners in 2019, storming home to successfully retain the title he handed Sean Tarry the previous year.

Do It Again came up just short on his bid for an unprecedented hat-trick of Durban July wins in 2020. Justin Snaith's star was beaten by stablemate Belgarion, who topped the ante-post betting for much of the build-up and rewarded his supporters with a fine victory.

In 2021, Kommetdieding overcame a wide draw under Gavin Lerena to beat Linebacker and Got The Greenlight to win the Durban July.

60 percent of races run since 1998 have been won by three-year-olds and four-year-old runners also have a good strike rate. 

In a naturally open race, due to the handicap conditions, favourites haven't fared well in recent times. 

Only three favourites have won in the last 13 years and there has never been an odds-on winner of the Durban July Handicap, with the shortest-priced winner, Sea Cottage, paying 11/10 ($2.10) with bookmakers. 

There have been four back-to-back winners and 2017 winner Marinaresco is currently a 12/1 chance to add his name to the list. 

Wide draws were once considered a negative factor when handicapping the Durban July Handicap but 2012 winner Pomodoro left from barrier 20 and he was the seventh horse to win from the outside stall. 

Bookmakers always offer a wide-open betting field and that allows punters to lock up great each way value.