GALLOPING INTO HISTORY

IT’S the biggest, most glamorous event on the racing calendar and the Grey-ville Racecourse in Durban is usually swarming with the who’s who of South Africa, dressed to the nines and quaffing bubbly in the balmy KwaZulu-Natal winter sunshine.

But of course, things must be done very differently these days. Last year the Durban July was held behind closed doors and this year it was a significantly watered-down affair.

There were no cheering crowds, no booze and precious little fanfare. The only people allowed onto the grounds were trainers, jockeys, core racing personnel and a handful of media representatives.

Everyone else had to watch the R2,5-million race on TV