The top three horses will win R10 000, R3500 and R1500, respectively, for their selected charities.
| Personality | Twitter handle | Horse name | Charity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sias Du Plessis (5FM) | @siasduplessis | #RedFury | Unlimited Child |
| Sasha Martinengo (Ballz) | @F1Sasha | #BallzToTheWallz | Cupcakes 4 Kids with Cancer |
| Sipho Hlangwane (Business Day) | @comradesipho | #BadExample | Dreamfields Project |
| Cale Pissarra (Just Kicking) | @calepissarra | #Dirtyseagull | Dirty Seagulls |
| Carl Wastie (GHFM) | @carlwastie | #FrikinHorsome | Sporting Chance |
| Life is Savage (LifeIsSavage) | @lifeissavage | #WhoYourDaddy | Alzheimer's SA |
| Dylan Moore (MrCapeTown) | @MrCPT | #Babylon | My Life |
| Craig Stack (MyCityByNight) | @Craig_Stack | #ElDiablo | JAG Foundation |
| Lance Witten (eTV) | @LanceTheWitten | #Pegasus | Anna Foundation |
| Brent Graham(Goodforthegame) | @BrentGraham | #TheFalcon | Kitty & Puppy Haven |
"We are very lucky to have secured such high-profile names for Sportingbet's Unofficial Durban July 14th Race," said Scott Canny, marketing manager of Sportingbet. "We hope that the public helps them to support these worthy causes."
The final field has some strong favourites: #RedFury and #BallzToTheWallz appear to be clear forerunners purely based on the number of followers they have, which, in theory, would mean that they would get the highest number of mentions. However, much as in the Durban July, the Unofficial 14th Race is a "handicapped" race, but opposed to carrying actual weights, the runners will be handicapped by the number of mentions needed to win the race. So those with the most followers will have to reach a higher number of mentions than those with fewer followers, to ensure they all stand a fair chance to win and support their charity of choice.
"There is also always the chance of an underdog. Our personalities have incredibly strong relationships and interaction with their followers," said Canny. "Active participation with 5000 followers can easily outstrip average participation with 50 000. It will be up to the runners to get their followers participating in order to win the money for their charity."
"There were no surprises in the final field and it's a very open race this year," said Canny. "Another important part of the final field announcement was the barrier draw. This is the draw for gate or stall each horse will begin the race from."
"The barrier draw is done randomly to allow for a more fair and competitive race," he explained. "Although all the horses will try to get as close to the inner barrier of the track when racing, in order to take advantage of the shorter distance this provides, the horses that start closer to the barrier have that slight advantage, hence the saying 'getting the inside track'."
The draw has favoured Run For It, a horse who many believe should not be in the race, and he is now second favourite behind last year's winner Pomodoro. Run For It knocked Cape Town Noir to third after getting the best draw possible at number one, the very inside track. Run For It is also only weighted with 56.5kgs compared to Pomodoro's 60kgs, giving him an extra edge. As South Africa's largest online sports book, Sportingbet South Africa guarantees the top price on the favourite Pomodoro at 5/1.
"The betting public now have all the information they need to make informed betting decisions, which could allow them to win some serious money," said Canny. "We know who the horses are, which allows us to look into the reputation of the stables, trainers and jockeys, we know the weight they have been allocated which tells us the quality of their careers to date and we even know what position they will start the race in. Punters can also check out their favourites perform at The Gallops on Thursday."
For the formal Durban July on 6 July this year Sportingbet SA is running a Pick 8 competition with the prize of R1 million. The person who can pick the finishing order of the top-eight horses in the Durban July stands to win the prize. If no one gets it right the closest pick (the most horses in the correct finishing places) wins R10 000. The competition is open and entry is free, but you need to have a FICA verified Sportingbet account in order for your entry to be valid.
"The Unofficial 14th Race supporters can also get in on the action," said Canny. "As a nod to the Pick 8 competition, our supporters will have the opportunity to win R1000. They will need to pick the 'horses' that will come first, second and third on 3 July in our virtual race to be entered into a random draw to win the money."
To follow or be a part of the #BeTheStud campaign, check out the Sportingbet #BeTheStud website. You can also head to our Facebook Page or follow on Twitter @SportingbetSA. To place your bets and stand a chance to win the Pick 8 competition, head to the Sportingbet Website.
