July Door Ajar For Aladdin's Lamp

There have been countless versions of the tale of Aladdin's Lamp over the centuries, each centred on a magical lamp capable of granting its owner extraordinary fortune.

Whether the Murugasa family are in the process of writing their own version remains to be seen, but the genie certainly appears to be out of the bottle. Their remarkable run of success continued at Turffontein on Sunday when Aladdin's Lamp (Callan Murray) produced a sparkling performance to win the Grade 3 TAB Jubilee Stakes over 1800m.

Lucky Fish ambassadors Mike and Mathew de Kock will be supplementing Aladdin’s Lamp to the 2026 R10-million Grade 1 Hollywoodbets Durban July in a somewhat unexpected opportunity to add another exciting chapter to a story that is gathering momentum with every passing week.

Jayson and Preshalin Murugasa have had nine winners from their last 24 runners (10 from 25 if a partnership winner with Fierceness is added), and this hot streak of winners includes a Grade 1 victory with Haute Couture.

If Aladdin's Lamp has indeed released a genie for the Murugasa family, they may need one more wish granted in the days ahead.

In previous years, victory in the Jubilee Handicap effectively served as a preferential ticket into the Hollywoodbets Durban July. That automatic pathway has since fallen away, however, leaving the final composition of the field in the hands of the selection panel, which will determine the 18 runners who ultimately earn their place in South Africa's greatest horse race.

Judging by the weekend's results, there are likely to be a number of changes to the current Top 18 before the final field is announced. Several contenders appear well below their best form and, on recent evidence, face an uphill battle to force their way into serious contention before the announcement of the line-up on 22 June.

As always, the build-up to the July promises plenty of debate, with strong opinions on which horses deserve a coveted berth and which contenders should be left on the sidelines.

Meanwhile Cold Shine, a fluent winner at the Vaal recently, confirmed his progress on the Highveld with a follow-up win in a Handicap over 1160m at the Turffontein meeting, putting another Murugasa double on the board.

The gelding was backed up quickly to exploit a less competitive contest, and with the in-form Mickaelle Michel's valuable 1.5kg allowance effectively neutralising his penalty, the move proved inspired. It was a case of shrewd placement meeting opportunity, and the result was a plan come together!