Why Aladdin’s Lamp deserves his place in HWB Durban July

The Hollywoodbets Durban July has always been a race that celebrates excellence, current form, competitiveness and the opportunity for deserving horses to compete on South Africa’s biggest stage.

Aladdins Lamp ticks all these boxes with his most recent performance being his career best.

Highlighting his current form is his recent victory in the Grade 3 Jubilee Stakes - a traditionally, automatic Win And You’re In - race if you happened to be victorious. With the addition of Blinkers for the first time, Aladdin’s Lamp came home lonely in a light bulb moment for the horse. He beat fellow Durban July contender Olivia’s Way who (has not won since April 2025) and others who at the time held entries for the event.

The fact that Aladdin's Lamp was backed from 25/2 to 28/10 favourite that day is an indication of how much he has improved in blinkers and his current well-being. 

Aladdin’s Lamp is a SEVEN-time winning 5-year-old who is still showing improvement. His rating was not achieved for losing performances, like the ratings allocated to, for example, Viva’s Liberte, Happy Verse and Note To Self. It was achieved by WINNING.

Viva’s Liberte has won a Maiden and a Class 4 contest - just let that sink in - vs Aladdin’s Lamp, a 7-time winner including a Grade 3. Despite the discrepancy in their winning achievements , Aladdin’s Lamp has been excluded from the Top 18 on the latest log while Viva’s Liberty is in, even although they are the same nett rating.

In long handicap scenario things have changed. Three-year-olds are no longer protected and older, well-handicapped exposed horse should be preferred over the well over-rated three-year-old classic-placed horse who year in year out prove the handicap assessment wrong. Too much emphasis is placed on three-year-olds with bloated ratings who actually have ‘losing’ form.

This is not an attack on Viva’s Liberte or any other fellow competitors but a questioning of the methodology used to leave a winning older handicapper out.

Aladdin’s Lamp is a tough and progressive older horse that likes to win. He will come into the race at the bottom of the weights, thus embodying the idea of a well-handicapped older horse. Having finished on the podium 11 times out of his last 12 starts he has shown the resilience, mental fortitude and hardiness needed to take on our toughest race.

The Jubilee Handicap is considered the lead up race in JHB for the Durban July, but is now being discredited by leaving the winner out of the Top 18.

He certainly deserves his place based on his most recent performance.

Let’s hope others agree.