For Cape Town’s Jonathan Bloch, this year’s Hollywoodbets Durban July will be remembered as the day a lifelong passion for horse racing delivered the sport’s ultimate reward.
Jonathan celebrated a remarkable one–two finish in South Africa’s premier horse race when Note To Self stormed to victory ahead of stablemate Wish List at a packed Hollywoodbets Greyville racecourse. Even more remarkable is that the pre-race favourite, Star Major, was withdrawn just a few days prior to the race happening. Guess who its owner is. Yes, this leading contender is a horse that’s part-owned by Jonathan Bloch, too!
The Justin Snaith-trained Note To Self, ridden by Richard Fourie, held off the gallant Wish List by just a quarter of a length to claim the winner’s purse of R5.75 million, with the runner-up earning R1.5 million.
Jonathan shares ownership of both horses alongside Nancy Hossack, while Jonathan Snaith is also a part-owner of Note To Self. Winning the 1st and 2nd places is a rare occurrence for owners, so this Durban July certainly marks a significant moment for the Hossack-Bloch partnership.
The victory marked several milestones. It was Varsfontein Stud’s first Durban July winner as breeders, while Snaith and Fourie became the first trainer–jockey partnership to win the race together four times.
For Jonathan, however, the achievement was about far more than trophies and prize money.
A horse-lover from his youth, when he learned how to ride a horse in Hout Bay, Jonathan has been a racehorse owner since 1990, introduced to the sport post university when he embarked upon his chosen career in stockbroking (now wealth management) by his wonderful mentors and supporters, Abe Swersky, Arnold Galombik, Graham Beck and Laurie Jaffe. He stepped away from the sport for almost two decades before returning after the Covid-19 pandemic and, since then, his stable has enjoyed extraordinary success, but he insists the greatest reward is sharing the journey with others.
“I’m having fun with great people,” he says. “Every year I try and bring three or four new owners into the game. I always joke, “I can promise them two things: (1) They’ll meet interesting people and have loads of fun, and (2) Financially, we will go down the loo together.”
Jonathan is known for racing almost exclusively in partnerships and believes the friendships formed are as important as the results on the track. “The horse always comes first,” he says. “Everything is about the horse.” It’s this sentiment that leaves him comfortable about Star Major being withdrawn from the premier Hollywoodbets Durban July race when the horse exhibited a raised temperature.
The Durban July victory capped an extraordinary season for Jonathan, who had already celebrated major Grade 1 and Grade 2 victories with Note To Self, Wish List and Star Major. But seeing his two horses cross the finish line first and second in Africa’s greatest horse race was the fulfilment of a dream more than three decades in the making.
Keeping it in the family?
Jonathan’s son Zachary (Zac) appears to have picked up his father’s passion for horses. Having learned a great deal from Jonathan, Zac established the Yuppie Syndicate to attract more young people to become involved in owning horses.
Zac was with Jonathan when his two horses took their leading places at the Durban July.
Another horse-racing triumph for some of Cape Town’s Jewish residents on the day of the Durban July came for David and Garth Musikanth, part-owners of AHEAD OF THE FACTS, which won the longer-distance Durban G3 Gold vase. This race is one run over a marathon distance of 3 000 meters, making it one of the premier endurance events on the South African racing calendar.
Garth and I are over the moon with our boy AHEAD OF THE FACTS,” David comments. “He is giving us great fun and super memories. And it’s always fun winning together as brothers!“
