Durban July - New date for Durban July

South Africa's biggest horse racing event, The Durban July, has been moved from its original date of 4 July to 25 July.

The Durban July, which usually sees the world of fashion meet horse racing on the first Saturday of July, will now be a broadcast-only event due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In level 3 of the South African lockdown, non-contact sports are allowed to take place, but without spectators.

Following the decision by government to move down to level 3 of the lockdown, The Durban July's organiser, Gold Circle, announced that the new date for the prestigious race day will now be 25 July 2020.

"Gold Circle, together with the ongoing support of the company's valued sponsor Vodacom, is fully committed to running the 2020 Vodacom Durban July. Sadly, given the reality of the present circumstances, the race meeting will be staged behind closed doors and without spectators," Gold Circle CEO Michel Nairac said, according to News24.

The Durban July is held annually at the Greyville Racecourse in Durban. The inaugural meeting took place in 1897. Justin Snaith's Do It Again, ridden by Richard Fourie, won The Durban July in 2019, becoming only the fifth horse in history to win back-to-back The Durban July races.