Certainly locking up top 3-year-old honors and now possibly the all-around South African champion, Big City Life stormed off to win the 2009 edition of the Vodacom Durban July. 
Photo courtesy ThoroughbredNews.co.nz – Big City Life winning the KRA Guineas
Strong favorite Pocket Power, who gave away more than 15 pounds (7 kg) to the winner, raced in the rear early and still ran on to finish a most credible fifth, especially strong given the impost and the heavy course conditions.
Big City Life, sent postward at odds around 6-1, is trained by Glen Kotzen and was ridden to the win by Greg Cheyne, each notching their first win in the Durban July, a race that has had significance for the Dubai racing scene. Previous winners include Ipi Tombe (2002), Greys Inn (2004), and Hunting Tower (2007), all of whom have had varying degrees of success in the UAE. Ipi Tombe landed the 2003 Dubai Duty Free (G1) while Greys Inn took the 2005 Dubai City of Gold (G3). Hunting Tower was victorious at the 2009 Dubai International Racing Carnival.
50-1 longshot Zirconeum, trained by Mike De Kock, ran a cracking second, with 80-1 pacesetter Forest Path in third and 100-1 rank outsider Thundering Jet fourth, all in front of 16-10 favorite Pocket Power. All 20 entrants ran. Click below to view the stretch run of the Vodacom Durban July.
After a win in the prestigious Cape Derby this January, Big City Life was freshened for a campaign that would peak with the Durban July. Out of the Goldmar mare Dollar Crisis, Big City Life was second in his April return run in the Byerley Turk (G3) then landed the KRA Guineas before a final Durban July prep, taking the Daily News 2000 (G1) at Clairwood on June 6. Following that race, his longtime rider, Bernard Fayd’Herbe was quoted by SAHRacing.com saying that Big City Life would be a definite threat in the Durban July. Such confidence was especially striking on that day considering that Fayd’Herbe, who rode Paris Perfect to a third place finish in the 2009 Dubai World Cup (G1), had long been engaged as the rider of Pocket Power.
We will keep our ears to the ground and our eyes to the web in attempting to find the future path for Big City Life. Champions from South Africa have a way of finding themselves to the International Racing Carnival in the care of Mike De Kock or Herman Brown, both native South Africans.
Big City Life now owns a lifetime record of seven wins and three placings from 12 lifetime starts.