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A triumphant Piere Strydom recorded his fourth win in the R4.25 million Vodacom Durban July, South Africa’s richest race, at Greyville on Saturday aboard the the Joey Ramsden trained The Conglomerate.

One of four Australian-bred runners, The Conglomerate came from barrier 20 with Strydom riding the four-year-old Lonhro gelding across to slot into fourth place in the early stages.

Dynamic led the field off the false rail into the main straight before Strydom sent The Conglomerate forward to reach the lead at the 300m.

He ran out the 2200m strongly to beat Marinaresco and Grant Van Niekerk while Mac De Lago, another Australian import by Encosta de Lago and ridden by Weichong Marwing was third.

It was the first win for Joey Ramsden in the Durban July, who has been coming to KwaZulu-Natal from his Cape Town base for 18 years for the Champions Winter Series.

The Conglomerate is owned by prominent South African owners and breeders Markus and Ingrid Jooste and was purchased as a yearling in Melbourne for $160,000.

Jooste’s racing manager Derek Brugman said that he liked the horse from the moment he first inspected him.

“You have to let me buy this horse as he is your July horse,” Brugman said he told Jooste.

“Those words proved to be true, a year late, but at least they were true.”

Ramsden echoed Brugman’s opinion of thye horse as a yearling.

“He was the most impressive specimen. Derek and I did a lot of leg work at the sale and this was the one horse we really wanted,” said Ramsden.

Brugman said that gelding The Conglomerate was the making of the horse.

“He showed a lot as a three-year-old last season, had terrible luck in the July last year and then in Cape Town he was not concentrating so we decided to geld him,” he said.

Strydom’s win added to his superb record as one of South Africa’s great jockeys. His previous July winners were

Pomodoro in 2012, Trademark in 2011 and London News in 1986.

“This horse used to misbehave in the stalls but today he behaved beautifully,” Strydom said.

“The pace was spot on for me and at the top of the straight I was sitting fourth and it as just a matter of him kicking which he did.”

The Conglomerate’s dam Republic Lass was trained by the late Guy Walter and won the G1 ATC Australian Oaks and G1 Ranvet Stakes.

The Conglomerate has now won six from 17 starts and with four placings he has earned stakes of R3.425 million.

• DRAKENSTEIN Stud’s homebred Trippi mare Inara won the G1 Jonsson Garden Province Stakes (1600m) at Greyville on Saturday for trainer Mike Bass and jockey Grant Van Niekerk.

The win completed a fine triple of G1 wins this year for Inara after winning the Majorca Stakes at Kenilworth, a race she won last year, and the Empress Club Stakes at Turffontein.

Overall she has won five G1 races among eight wins and eight placings in 20 starts to become a very valuable addition in time for Drakenstein Stud’s broodmare band.

• LEGENDARY South African trainer Mike De Kock made a clean sweep of G3 SABC Gold Vase (3000m) at Greyville when he prepared the first four placegetters led home by Enaad.

Ridden by S’Manga Khumalo, Enaad stormed home over stablemates Smart Mart, Kingston Mines and Kinaan.