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Recent Queensland arrival Jeff Lloyd will return to his homeland next month in a bid to break his 27-year hoodoo in South Africa's richest race, the R3 million Durban July at Greyville.
Photo by Racing and Sports
Lloyd has accepted an offer to ride Chesalon, one of three runners from the stable of leading trainer Mike Bass in the Group One feature over 2000m on July 7.
The Durban July has remained an elusive goal for the 50-year-old Lloyd since the former six-time South African premiership winner finished third in the race at his first attempt in 1984.
He has since finished third in the July another eight times but never any better.
Lloyd's opportunities to ride in the race have been limited since he left South Africa to settle in Australia in 2007 followed by his three seasons in Hong Kong that ended last month when he returned to Australia to settle in Queensland.
Since 2008 he has returned to ride in South Africa just once, finishing sixth on the favourite River Jetez in the 2010 Durban July.
Lloyd will take leave from his new role with Nathan Tinkler's Patinack Farm stable to renew his association with Bass, who has trained four Durban July winners in the last 12 years.
Bass also plans to start English Garden (Bernard Fayd'Herbe) and Castlethorpe (Karl Neisius) in this year's race.
David Thiselton from Gold Circle describes Chesalon, winner oif the G2 Premier Trophy at Kenilworth in December, as "a typical Bass-trained horse in that he has continually improved with age."
His two recent lead-ups at Greyville have seen him placed in the G2 Drill Hall Stakes and third in the G2 Betting World 1900.
