Durban Blog: Betting Via Dream Guide

Officials were both apologetic and concerned how the blast of wintry weather (60 Fahrenheit and cloudy, which says something about how nice it usually is here) might affect turnout, but the sold-out crowd of 55,000 who packed into Greyville Racecourse in the heart of Durban on Saturday didn't seem to mind a bit as they gathered to celebrate the biggest day on the South African racing calendar.

It was my first G1 Vodacom Durban July, and I had as good a time at the track as I've had in ages. The place just has a great feel to it. It's very much like the Preakness in that sense, though the crowd and track in no way resemble Pimlico.

Greyville is a medium-sized venue, not particularly fancy, and the crowd is a great mix of different races, ages and income brackets. In the main area, no one really dresses up, but head down into the tunnel that leads to the infield, and it's a different story.

There, hipsters and fashionistas show off outfits that must have taken months to create. The theme this year was “Leader Of the Pack”–meaning cards, not the song, though some took liberties. I could describe the outfits, but really, it's just easier to scroll down or flip the page and see the photo gallery of it all.

Wanting to give something back, I endeavored to support the local betting handle in any way I could. With no knowledge of local form, however, or really, the ability to make much sense of the past performances, I chose to go with a more organic method for handicapping the Durban July undercard: The Fafi Dream Guide.

According to Wikipedia, “Fafi is a form of betting played mainly by black South African women, particularly those living in South African Townships, and is believed to have originated with South Africa's Chinese community. Fafi participants choose the number they want to gamble on by interpreting their dreams.”

The Fafi Dream Guide is explained in the on-track program as such: “It is believed that each subject of a dream is represented by a special dream number, and each number corresponds to a group of subjects.” The guide then lists numbers from 1 to 25, and gives you the subjects for each.

The number 1, for instance is associated with “king, human blood, white man, left eye.” Presumably, if you've dreamt about these things, you should bet the 1 horse.

This seemed relatively foolproof and, as such, I committed $10 to bet 10 races in this manner. The problem was that I'm a heavy sleeper and never remember my dreams. And so my workaround was to ask other members in the press box about *their* last dreams, and co-opt them. Opening balance: $100.

Race 2 – Amanda Duckworth (Gallop Magazine) – Her dream? Couldn't get shower in hotel to work. Closest number: 3 (sea water, accident, frog, sailor, sex). Her horse? What a Poet (SAf) (5-1).

Result – In the mix, faded 200 meters out. No worries (balance: $90).

Race 3 – Andrew Hawkins (South Morning China Post) – His dream? Falling off cliffs. Closest number: 8 (drunken man, pig, loafer, fat man). His horse? Deputy Jud (SAf) (4-1).

Result – Tracked in second, faded 400 meters out. Just warming up (balance: $80).

Race 4 – Tim Carrol (At the Races) – His dream? Met with a girl he went to high school with; lost his phone in taxi. His number? 14 (old woman, fox, detective). His horse? Three Balloons (SAf) (8-1).

Result – Nowhere. At this point, I started to ask the sensible question: is it possible that this a bad way to bet horses? (balance: $70)

Race 5 – Michele MacDonald (Racing Post) – Her dream? About her jack russell terriers. Closest number: 5 (tiger, fight, strong man). Her horse? Final Judgement (SAf) (12-1).

Result: No way is it a bad idea! Great way to bet! Final Judgement made all and couldn't have been gamer at double-digits. (balance: $241)

Race 6 – Harriet Fuller (The Sun) – Her dream? Surreal flying-on-plane dream. Closest number: 13 (spirits, ghosts, big fish). Her horse? Unagi (SAf) (5-1).

Result: Back to losing ways. (balance: $231)

Race 7 – DURBAN JULY – Rob Burnet (thoroughbrednews.com.au) – His dream? Refused to say, then turned red laughing. Very suspect. Closest number: 15 (bad woman, prostitute, canary, small knife). His horse? Dynamic (SAf) (28-1).

Result: Led for a while. But only a while (balance: $221)

Race 8 – Sean Trivass (Myracing.com & Timeform) – His Dream? Lost his Durban July press badge. Closest number: 4 (dead man, small fortune, turkey). Harry Lime (SAf) (5-1).

Result: Nope. (balance: $221)

Race 9 – Candiese Marnewick (KZN Breeders) – Her dream? About her daughter. Closest number: 9 (baby, moon, owl, pumpkin). Her horse? Lil Gambler (SAf) (10-1)

Result: For some reason, I was legit surprised when this horse didn't win, given the theme of all this. (balance: $211)

Race 10 – Tracey White – (Australian Turf Club) – Her dream? Mauled by lion on impending safari. Closest number: 7 (lion, thief, big stick, chickens). Her horse? Bichette (SAf) (44-1)

Result: Best loser of the day! Led at huge price until 100 meters out. Good effort, sister (balance: $201).

Race 11 – Robert Kieckhefer (Associated Press) – His dream? In big room with the daughter of former Chicago mayor Jane Burn. There's a canopy bed with wrapped gifts. The gifts collapse on him, and Jane scolds him. Closest number: 11 (furniture, flowers, carriage). His horse? Bunker Bill (SAf) (10-1)

Result: Horse lost, but we all won getting a glimpse into Bob's psyche (balance: $191).

BONUS: The Thirteenth Race – In addition to coming out $91 ahead, we were treated–in a manner–by something the locals call “the thirteenth race.” I'd been told about this all week, but didn't quite believe it was a real thing. Every year after the last race on the Durban July card, a troupe of particularly boisterous lads strip down to nothing and sprint the length of the stretch. The lady reporters in our group were especially willing to extend their workdays by 10 minutes for their respective publications, and at least one young woman from the crowd elbowed her way into the media area on the track. The were some bad movers in the group, and more than a few contestants lost their footing and went to the ground. But serious injury seemed to be avoided by all.