The Vodacom Durban July offers a much bigger chance of winning than most races as the tote pays out for the first six places, rather than the usual three or four.

Nearly a third of the field of 20 runners will give supporters a return on a place bet.

The betting unit is R1, but the minimum bet allowed is R6. For your R6 you get the wager six times - and six times the payout if successful. Basic bet types on offer for the July are:

Win.

Place (finish in the first six, with payout roughly a sixth of a win payout).

Swinger (choose two horses to finish in any of the first three positions).

For the experienced and more adventurous, there are the Exacta (choose two horses to finish first and second), the Trifecta (three horses to fill the first three places) and the Quartet (four for the first four places). You can take "boxed" options, allowing your selections to finish in any order. Window clerks can explain things to novices.

If you place a bet with a bookmaker, rather than the tote, you get the odds being offered at the time the bet is struck, rather than a final "dividend" of the total wager pool. This is known as "fixed odds".

Here are the fixed odds being offered by bookmaker Bettingworld (www.bettingworld.co.za):

2/1 Jackson

8/1 Ilha Bela

9/1 English Garden, Gorongosa, Vettel

15/1 Chesalon, Pierre Jourdan

16/1 Beach Beauty

18/1 Gold Onyx

25/1 Sage Throne, Whiteline Fever

28/1 Pomodoro

33/1 Eton Square, Solo Traveller

50/1 Polar Bound, Smanjemanje, Top Seller

55/1 Tales Of Bravery

66/1 Castlethorpe, Royal Bencher