SOUTH AFRICA is to re-introduce a Triple Crown concept for its top three-year-old races at Turffontein in Johannesburg with bonuses totalling nearly R4 million (£266,000).
Any horse that wins next year's Gauteng Guineas, SA Classic and SA Derby will collect a bonus of R2 million. There will also be a bonus of R500,000 for the horse running in all three legs who earns the most points (ten for a win, seven for finishing second, five for third place and three for fourth).
There will be a similar R1 million bonus, plus a R250,000 points scheme, for the Triple Tiara fillies equivalents of the Gauteng Fillies Guineas, SA Fillies Classic and the SA Oaks.
South African racing has been hit by increasing numbers of the top horses being exported to Dubai, Britain and France in search of big prize money. For instance Jay Peg in the Dubai Duty Free, Nunthorpe runner-up National Colour and last season's Cape Fillies Guineas winner Captain's Lover who recently won a French Group 3 on her first start for Andre Fabre.
Robert Garner, marketing boss of Phumelela which owns Turffontein, said: “We believe the bonus scheme will benefit racing and the breed, and go a long way to persuading owners of top horses to race their charges in South Africa as three-year-olds and only campaign them internationally as four-year-olds.”
Phumelela introduced a similar Triple Crown scheme in 1999 when the Mike de Kock-trained Horse Chestnut won all three legs and a R1 million bonus, but the idea was allowed to lapse.
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