Empress Club

We have all heard how good Horse Chestnut was but just how good was Empress Club ? When thinking about this one must not ony look at what she accomplished and whom she beat, but what the horses she beat came out and did afterwards ! If memory serves me correct she beat our top sprinter Taban ( think he won about 17 races ) in her prep run, she thrashed Flaming Rock ( July winner, Schweppes 3 times, Queens Plate) numerous times and other top horses among those 2. She was the greatest i got to see in SA , great training feat by Mr Millard !

I think she also beat Spanish Galliard who won a July

Did that horse Unaware ever win a big one ?

She beat Taban in a 1000m at Durbanville!!!

Unaware won the Germiston November Handicap, with Hill up.

Empress Club was a PHENOMENAL horse - one of my equine heros. In her prep run for the 1993 Queens Plate and J&B Met, she ran in a 1000m listed sprint (South Easter Sprint) at Durbanville. She won it in 56.5 seconds, a new course record, and beat Marie Galante, Taban and Brainteaser!!! Two weeks later she won the Queens Plate over 1600m beating Flaming Rock, Spanish Galliard and Unaware, amongst others! Her next start was the Met, which she also won, beating Flaming Rock again, and a whole host of really, really good horses!!! Her next start she also won, the FNB (now Horse Chestnut 1600m) - again a star studded field! This was just a little filly. She had guts and determination beyond compare. I was very sad to hear that she had died recently.

South African Champion Empress Club Dies

Posted: Wednesday, December 29, 2004 4:08 PM

Empress Club, a South African Horse of the Year, died suddenly Dec. 19 at Gainesway Farm (Antony Beck, president) near Lexington. Owned by South African owner Laurie Jaffee, the stakes-producing daughter of Farnesio out of the El Gran Capitan mare Elysee was in foal to Gainesway stallion Orientate.
Empress Club was bred in Argentina and imported as a yearling by Jaffee to South Africa. In her new land, she won 15 of 20 races, including eight group I stakes, and was a five-time South African champion. Following her arrival in the U.S., she won the 1994 Hillsborough Handicap (gr. IIIT) at Bay Meadows.

Empress Club retired to Gainesway, then operated by Beck's father, Graham J. Beck of South Africa, with a record of 16 wins from 26 starts and earnings of $1,155,235. Her first foal was a Lyphard colt. Named Azouz Pasha, he was an English stakes winner. Empress Club's other two winners also were Northern Hemisphere winners. Empress Club produced six named foals. Her youngest offspring is an unnamed 2004 colt by Thunder Gulch.

mark neisius Wrote:

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> She beat Taban in a 1000m at Durbanville!!!


I kicked myself for months after that meeting. That must be a good 18/19 years ago. I played a R16 pick 6 and had Empress Club and Bundeberg in that leg. After I had played it I was told to add Een Pasent into a later leg. I ignored the advice much to my peril. Een Pasent won and tyhe p6 paid R32k if i had added Een Pasent as I was told it would have paid R29k A wack of money those days. After I read this thread I am now pissed off with myself all over again.

Was she not the first South African equine millionare(ss).......dubbed the " The Galloping Goldmine" by Clyde Basel.

Party Line Wrote:

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> Was she not the first South African equine
> millionare(ss).......dubbed the " The Galloping
> Goldmine" by Clyde Basel.

Yes you are spot on !

Yes now she was one the "greats" to grace the SA turf and could fill the grandstands ()

no model man was the first horse to break the 1mil rand stakes