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NICCI GARNER - The RA Highveld Feature Season Award-winners have been finalised and their achievements will be celebrated this Saturday at a black-tie banquet at Emperor’s Palace.
Seventeen awards will be handed out and two special presentations will be made, one to a person who has made a special contribution to the industry and the other to Work Riders’ Challenge winner Abram Makhubo, who was on the panel that decided the winners, had a cursory look at the credentials of the nominees.
Champion Trainer
Mike de Kock, Charles Laird and Sean Tarry
De Kock’s 243 runners on the Highveld since 1 August 2009 have collectively earned R8,854,925. They won 53 races, including 14 feature events, with the highlights being Mother Russia’s victory in the G1 L Jaffee Empress Club Stakes, Irish Flame’s annihilation of his contemporaries in the SA Derby and Here To Win dead heating with Spiced Gold in the SA Fillies Classic.
Laird saddled 435 runners, who earned R8,651,085 in winning 93 races and finishing in the money in two of every three races. His horses won eight feature races and his charge Smart Banker took the laurels in the G1 HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes.
Tarry saddled the most runners - 451 - and 71 of them brought home the bacon, including 10 features. His win-place strike rate came to 49.67% for stake earnings of R8,088,325.
Champion Jockey
Anthony Delpech, Anton Marcus and Piere Strydom
KwaZulu-Natal-based Delpech is only ninth on the Highveld jockeys’ log, but made a huge contribution to the two Highveld seasons in winning eight feature races including the G1 Computaform Sprint on Noble Heir and G1 SA Fillies Classic (Here To Win).
Marcus has maintained an astounding 30%-plus winning strike rate this season and his 118 winners include 12 feature wins. His G1 haul included the Horse Chestnut Stakes (Smart Banker) and Empress Club Stakes (Mother Russia).
Strydom is second on the Highveld jockeys’ log, having ridden 19 winners less than Marcus, but eight of his victories came in feature races.
Champion Owner
Ingrid and Markus Jooste, Bridget Oppenheimer, Wilgerbosdrift Stud (Nom: Mary Slack)
The Joostes are the leading owners on the Highveld so far this season. Their 279 runners have earned R5,554,195 with 64 of them winning, three in minor feature races - Flying Princess (Goldfields Sprint), Conquered Dream (Derby Trial) and Cyber Case (Hampton Handicap).
Mrs O also won three features with Prestic taking the honours in the G2 Gerald Rosenberg Stakes, Bulsara taking the Graham Beck Stakes and Queen’s Bay striking in the Jacaranda Handicap. Runners in her distinctive yellow-and-black silks won nine other races and earned R1,399,225 in stakes.
Mother Russia was the flag-bearer for Slack’s Wilgerbosdrift Stud, winning the G1 Empress Club Stakes and the G2 Ipi Tombe Challenge. Fourth on the Highveld owners’ log, Wilgerbosdrift Stud enjoyed five winners from its 18 runners and earned R1,479,775 in stakes.
Champion Two-Year-Old Filly
A tough category with several horses deserving mention but only two nominees -Oochee Agent and dual feature winner Waywest Goddess. Paul Matchett-trained Oochee Agent narrowly beat Empire Rose and Waywest Goddess in the Pretty Polly Stakes but had the tables turned in the SA Fillies Nursery. In that race, Louis Goosen’s runner trounced the field with Oochee Agent only sixth.
Champion Two-Year-Old Colt/Gelding
Two Mike de Kock runners were considered - Storm Bird Stakes winner Burmese Cat and SA Nursery winner Kavanagh, who was thrown in at the deep-end in the SA Nursery in his debut but won impressively. Gold Onyx, who did not run that well in the SA Nursery but had made a winning debut in the Protea Stakes, is the other nominee.
Champion Three-Year-Old Filly
G1 SA Classic dead-heaters Here To Win and Spiced Gold as well as G2 SA Oaks winner Arcola, G2 Gauteng Fillies Guineas winner Fisani, and Sidera (Aus), who won both the G3 Gommagomma Fillies Mile and Starling Stakes were all considered in a tricky category.
Champion Three-Year-Old Colt/Gelding
Dual feature-race winner Curved Ball (Aus), who won the G2 Dingaans and Sea Cottage Stakes was considered along with G1 SA Derby winner and G1 SA Classic third Irish Flame and Pierre Jourdan, who won a phenomenal four feature races during the season, including the G1 SA Classic, G2 Gauteng Guineas, G3 Tony Ruffel Stakes and R1-million Ready-To-Run Cup and finished second in the SA Derby.
Champion Older Filly/Mare
Both Noble Heir and Mother Russia have strong credentials, having won two feature races apiece. KwaZulu-Natal-based Noble Heir, of course, took the G1 Computaform Sprint and G3 Tommy Hotspur, while Mother Russia won the G1 Empress Club Stakes and G2 Ipi Tombe Challenge, as well as finishing second in the G1 Horse Chestnut Stakes.
Champion Older Colt/Gelding
This was another wide-open category with the nominees including G1 Summer Cup winner Aslan, G1 Champions Challenge winner Regal Ransom, Rudra, who ran well in several feature races and won the Wolf Power Handicap, and G1 Horse Chestnut Stakes winner Smart Banker.
Champion Sprinter
Moroccan warranted inclusion for his consistency and his victory in the G2 Senor Santa Handicap, but he was beaten in the G3 Tommy Hotspur Handicap by Noble Heir, who went on to win the G1 Computaform Sprint.
Champion Middle-Distance Horse (nominees Mother Russia, Pierre Jourdan, Regal Ransom, Rudra and Smart Banker) and Champion Stayer will also be announced, while the Champion Sand Specialist award was fought out by Cinnamon Sugar, who is unbeaten on the track and won both the Noksazana Stakes and Queen Of The Sand, and Emerald Cup winner Phunyuka.
Awards will also be given to the Champion Apprentice and Champion Breeder, while the Horse Of The Year honours will go to the category winner who made the biggest impact on Highveld racing fans during the two seasons.
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