The pinnacle of South African equine performances for the past season were recognised at the Equus Awards ceremony on Tuesday evening. The verdicts of a judging panel comprising Graeme Hawkins, race-caller Alistair Cohen, vastly experienced print media scribes Andrew Harrison and Jack Milner together with retired trainer and TV presenter Stan Elley were announced “virtually” on specialist racing channel, Tellytrack.
A separate article in Goals and Gallops focusses on 2021 Horse of the Year, Rainbow Bridge, who also garnered Champion Older Male and Middle-Distance horse for his stellar exploits between 1800m and 2200m. Here follows a summary of winners in all the other categories:
Jet Dark took out the Best Miler and Three Year- Old Colt prizes. Victories against older opposition at Weight for Age in the Grade 1 Queens Plate at Kenilworth and Champions Cup at Greyville convinced the judges that he was the “chosen one.” Not an easy character to train or ride, this uber-talented son of Trippi is nevertheless capable of devastating finishes, which he used to win those prestigious 1600m races. He is trained by this season’s top-ranked conditioner, Justin Snaith and received a career best ability rating of 115 (as handicapped by the expert weight classifiers at Raceform) in his last start Champions Cup tour-de force.
War of Athena picked up the Three-Year-Old Filly award with a lengthy list of accomplishments to strongly buttress her claim. She scored in the Grade 1 Woolavington and SA Fillies Classic, and also took the Gauteng Fillies Guineas, Ipi Tombi Challenge and Three Troikas. This daughter of Act of War, purchased for only R30 000, boosted her stakes haul to nearly R1.8 million with second places in the G1 eThekwini and Garden Province Stakes. Sharp trainer Paul Matchett extracted an admirable series of consistently high- level showings out of a tough, durable filly.
Summer Pudding’s notable exploits on the Highveld earned her Champion Older Filly. She was formidable at her favourite home track of Turffontein, witness an imposing victory in the G1 Summer Cup (arguably her career peak run) and Empress Club Stakes, plus the G2 Colorado King Stakes. Paul Peter was responsible for the now- retired daughter of ill-fated Silvano racing career, who will be a classy asset to the South African Stud Book.
Justin Snaith was also to the fore with Champion Sprinter, Rio Querari. After a tremendous Summer Season in the Cape where the speedball won or finished second in a succession of important G1 and G2 sprints, it was his daring raid up to Johannesburg and smashing of rivals in the G1 Computaform that swayed the judges. Raceform handicappers awarded the Querari gelding a career high rating of 117 for that career- defining victory achieved playing ‘away from home.”
Nebraas got the gong for Best Stayer. The Gold Cup over 3200m and Gold Vase over 3000m are the coveted races for marathon runners to win. By finishing first in both events, Nebraas received the thumbs up from the panel, even though the Raceform ability rating he earned in doing so was only modest (90). He is sired by Vercingetorix and trained by Sean Tarry. These tests of endurance are what Nebraas absolutely relishes, and he can improve further with added maturity.
Juvenile awards went to Good Traveller by Visionaire (colts) and Rain in Holland by Duke of Marmalade (filly). Their respective wins in the G1 Premiers Champion and G1 eThekwini Stakes, both run over 1600m at Greyville near seasons-end, proved the clinchers.
Rainbow Bridge’s mama, Halfway to Heaven is the 2021 Broodmare of the Year. A truly remarkable producer – she has thrown not just the mighty Rainbow Bridge but also champions, Hawwaam and Golden Ducat!
Gimmethegreenlight has officially risen to the pinnacle of the Sires rankings. Based at Varsfontein Stud, the 13 -year-old son of More than Ready, who dramatically beat Variety Club to win the Queens Plate in his racing prime and become the first three-year-old in 40 years to manage that feat, is hitting out at an impressive 8% Stakes winners.
High class, Got the Greenlight is his best offspring currently racing, with another Yulong Prince (formerly called Surcharge when active here in SA,) achieving international success in the G1 Cantala Stakes, after being exported to Australia.
John Koster’s team at Klawervlei are commended on being named Breeders of the Year. They continue to run an outstanding operation on the Eastern banks of the Breede River, near Bonnievale. This continues a legacy started three generations ago by John’s pioneering grandfather, Ralph, who initially set up a stud farm in Beaufort West back in 1953.
Oldlands Stud were also recognised for having a sterling season. They bred Zarina, heroine in the G1 Garden Province Stakes, Ambiorix who took the G1 Gold Medallion and Netta, G2 winner of the Gerald Rosenberg Stakes.
“Mr Racing”, Graeme Hawkins received a Special Achievement Award. He has been involved in so many facets of the industry from calling races and compiling form guides in Cape Town in the early days of Computaform, to commentating with confidence and clarity on races in Johannesburg where he was aptly known as ‘Hawkeye,’” before moving across to an executive management role at Gold Circle in Durban.
Travelling globally to international racing jurisdictions, auctioneering, media work as a presenter/pundit and even owning thoroughbreds are a few other strings to his accomplished bow that has been finely tuned over four decades in horse racing. Hawkins plans to soon relinquish his more onerous administrative responsibilities and “semi-retire” in Cape Town.