Soon, the winners of the Equus Awards for the recently concluded South African racing season will be announced. Prestige, public recognition and Stud Book status accrues to the victors.
The Equus Awards are based on points accumulated; official handicap ratings; performance in Graded races (who beat who in the big ones) plus the considered opinions of knowledgeable racing experts.
Long term readers of this Interbet blog are familiar with the hand-crafted final time speed scores (s/s) and sectional ratios which inform much of the analysis. They are soundly formulated but also comprise a blend of artful interpretation, so can never be deemed 100% “right.”
Nevertheless, they are most useful for assessing the ability of horses – providing an accurate measure of thoroughbred merit, based on how fast horses ran at different stages of the contest, as well as the final time, whilst always remaining mindful of the prevailing conditions.
Bottom line, speed and pace figs can help cut through the clutter. Or maybe they add to the debate/controversy….
For what it’s worth, all the candidates in each category are listed below with their best speed figure performance of the past season provided.
To put these numbers in context, note that younger, developing horses can be expected to improve upon what they’ve achieved to date, so the two- and three-year-olds can go higher still.
Some stagnate however and have already delivered their career top. Maturing youngsters usually go faster as they age with healthy racehorses boosting their juvenile figs by 12 points or more before they peak out.
3YO’s and 4YO’s can also get higher scores as they mature. However, well-established horses rarely improve upon their numbers once they pass their fifth/sixth year, with their ceiling typically achieved sometime beforehand.
EQUUS HORSE OF THE YEAR:
Eight on Eighteen s/s 116 ++
One Stripe s/s 113 +
Gladatorian s/s 113
Fire Attack s/s 110 +
Double Grand Slam s/s 111.
2 YO FILLY:
Golden Palm s/s 90 +++
Direct Hit s/s 97 +++
Elegantrix s/s 95 +
One Fine Winter s/s 93 +
Green Diamond s/s 94 +
2 YO COLT:
Good For You s/s 89 +
Jan van Goyen s/s 88 ++
Chronicle King s/s 87 +
Charming Cheetah s/s 88 +
Tin Pan Alley s/s 90 +.
3 YO FILLY:
Fatal Flaw s/s 105 +
Fiery Pegasus s/s 103 +
Spumante Dolce s/s 105 +
Mon Petit Cherie s/s 103 +
Olivia’s Way s/s 106 +.
3 YO COLT:
Eight on Eighteen s/s 116 ++
One Stripe s/s 113 +
Fire Attack s/s 110 +
Cosmic Speed s/s 109 +
Legend of Arthur s/s 108 +.
OLDER FILLIES & MARES:
Double Grand Slam s/s 111
Mia Moo s/s 102
Asiye Phambili s/s 106
Rascova s/s 108
Rainbow Lorikeet s/s 104.
OLDER MALE:
Gladatorian s/s 113
Gimme a Prince s/s 119
Oriental Charm s/s 108
The Real Prince s/s 114 +
William Robertson s/s 109.
CHAMPION SPRINTER:
Gimme a Prince s/s 119
William Robertson s/s/ 109
Tenango s/s 116 ?
Buffalo Storm Cody s/s 105 +
Chasing Happiness s/s 105.
MILER:
One Stripe s/s 113 +
Cosmic Speed s/s 109 +
Dave the King s/s 113
Oriental Charm s/s 108
Double Grand Slam s/s 111.
MIDDLE DISTANCE:
Eight on Eighteen s/s 116 ++
The Real Prince s/s 114 +
Fire Attack s/s 110 +
Gladatorian s/s 113
Atticus Finch s/s 110.
STAYER:
King Pelles s/s 106
Holding Thumbs s/s 102
Mucho Dinero s/s 105.
Interbet extends warm congratulations to the winners and indeed the nominees too for making the tiny, top percentile in the population of seriously, high- class competitors.
And may the just started, 2025/26 season be a cracker!