Al Sahem up for Highveld Award
TOUGH CALL: NO EASY TASK BECAUSE NO HORSE WON MORE THAN ONE GRADE 1 FEATURE
Interesting battle in the race for top trainer honours
The panel who determine the Racing Association Highveld Feature Season’s Awards for 201617 will not have an easy time of it because no horse won more than one Grade 1 feature race during the season.
The winners will be announced at a gala dinner at Emperors Palace on Tuesday, 30 May.
The role of the Racing Association, which is celebrating its 20th birthday this year, has grown significantly over the years.
“We are proud of the achievements of directors and staff, past and present,” said CEO Larry Wainstein. “We look forward to exciting times ahead and take this opportunity to thank our partners in racing for their contribution to our fantastic sport.”
On the Highveld, the season is split in two, with the first half coming in spring and the other in autumn. Nine Grade 1 features are held, including two of the “Big 4” on the SA racing calendar, the R2-million Sansui Summer Cup in November and the R4-million Premier’s Champions Challenge on Champions Day.
Geoff Woodruff won both the Summer Cup and the Champions Challenge, the first with Master Sabina and the second with unsound Deo Juvente, who finally showed his true colours in an overdue win at the highest level.
If the Champion Trainer award was based on feature-race stakes, Sean Tarry would win.
However, they are based on a points system based on feature race wins.
Tarry recorded two Grade 1 wins with Legal Eagle winning the HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes and Al Sahem taking honours in the SA Derby. He also had 11 placed runners in Grade 1 races. His feature-race runners, excluding Non-Black Type features, earned nearly R7.4 million – R4.3 million in Grade 1s.
Woodruff also sent out three Grade 1 place getters and brought home R3,4 million in Grade 1 stakes – around R7,1 million for all features excluding Non-Black Type.
Mike de Kock earned most in Grade 1s, with his runners earning nearly R4.7 million. His overall feature-race take was about R6.8 million.
Jockey Callan Murray was the most successful Grade 1 jockey, with four wins during the two seasons, including the Champions Challenge. The 20-year-old’s other wins came courtesy of Heavenly Blue in the SA Classic, Mustaaqeem in the SA Nursery and Rafeef in the Computaform Sprint. All three are trained by De Kock.
A limited number of tickets are available for sale to the public. For enquiries please contact Merle Parker or Penny Broodryk at the Racing Association during office hours on (011) 683-3220.
The following are the nominations in the equine categories:
Champion two-year-old filly: Daring Diva, Green Plains
Champion two-year-old colt/gelding: Barrack Street, Mustaaqeem (Aus)
Champion three-year-old filly: Orchid Island, Smiling Blue Eyes, Wind Chill
Champion Three-year-old colt/gelding: Al Sahem, Heavenly Blue (Aus), Janoobi
Champion Older Horse: Deo Juvente, Legal Eagle, Master Sabina, Nother Russia, Rafeef (Aus)
Champion Sprinter: Rafeef (Aus), Trip To Heaven
Champion Middle Distance Horse: Deo Juvente, Legal Eagle, Master Sabina, Nother Russia
Champion Stayer: Al Sahem, Fortissima, Hermoso Mundo, Wind Chill
All of the nominees are eligible for the Horse of the Season Award.
The judges’ panel comprised Clyde Basel, Vidrik Thurling, Robert Garner with Vee Moodley as the non-voting Chairman.
The human awards which will be based on a points system will be presented to: Work Rider of the season Champion Apprentice Champion breeder of the season Champion jockey of the season Champion trainer of the season
Champion owner of the season