Equus Awards

Equus finalists announced
Durban – The Equus Awards voting panel met at Greyville last weekend to decide the finalists for this season’s racing awards.

JULY 31, 2017


The voting panel comprised Andrew Harrison, Matthew Lips, Jason Dedekind, Roger Smith, Michael Clower and RA chairman Larry Wainstein as non-voting chairperson.

The panel submitted their first round of nominations after Vodacom Durban July Day and voting for the finalists took place after the Gold Cup race meeting on Sunday.

The winners will be announced at gala event at Emperor’s Palace on Tuesday 15 August.

The categories and finalists are:

Champion Two-year-old Colt – distance immaterial: Eyes Wide Open, Mustaaqeem, Sand And Sea.

Champion Two-year-old Filly – distance immaterial: Brave Mary, Lady In Black

Champion Three-year-old Colt – distance immaterial: Al Sahem, Edict Of Nantes, Heavenly Blue, William Longsword.

Champion Three-year-old Filly – distance immaterial: Just Sensual, Lady Of The House.

Champion Older Male – distance immaterial: Captain America, Legal Eagle, Marinaresco, Whisky Baron.

Champion Older Filly/Mare – distance immaterial: Bela-Bela, Carry On Alice, Nightingale, Nother Russia.

Champion Sprinter – (1000m-1200m; age/gender immaterial): Bull Valley, Carry On Alice, Rafeef.

Champion Miler – (1400m-1600m; age/gender immaterial): Bela-Bela, Captain America, Legal Eagle, William Longsword.

Champion Middle Distance – (1800m-2200m; age/gender immaterial): Legal Eagle, Marinaresco, Whisky Baron

Champion Stayer – (2400m+; age/gender immaterial): Al Sahem, Hermoso Mundo

Voting criteria: The awards are based on graded races and in particular Grade 1 races. As regards the stayer category, the winning horse will be at the discretion of the voting panel. This decision was taken as the only Grade 1 race in SA is the SA Derby, which would mean that this should be the obvious winner based on a single run. This would also have excluded fillies and mares.

Breeder Awards: Stallion of the Year; Broodmare of the Year; Breeder of the Year.

The Thoroughbred Breeders Association may include outstanding and/or international achievement awards.

Individual Awards: Champion Apprentice – Lyle Hewitson; Champion Jockey – Anthony Delpech; Champion Owner (based on stakes earned) – Mayfair Speculators (Pty) Ltd; Champion Trainer (based on stakes earned) – Sean Tarry.

Industry Merit Award

Horse of the Year Award.

Bob Brogan wrote: Equus finalists announced
Durban – The Equus Awards voting panel met at Greyville last weekend to decide the finalists for this season’s racing awards.

JULY 31, 2017


The voting panel comprised Andrew Harrison, Matthew Lips, Jason Dedekind, Roger Smith, Michael Clower and RA chairman Larry Wainstein as non-voting chairperson.

The panel submitted their first round of nominations after Vodacom Durban July Day and voting for the finalists took place after the Gold Cup race meeting on Sunday.

The winners will be announced at gala event at Emperor’s Palace on Tuesday 15 August.

The categories and finalists are:

Champion Two-year-old Colt – distance immaterial: Eyes Wide Open, Mustaaqeem, Sand And Sea.

Champion Two-year-old Filly – distance immaterial: Brave Mary, Lady In Black

Champion Three-year-old Colt – distance immaterial: Al Sahem, Edict Of Nantes, Heavenly Blue, William Longsword.

Champion Three-year-old Filly – distance immaterial: Just Sensual, Lady Of The House.

Champion Older Male – distance immaterial: Captain America, Legal Eagle, Marinaresco, Whisky Baron.

Champion Older Filly/Mare – distance immaterial: Bela-Bela, Carry On Alice, Nightingale, Nother Russia.

Champion Sprinter – (1000m-1200m; age/gender immaterial): Bull Valley, Carry On Alice, Rafeef.

Champion Miler – (1400m-1600m; age/gender immaterial): Bela-Bela, Captain America, Legal Eagle, William Longsword.

Champion Middle Distance – (1800m-2200m; age/gender immaterial): Legal Eagle, Marinaresco, Whisky Baron

Champion Stayer – (2400m+; age/gender immaterial): Al Sahem, Hermoso Mundo

Voting criteria: The awards are based on graded races and in particular Grade 1 races. As regards the stayer category, the winning horse will be at the discretion of the voting panel. This decision was taken as the only Grade 1 race in SA is the SA Derby, which would mean that this should be the obvious winner based on a single run. This would also have excluded fillies and mares.

Breeder Awards: Stallion of the Year; Broodmare of the Year; Breeder of the Year.

The Thoroughbred Breeders Association may include outstanding and/or international achievement awards.

Individual Awards: Champion Apprentice – Lyle Hewitson; Champion Jockey – Anthony Delpech; Champion Owner (based on stakes earned) – Mayfair Speculators (Pty) Ltd; Champion Trainer (based on stakes earned) – Sean Tarry.

Industry Merit Award

Horse of the Year Award.

My choices

IMO, the only clear cut ones are the miler and stayer categories...Legal Eagle and Hermuso Mundo.

All of the others are contentious.

I see no reason to have a champion owner trophy. We all know that it always goes to the people who have invested the most money into owning horses. What the RA fails to appreciate is that people invest into horse ownership according to their means. I think that as long as.an owners horse wins say champion two year old, that should be enough. The owners name is aleady associated with the horse. The same goes for breeders. There is no champion breeder award. The breeders are content to know that their horses won best of something.

While Gold Standard did not win a Gr 1- his run in the Met was the best performance by any 3yo colt during the season. Yes, he lost narrowly to William Longsword in the Guineas, but we now know that a mile is on the short side for him. A travesty that he is not included as a nominee for 3yo colt.

Jurgs wrote: I see no reason to have a champion owner trophy. We all know that it always goes to the people who have invested the most money into owning horses. What the RA fails to appreciate is that people invest into horse ownership according to their means. I think that as long as.an owners horse wins say champion two year old, that should be enough. The owners name is aleady associated with the horse. The same goes for breeders. There is no champion breeder award. The breeders are content to know that their horses won best of something.

Actually, the breeders do have awards!! For stallion, breeder and broodmare.

Any award based on stakes will favour the big battalions. Thats why there is room for excellence rewards based on other criteria, such as average earnings etc.

I understand Captain America placed in a number of graded races and won one Group 1 but it's clear to see that he's not in the same league as whiskey baron, legal eagle and marinaresco. Bull Valley won back to back grade 1's which is a much bigger archievement than sniffing those other horses behinds all season. Even Marineresco only won one grade 1 this season so clearly grade 1's are not the most important races. Bull Valley deserves to be nominated as horse of the year and then it should've been a coin flip between him and legal eagle.

Aye. I second Bull Valley for horse of the year.

Even with whiskey baron, one grade 1 and one grade 2. What makes that better than two grade 1's? Whiskey baron doesn't even win the Met if it was at level weights where as Bull Valley wins both his grade 1's if you take into account weight. If winning the July or the Met are automatic entries to horse of the year then that should be stated.

Zietsman Oosthuizen wrote:

Bob Brogan wrote: Equus finalists announced


Champion Middle Distance – (1800m-2200m; age/gender immaterial): Legal Eagle, Marinaresco, Whisky Baron


My choices

Not sure how you find Legal Eagle here, was beaten 3 out of 3 in this category this season

Equus award helps Breeders, imo any geldings up against colts in close affairs will lose out

Should weight of the feat also be taken into account? Whilst he only won one Grade 1, Marinaresco became the first horse since Pocket Power to carry 60kgs and win SA's greatest race. Can't be many in the entire history of the race to carry 60kgs? Only certain from about recent history tbh