Gaynor Rupert and Kevin Sommerville lead in Charles Dickens, who was the principal Drakenstein homebred in a season of record-breaking homebred success. (Candiese Lenferna Photography).

A Tale Of Blue And White Colours

Drakenstein Stud became the first in a long time, if not ever, to be both champion owners and champion breeders.

Their familiar blue and white colours were a dominant theme throughout the season and, like Oliver Twist, they kept on coming back for more.

As breeders Drakenstein finished the season with their runners having earned R33,113,288 in stakes, compared to the R26,069,650 of the runners up and previous season’s champions Wilgerbosdrift And Mauritzfontein. Former champions Klawervlei Stud were third on R19,647,400.

This feat was made remarkable by them having only had 180 runners, which can be compared to the champions of the previous five seasons having 314 (2021/2022), 445 (2020/2021), 453 (2019/2020), 254 (2018/2019) and 387 (2017/2018) runners.

Drakenstein also smashed their own record for number of stakes winners.

They had 20 individual stakes winners of 35 races, which beat the mark they had set in the previous season of 18 stakes winners of 25 races.

They enjoyed incredible luck on the owners’ side.

The probable best horse they have ever bred, Charles Dickens, could not be sold because he displaced his palate and still does, it just doesn’t bother him; Winchester Mansion broke a vertebrae in his neck shortly before the yearling sales when charging into a pole and had to be box rested for three months; Neither Trip Of Fortune nor Safe Passage reached their reserves.

They had to race those four horses themselves and they have turned out to be their four best horses, although Safe Passage had a disappointing season following his stellar three-year-old career.

Among the stalwarts who represented them as breeders this season, but not as owners, were the superstar pair Jet Dark and See It Again, who both raced in the colours of prolific Durban-based owner Nick Jonsson.

Jonsson and his racing partner Tommy Crowe made the wise decision, after WSB Met victory, to stand Jet Dark at Drakenstein Stud. This superb son of Trippi looks to be full of stallion potential and can follow in the footsteps of his famous father.

The Candice Bass Robinson-trained Trippi colt Charles Dickens was being compared to all time greats Horse Chestnut and Sea Cottage by Christmas, before an unexpected defeat in the L’Ormarins King’s Plate. He nevertheless landed two prestigious Gr 1s, the Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas and the weight for age Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge. He is favourite to be named all of the Equus Champion three-year-old Male Champion, Equus Champion Miler and Equus Horse Of The Year.

Winchester Mansion gave Drakenstein their first Hollywoodbets Durban July as breeders and their second as owners. The Brett Crawford-trained gelding’s victory would have been a more satisfying July winner than their first with Legislate in 2014 for a few reasons. Firstly, he crossed the line first instead of having to rely on a boardroom decision, secondly Drakenstein bred him and thirdly he is by the sire that has been been behind the stud’s meteoric rise, Trippi.

Drakenstein’s second World Pool Gold Cup as breeders with the Sean Tarry-trained Future Pearl was likely not as satisfying as their first with Jeppe’s Reef ten years ago in 2013 because, unlike the former, they do not own him.

On the other hand the big Futura three-year-old gelding became the second horse after Hermoso Mundo in 2017 to do the unofficial stayers Triple Crown, winning all of the Gr 3 WSB Gold Bowl over 3200m, the Gr 3 DSTV Gold Vase over 3000m and the Gr 3 World Pool Gold Cup over 3200m.

Drakenstein earned R19,165,813 as owners, which was well clear in the end of their chief rivals through the season, the Hollywood Syndicate, who earned R15,319,950.

The Hollywood team end the season on a high through Isivunguvungu’s victory in the Gr 1 Mercury Sprint (Candiese Lenferna Photography).

Hollywood Syndicate Progress In To A Championship Force

The Hollywood Syndicate had a season they could barely have dreamed of.

Last year they reached 100 wins in a season for the first time and they were the early leaders in the National Owners Championship this season.

However, their racing manager Anthony Delpech, interviewed in October, said frankly that if they ever hoped to be champion owners they needed to acquire a Gr 1 winner or two.

They had never had a Gr 1 winner before and there were no Gr 1 winners evident among their horses at the time, with the possible exception of the ever improving sprinter, the Peter Muscutt-trained Isivunguvungu.

However, their relationship with Ridgemont, who kindly leased good horses to them, began to bare fruit.

The Ridgemont-bred three-year-old Dynasty filly, the Brett Crawford-trained Make It Snappy, was one of the horses they leased.

Pundits sat up and took notice when she beat the smart Marina and the former Gr 1 WSB Cape Fillies Guineas winner Chansonette by three lengths over 1600m in the Summer Bowl in just her third career start.

However, she was receiving 11kg from both, so she was still quoted at double figure odds in the opening betting for the WSB Cape Fillies Guineas.

A flurry of money saw her starting 6/1 and she gave Hollywood their first ever Gr 1 winner.

It was the conversion of a lifelong dream for Owen Heffer.

However, even then, none of the Hollywood team could have imagined they would have five Gr 1 wins under the belt by the end of the season.

Make It Snappy downed four older Gr 1-winning stalwarts in her next start in the Gr 1 Cartier Paddock Stakes i.e. the reigning Equus Horse of The Year Captain’s Ransom, Woolavington 2000 winner Silver Darling, Hollywoodbets Durban July winner Sparkling Water and Willgerbosdrift Triple Tiara heroine Rain In Holland.

Luyolo Mxothwa rode Make It Snappy in both of her Gr 1 wins.

Perhaps Hollywood’s most rewarding Gr 1 win was with Anfields Rocket in the Gr 1 WSB SA Classic. He is by unheralded sire Coup De Grace and they bought him in training from trainer Grant Maroun. Magnanimously, they did not take him away from Maroun’s yard. The deal paid dividends in the best way possible way. The versatile gelding stayed on resolutely under Raymond Danielson to win the SA Classic.

Meanwhile, Isivunguvungu, the powerfully built What A Winter gelding named by Springbok Odwa Ndungane, blossomed into the top sprinter he had the potential to be.

After a good Cape Town campaign he won the Gr 1 wfa Computaform Sprint in devastating style despite jumping from the draw which is perceived to be the worst on the Turffontein 1000m course, draw 1.

It was Muscutt’s first Gr 1 win.

On Sunday, Isivunguvungu was over a trip which has stretched him in the past, the 1200m of the Gr 1 wfa Mercury Sprint, because he does tend to take a keen hold.

However, Richard Fourie had analysed a lack of pace in the race and from draw eight around the Hollywoodbets Greyville turn he found the rail.

The Muscutt yard had worked on settling the horse, so they also played a big part in the victory because the masterful Fourie was able to switch the gelding off.

Isivunguvungu thus found extra when challenged and fought back to beat Surjay by 0,30 lengths.

Isivunguvungui will fight out the Equus Champion Sprinter award with the other dual Gr 1-winning sprinter, Gimme A Prince.

Make It Snappy is the only dual Gr 1-winning three-year-old filly and won an open wfa Gr 1, so is the favourite to be made Equus Champion Three-year-old filly.

The Holywood team had a competition to predict how many winners they would have in the season. Delpech would have gone close as he chose 125 and they were just one shy of that number on 124, an improvement of 23 on last season.

It was not only locally that Hollywood and Ridgemont’s racing relationship blossomed. Ridgemont owners the Kieswetters have a stud in Ireland called Barnane Stud and they initially raced a couple of jumps horses together with Hollywood. The Hollywood colours were thus carried to Gr 1 glory by the Willie Mullins-trained hurdler Il Etait Temps at Leopardstown. They also had a couple of runners at the Cheltenham Festival.

Hollywood and Barnane also have a promising campaigner on the flat in the Richard Hannon-trained Siyouni filly Bourgeoisie, who only just failed to win second time out.

Tony And Paul Peter are among the ecstatic onnections who lead in Bavarian Beauty (Candiese Lenferna Photography)

Tony Peter Caps A Fine Debut Season With Gr 1 Glory

The lure of training racehorses was too much for Tony Peter, son and former assistant to the 2021/2022 SA Champion trainer Paul Peter.

He took out his own license at the beginning of this year, just a handful of months after his father had announced his shock retirement.

Tony had a winner with his first runner and was soon as prolific as Paul, who broke the record for the most winners in one SA season in his championship-winning term, 221.

Tony scored 46 wins in his first season, despite starting in January, and had by far the highest strike rate in the country at 26%.

He did particularly well with ex-Cape Town-trained horses.

His first stakes success was with Leaving Las Vegas (Rafeef) in the Gr 3 Pretty Polly Stakes over 1100m.

He later scored a Gr 2 win with Cold Fact (What A Winter) in the Camellia Stakes over 1160m.

Dennis Schwarz rode both of those first two yard Graded winners.

Tony waited until the last day of the season at Hollywoodbets Greyville to score his first stakes race double.

He won the Listed @Worldpool Twitter Handicap over 1600m with newcomer to the yard Meridius, a progressive three-year-old gelding by Canford Cliffs, who could go on from here because he was caught wide the whole way yet showed a blistering turn of foot under Craig Zackey.

Later, Bavarian Beauty (Querari) caused a 20/1 shock in the Gr 1 Douglas Whyte Thekwini Stakes. She clearly relished the step up in trip and powered home to win by 1,50 lengths under Zackey from the fancied trio Egyptian Mau, Distant Winter and Rascova. She should also have a bright future.

If Tony goes on in this vein he could be challenging for the trainers championship soon … he just needs a big horse or two to add earning power to his high strike rate.

Bless My Stars has usurped Make It Snappy on the top of the points table for Equus Champion Three-year-old Filly (Candiese Lenferna).

Final Equus Awards Points Tables Published

Princess Calla leaves best till last to overtake Charles Dickens in the final HOTY Points Table for Season 2022/23

Johannesburg, 1 August 2023

Princess Calla (174 points) won the final Super Grade 1 of the season on Sunday, the Grade 1 HKJC Champions Cup, to finish on top of the 2022/23 Equus Horse of The Year table. Charles Dickens was not active in the review period but easily held on to second place on the table with 144 points.

Trip of Fortune made no headway from June on 117 points while See It Again climbed to 116 points after his second to Princess Calla in the HKJC Champions Cup. Gimme A Prince was unable to add the Grade 1 Mercury Sprint to his two other Grade 1 victories in the season but has done enough to secure fifth place on the table.

Champion Three-Year-Old MaleCharles Dickens (144) retains his lead in the Champion Three-Year-Old Male category despite See It Again (116) moving closer at season-end. These two were well clear of any other sophomore male.

Champion Three-Year-Old FemaleMake It Snappy (64) surrendered her all-season lead in this category in the final race of the season for Fillies and Mares as Bless My Stars (68) added to her “July” third by winning the Grade 2 Riding High Together Gold Bracelet. Consistent place-getter Feather Boa (52) and dual Oak’s winner None Other (48) complete the table.

Champion Older Male and FemaleSunday’s Grade 1 Mercury Sprint winner Isivunguvungu entered the table and finishes fourth in the Champion Older Male category. Trip Of Fortune (117 points), however, did enough in the early part of the season to stay on top of the table with Gimme A Prince (115) a close- second. Dual Highveld Grade 1 winner Puerto Manzano remained on 108 points.

Princess Calla (174) drew well clear of her closest rival Desert Miracle (110) in the final weekend and tops the final Table for Champion Older Female.

Distance CategoriesDespite only finishing fourth in Sunday’s Grade 1 Mercury Sprint, Gimme A Prince (103) maintained his lead in the final Champion Sprinter table. Despite not running in a sprint during the month, Princess Calla (94) managed to keep Sunday’s Grade 1 Mercury Sprint winner Isivunguvungu from second place.

With no qualifying miler events in the final month, the table remains as per the previous review in the Champion Miler category. Trip Of Fortune (112) finished on top from Desert Miracle (88), Al Muthana (78), and Charles Dickens (72).

The only mover onto the Champion Middle Distance table for the month is Princess Calla who recorded maximum points in her only middle-distance start of the season. Puerto Manzano (100) finished on top with Rain In Holland (64) in second position and Winchester Mansion (58), in third. Retired Jet Dark (48) finishes in joint 4th with Princess Calla, while See It Again finishes fifth on 44 points.

Future Pearl (28) completed the season with three successive wins over distances of 3000m+, culminating in victory in Sunday’s Grade 3 World Pool Gold Cup, to finish on top of the Champion Stayer table. Gold Cup second Arumugum also finishes second on the final table while Salvator Mundi (23) and Nebraas (22) complete the standings.

Champion Two-Year-Old MaleLucky Lad (56 points) lost his unbeaten tag on Sunday but still finishes on top of the Two-Year-Old Male table despite a late charge from Sandringham Summit (48).

Champion Two-Year-Old FemaleUnbeaten Mrs Geriatrix (64) remains on top of the final table, while Sunday’s Grade 1 Douglas Whyte Stakes winner Bavarian Beauty finishes in joint second with Winter Cloud, both on 32 points.

Public voting will commence on Tuesday, 1 August, and closes on Saturday, 5 August 2023. Please visit https://equusawards.co.za/equus-awards-2023 / to cast your vote

The final awards ceremony will take place at Emperor’s Palace on 23 August 2023.

Puerto Manzano wins last year’s Betway Summer Cup (Candiese Lenferna Photography).

2023 Betway Summer Cup Stakes Now A Whopping R5 Million!

4Racing

Betway and 4Racing are delighted to announce that the 2023 Betway Summer Cup will have a record stake of R5 MILLION RAND this year.

The Highveld’s flagship Grade 1 2000 meter spectacular takes place on Saturday 25 November 2023 at the iconic Turffontein Racecourse – and Betway and 4Racing have upped the stakes in a big way by doubling the R2.5 million stakes pot on offer last year with a 100% stakes increase.

The Betway Summer Cup cemented its prime status on the South African horse racing calendar last year with a highly successful event in the first year of Betway’s Summer Cup sponsorship, as Laurence Wernars’ Puerto Manzano took the spoils with trainer Johan Janse van Vuuren and jockey Keagan De Melo.

And now one of Africa’s premier blue chip race days, which also includes the Grade 2 Jonsson Workwear Dingaans, the Grade 2 Betway Ipi Tombe Challenge, the Grade 3 Fillies Mile, Grade 3 Merchants Stakes, Grade 3 Magnolia Handicap and Listed ROA Stayers, is set to be even bigger and better after the massive stakes cash injection announced for the main race today.

4Racing CEO Fundi Sithebe said the R5 million stakes incentive was a huge boost in the continued efforts to support the revival of South African horse racing.

“The R5 million stakes for the 2023 Betway Summer Cup is a record, landmark announcement, which is right up there with the highest prize purse in African horseracing. We would like to thank Betway for supporting our vision to reinvigorate one of South African racing’s biggest races and race days. We need to make horse racing exciting, fun and viable again for punters, owners, trainers, jockeys and all who have dedicated their lives to the sport and this massive stakes increase for the 2023 Betway Summer Cup is a huge boost for the sport. Betway’s integration with and support for the Tote is also hugely important for our industry,” said 4Racing CEO Fundi Sithebe.

Betway South Africa Head of Customer Experience, Jonathan Blumberg, said the considerable increase in stakes for the 2023 Betway Summer Cup is part of Betway’s steadfast commitment to supporting the South African horseracing industry.

“We are extremely committed to contributing to the growth and sustainability of South African horseracing and delighted that we are able to support 4Racing in increasing the stakes of the 2023 Betway Summer Cup to R5 million. We have no doubt this will make the event even more attractive for the country’s very best thoroughbreds, the world’s leading jockeys and trainers and elite owners. We can’t wait for the big day and the build-up to what will undoubtedly be a hugely exciting and high quality race day,” said Blumberg.

Sithebe said the stakes boost was further good news for South African horseracing, as it looks to continue its revival in all racing centres.

“We have to position South African horseracing as major global players and we have made no bones about our desire to attract more World Pool events to South African racing to support our industry in its post-Covid recovery, on the back of the strength and quality of our country’s strong horseracing product,” Sithebe concluded.

ENDS.

Paddington and Inspiral clash in a fascinating Sussex Stakes (Racing Post)

Paddington and Inspiral head stellar Sussex Stakes line-up

‘It’s an extremely hot race’

Scott Burton (Racing Post)

Paddington and Inspiral clash in a fascinating Sussex Stakes

16H35 (SA Time) Goodwood

Qatar Sussex Stakes (Group 1) (British Champions Series)

Flat Turf, Group 1

Going: Good To Soft

Runners: 6

Class: 1

Distance: 1m

If you put up £1 million and get the best three-year-old colt in Europe and the best older filly or mare in training, you probably feel you have just about achieved your aim, and the 2023 Qatar Sussex Stakes looks primed to deliver.

Paddington and Inspiral have three Group 1 victories apiece, with the first named having accumulated his hat-trick in a stunning run so far this term which has encompassed the Irish 2,000 Guineas, St James’s Palace Stakes and the Eclipse.

The regularity with which Paddington has been able to deliver top-class performances has earned him comparisons with one of Aidan O’Brien’s most storied former trainees, the original ‘Iron Horse’ that was Giant’s Causeway.

Before his Group 1 spree Paddington had already run – and won – twice, in a Naas handicap and then the Listed Tetrarch Stakes, with his five wins coming at ever-diminishing intervals of 36, 26, 24 and 18 days. A gap of 25 days from his defeat of Emily Upjohn in the Eclipse to the Sussex continues his busy schedule, with O’Brien reporting the son of Siyouni to be thriving on his workload.

“He’s done well since Sandown, although we haven’t done a whole lot with him given it wasn’t too long ago,” O’Brien told the Racing Post. “He’s a very well-balanced horse so we think he will handle Goodwood no problem.”

With the forecast offering the promise of more rain overnight, O’Brien won’t be one of those trainers fretting over how much clerk of the course Ed Arkell’s rain gauge fills up.

“As regards the ground, he’s won on all sorts of surfaces,” said O’Brien. “It was heavy the first day he won this season at Naas and then soft in the Tetrarch before he moved on to some quicker ground in the Irish Guineas. So he seems quite versatile on that front and we’ve been very happy with him at home.”

If Inspiral’s Group 1 heroics date from a little further back than those of her Ballydoyle rival, they have been no less impressive, while her belated comeback in the Queen Anne was anything but a disappointment.

Cheveley Park’s homebred daughter of Frankel proved herself the leader of her generation among the fillies at two and again at three, running up a trio of Group 1 wins in the 2021 Fillies’ Mile, the 2022 Coronation Stakes and then a first win against the colts in the Prix Jacques le Marois.

In between the second and third of those successes she ran flat when second to Prosperous Voyage in the Falmouth Stakes, and the Gosden team drew the lesson that she ideally likes a bit of space between her runs.

That certainly looks to have been the thinking in waiting for Goodwood, after Inspiral put in a big effort on her seasonal reappearance in the Queen Anne Stakes, finding only Triple Time too strong.

“She ran a great race in the Queen Anne and this has been the plan since then,” said joint-trainer Thady Gosden. “She’s had a nice break and has been pleasing us in training at home. Obviously she’s taking on Paddington, who is an exceptional three-year-colt, but we’re expecting a good run.”

Inspiral was slightly sluggishly into stride in both the QEII and the Queen Anne, something connections will hope does not become a regular habit going forward.

What they say

William Haggas, trainer of Aldaary

He’ll like the ground – the softer the better for him. He’s got a bit to find with the front two, but hopefully he’ll run well. He was still a bit rusty last time but he’s getting there so I’m hoping he’ll run a good race.

Richard Hannon, trainer of Chindit

He deserves to win a big one because he’s been knocking at the door and has been in very good form this season. It’s an extremely hot race, and Paddington has looked very good so he has to pull out a career best, but he’s in good shape and deserves to take his chance. He wouldn’t want the ground any softer, though.

Jerome Reynier, trainer of Facteur Cheval

The rain won’t bother him at all and he won his Group race on very deep ground last autumn, and perhaps his best career efforts have come with cut. That will help us a little and in a high-quality field of six you want as many things in your favour as possible. He’s in good form with himself and all the lights are green for him to put in a good performance. Maxime [Guyon] won this race with Solow and although it’s not always easy for a jockey first time on a horse, he’s very straightforward. He needs to get him to relax and hopefully there will be a good pace to aid with that. There are two champions in the shape of Inspiral and Paddington and we go there as challengers hoping to play a part.

Roger Varian, trainer of Charyn

He’s in great form and is a very solid horse. I made a mistake bringing him back to seven furlongs. But his run at Royal Ascot was very good – he was nearly second in the St James’s Palace, and his run in the Irish Guineas behind Paddington was very good. He was fourth, but you could make a case that he might have been a bit closer. Those two runs in particular mark him out as being a smart colt. He’s obviously going to need a career best to get on the podium, but he’s drawn nicely and is a solid horse who will turn up and run very well. We always thought he wanted a bit of cut in the ground, but his two best runs this year have been on fast ground at the Curragh and at Ascot. If I could have my wish, the rain would stay away.

ON CUE (5 B m Oratorio) was Paul Matchett and Philasande Mxoli’s 3rd winner together on Tuesday. Breeders Avontuur Thoroughbred Farm, Owners G Frank & Ms H Palmer

Mxoli/Matchett Treble, Lerena Treble

Philasande scored his first treble as a fully fledged jockey when riding three more winners for his guv’nor Paul Matchett at the Vaal Classic track today.

This was the first day of the season, so those three are obviously the early log leaders.