There will be no controversy in the aftermath of the Equus Awards this year as all of the awards went to the largely expected recipients.
There were no horses that won more than two Gr 1s during the 2023/2024 season and Dave The King was the only horse to win two open weight for age Gr 1s, so this Mike de Kock-trained Gary Player Stud-bred gelding by Global View, owned by Messrs L M Nestadt & G J Player & Ralphs Racing (Pty) Ltd (Nom: Miss K Ralphs), walked away with the Horse Of The Year award. His groom Lwandiso Jevu received the Groom Of The Year award.
Richard Fourie, as well as winning the Champion Jockey award also won a Special Achievement award for his phenomenal feat of having 378 wins in the season, smashing the 334 wins of Anthony Delpech set in 1998/1999, a record which was thought to be the safest in SA sport.
The Outstanding Breeders award went to Drakenstein Stud for their feat of setting a new record of 21 individual stakes winners bred during the season.
The Outstanding Stallion award went to One World for his feat of smashing the freshman record by having 30 individual winners of 40 races, which also equalled the overall two-year-old record of any sire in any year.
The broodmare of the year was Beach Beauty, who was the darling of the SA turf as a racehorse and at stud she has produced six foals and five runners, four of them stakes winners, including the dual Gr 1 winner Beach Bomb, and the other one stakes placed, while one of them is also starting stallion duties this season.
All the awards are listed below:
Champion Two-Year-Old Filly
Nominees: VJ’s Angel, Quid Pro Quo
Champion: Quid Pro Quo
Champion Two-Year-Old Male
Nominees: Cats Pajamas, Cosmic Speed, Fire Attack, Proceed
Champion: Proceed
Champion Three-year-old filly
Nominees: Gimme A Nother, Beach Bomb.
Champion: Gimme A Nother
Champion Three-year-old colt
Nominees: Main Defender, Green With Envy, Oriental Charm, Purple Pitcher.
Champion: Green With Envy
Champion Older Female
Nominees: Princess Calla, Humdinger.
Champion: Princess Calla
Champion Older Male
Nominees: Dave The King, Charles Dickens, Royal Victory, Thunderstruck.
Champion: Dave The King
Champion Sprinter
Nominees: Thunderstruck, Lucky Lad
Champion: Thunderstruck
Champion Miler
Nominees: Dave The King, Charles Dickens, Main Defender
Champion: Charles Dickens
Champion Middle Distance
Nominees: Royal Victory, Oriental Charm, Dave The King.
Champion: Royal Victory
Champion Stayer
Nominee: Red Maple, Purple Pitcher, Master Redoute.
Champion: Master Redoute
Champion Broodmare
Beach Beauty
Champion Sire
Gimmethegreenlight
Champion Breeders
Wilgerbosdrift And Mauritzfontein
Outstanding Breeder
Drakenstein Stud
Outstanding Stallion
One World
Media Awards
Print
Charl Pretorius
Broadcast
Vicky Minott
Still Photography
Chase Liebenberg
Champion Apprentice
Kobeli James Lihaba
Champion Jockey
Richard Fourie
Special Achievement
Richard Fourie
Champion Trainer
Justin Snaith
Champion Owner
Drakenstein Stud
Horse Of The Year
Dave The King
Groom Of The Year
Lwandiso Jevu
