Quickstepgal is led in after winning the prestigious Gr 1 Ridgemont Garden Province Stakes (Picture: Race Coast)
The Hollywoodbets Greyville Poly Friday night meeting, in which Keagan de Melo rode a five-timer, was used as the stage to announce the KZN Racing Award winners.
Night Of The Superstars At Hollywoodbets Greyville!
A proverbial constellation of stars turned out at the second racemeeting of the current Lucky Fish Friday Night Racing season at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Friday evening, as Race Coast proudly hosted the 2026 KZN Racing Awards in a champagne celebration of the champions of the past racing season.
Ladies Night at the Theatre Of Champions saw the industry salute the big achievers of the first full racing season for Race Coast, launched in May 2025 and born from the merger of Gold Circle’s operations in KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape-based Cape Racing, united under the Hollywoodbets banner.
The all-important equine categories on the big evening were characterised by the dominance of KwaZulu-Natal-domiciled trainers Tienie Prinsloo, Louis Goosen, Duncan Howells and Frank Robinson, whose charges lifted the silverware in all but two of the award categories.
From humble beginnings to the highest levels of South African racing, Summerveld-based Tienie Prinsloo’s journey has been one of determination and perseverance.
Summerveld resident Tienie Prinsloo, who had never had a runner in a Grade 1 event prior to Quickstepgal’s remarkable victory in the World Sports Betting Cape Fillies Guineas just over eight months ago, celebrated a momentous Horse Of The Season accolade for the daughter of champion sire Vercingetorix, who also, unsurprisingly, scooped the Champion Three Year Old award.
Raced by the Wernars Family and Harry Willson, Quickstepgal won the HKJC World Pool Gr 2 Tibouchina Stakes and the Ridgemont Gr 1 Garden Province Stakes to end a dream season on a high. She was bred by the Greenacres Trust out of the three-time-winning Jet Master mare Victoriana and remains an exciting prospect ahead of the Cape Summer Of Champions Season down south.
There was also special recognition for the dedicated people behind the equine stars, with Moses Tlali, groom of Horse Of The Season Quickstepgal, honoured as Groom Of The Year. Tlali has played an integral role in the care of the outstanding filly throughout her memorable season, which saw her rise to the top of the KZN racing ranks.
Another veteran conditioner with an extraordinary backstory, Louis Goosen took all of 35 years to achieve a maiden Grade 1 victory courtesy of Erik Dubois, winner of the R1 750 000 World Pool Moment Of The Day Gr 1 Champion Stakes on World Pool Gold Cup day at last season’s end.
Bred by Dr Alan Miller, the son of Captain Al’s Varsfontein Stud-based son Erik The Red, the 2025/26 season’s Champion Sire of 2YOs, is out of the four-time-winning Count Dubois mare Comtesse Dubois and was crowned Champion Two Year Old. It was another success on the evening for the Wernars Family.
The third of the quartet of victorious Summerveld trainers, Duncan Howells, achieved ‘double gold’ when the Hemel ‘n Aarde-bred What A Winter mare Asiye Phambili lifted the Champion Sprinter title for the second consecutive year, as well as the title of Champion Older Female. In a breakthrough season, the gallant speed queen carried the Hollywood Racing silks to victory in the Gr 1 SA Fillies Sprint, brought to you by The Witness, after two Grade 3 victories earlier in the season.
When it comes to fairytales, Frank Robinson wrote his own chapter to cap the quartet of locals to lift silverware, as the Mauritzfontein-homebred Ideal World filly Mocha Blend, who was responsible for the veteran horseman’s first elite-level victory when she won the 2025 Betway Summer Cup, was awarded the Champion Middle Distance trophy. Mocha Blend left it until the final feature day of the season to win the Bet With The World Gr 2 Gold Bracelet and secure a deserved acknowledgement.
Glen Kotzen was the only ‘away’ trainer to achieve an award on the evening, when his gallant Vercingetorix longhauler Holding Thumbs secured the Champion Older Male and Champion Stayer titles.
Bred by Wilgerbosdrift & Mauritzfontein, Holding Thumbs sealed his awards after winning the 106th renewal of the R1 million World Pool Gr 3 Gold Cup in the famous black-and-white silks of golfing legend Gary Player, for a partnership of loyal owners.
The human categories included a second consecutive Champion Trainer title for Gareth van Zyl, while Hollywood Racing again lifted the Champion Owners trophy.
Former SA champion jockey Keagan de Melo has made great strides since returning from Hong Kong and looks set for a serious bid at a second national title this season. He was crowned Champion Jockey, while future star Damyan Pillay was a popular Champion Apprentice recipient, watched by his delighted and supportive family, who hardly miss a racemeeting.
Champion-producing Cape nursery Varsfontein Stud was crowned Champion Breeders after a host of outstanding performances throughout the twelve months of racing at all levels.
The full list of honours:
CHAMPION TWO YEAR OLD COLT/GELDING
ERIK DUBOIS
CHAMPION TWO YEAR OLD FILLY
PALACE OF AVERNIA
CHAMPION THREE YEAR OLD
QUICKSTEPGAL
CHAMPION SPRINTER
ASIYE PHAMBILI
CHAMPION MIDDLE DISTANCE
MOCHA BLEND
CHAMPION OLDER FEMALE
ASIYE PHAMBILI
CHAMPION OLDER MALE
HOLDING THUMBS
CHAMPION STAYER
HOLDING THUMBS
CHAMPION APPRENTICE
DAMYAN PILLAY
CHAMPION JOCKEY
KEAGAN DE MELO
CHAMPION TRAINER
GARETH VAN ZYL
CHAMPION OWNERS
HOLLYWOOD RACING
CHAMPION BREEDERS
VARSFONTEIN STUD
GROOM OF THE YEAR
MOSES TLALI
HORSE OF THE SEASON
QUICKSTEPGAL
