All Of the Equus Award winners (JC Photos)
The Equus Awards celebrate the champions of the season and all of the winners announced at the ceremony at The Galleria in Sandton on Tuesday night were richly deserving.
See It Again looked to be a certainty for the Equus Horse Of The Year Award and the night’s MC Clyde Basel revealed that the decision for this award was unanimous among the panel of five.
The Drakensberg Stud-bred Twice Over gelding was the only horse of the season to have won two open weight for age Gr 1s over classic distances.
Buffalo Storm Cody also won two open Gr 1 wfa races, but even if the two Gr 1 wfa sprints carried as much weight as See It Again’s two Gr 1 wfa wins over classic distances, then See It Again would have clinched it with a further second and a third in open Gr 1 wfa races.
See It Again gave Justin Snaith a seventh Horse Of The Year title following Legislate, Futura, Oh Susanna, Do It Again, Captain’s Ransom and Eight On Eighteen.
See It Again’s owner Nick Jonsson received his third Horse Of The Year trophy as he was a part-owner of both Eight On Eighteen and Do It Again.
It was a second Horse Of The Year title for the sire Twice Over, who was also sire of Do It Again.
Snaith was champion trainer for the seventh time.
Hollywood Racing were Champion owners for the second time in succession.
Wilgerbosdrift and Mauritzfontein were champion breeders for the fourth time.
Craig Zackey was champion jockey for the first time and Blaine Marx-Jacobson was the champion apprentice for the first time.
The panel consisted of some of the most respected horseracing aficionados in the land, so there was confidence there wouldn’t be any highly contentious awards.
The panel was made of Karel Miedema, Robert Bloomberg, Darryl Maree, Aveen Sewpwersad and the chairman Graeme Hawkins.
See It Again was also named Champion Middle Distance horse and Champion Older Male.
He was the only horse to win more than one award.
The first award was the Champion Two-year-old filly and it was probably the only one that could be considered contentious with Get Up having comfortably beaten Palace Of Arvernia in the Gr 1 Allan Robertson Championship over 1200m to add to her Gr 3 win on the Highveld over 1100m, but Palace Of Arvernia then went on to win two further Gr 2s over 1400m and 1200m respectively and the weight of the two Gr 2s versus her being beaten by another nominee saw her being given the award.
The RA sent out the following press release about the awards:
2026 EQUUS AWARDS CELEBRATE SOUTH AFRICA’S RACING CHAMPIONS
Johannesburg, South Africa — The 2026 Equus Awards were hosted by 4Racing at The Galleria in Kramerville on Tuesday, 18 August 2026.
The awards recognised the outstanding achievements of the 2025/26 racing season, with champions honoured across the country’s racing, breeding and media communities.
It was a night of celebration for Justin Snaith, who was named Champion Trainer and collected further honours for his charges Wish List (Champion Three-Year-Old Filly), Double Grand Slam (Champion Older Female) and dual Gr1 winner for the season See It Again, who took the honours for Champion Older Male, Champion Middle Distance Horse and the coveted Horse Of The Year title. Additionally, See It Again’s handler, Sokhe Mwelase, was named Groom of the Year.
It was a 7th National Trainers title for Snaith, who first claimed the title at the age of 39 for the 2013/14 racing season. He followed up in 2017/18 and added a third title in the Covid-19 ravaged 2020/21 term.
Paul Peter set a new SA season winner benchmark of 221 and grossed R23 431 563 in 2021/22, but Snaith was back in the driving seat the next year and has been the reigning National Champion Trainer for the last four consecutive seasons.
The evening also celebrated a first Apprentice Jockey title for Blaine Marx-Jacobson, a first Champion Jockey title for Craig Zackey and a second Champion Owner award for Hollywood Racing (Nom: Mr A Delpech).
In the breeding categories, Palace Of Dreams was named Champion Broodmare, Vercingetorix was crowned Champion Stallion for a second successive season, and Wilgerbosdrift & Mauritzfontein added another Champion Breeder award to their trophy cabinet.
The event also recognised the contribution of racing media, with Charl Pretorius receiving the award for Print Media for his submission, ORMOND FERRARIS – A portrait assembled from moments, with special mentions for the submissions from Michele Wing and Ravi Naidoo.
In the category for Still Photography, Chase Liebenberg took the honours with his entry titled A Moment To Remember. Newcomer Julia Marnewick received a special mention by the judge.
Chad Karstens received the Videography Award for A Day in the Life – Paardeberg Stud Farm, with special mentions to Owen Greeff and Dyllan Govender for their entries.
Additionally, the Equus Committee awarded Special Achievement Awards to Vaughan Marshall and Raymond Rhodes.
The full list of winners are below:-
Equine Awards
· Champion Two-Year-Old Filly: Palace of Arvernia
· Champion Two-Year-Old Colt/Gelding: Haute Couture
· Champion Three-Year-Old Filly: Wish List
· Champion Three-Year-Old Colt/Gelding: Star Major
· Champion Older Female: Double Grand Slam
· Champion Older Male: See It Again
· Champion Sprinter: Buffalo Storm Cody
· Champion Miler: Questioning
· Champion Middle Distance Horse: See It Again
· Champion Stayer: Holding Thumbs
Media Awards
· Print: Charl Pretorius
· Still Photography: Chase Liebenberg
· Videography: Chad Karstens
Special Achievement Awards
· Vaughan Marshall
· Raymond Rhodes
Vaughan Marshall was acknowledged for his achievement of saddling thirty-two Gr1 winners – including six Cape Guineas, two Cape Town Mets and a L’Ormarins King’s Plate title – over his 45 year career to date, and his reputation as a stallion maker with the likes of Captain Al and his sons in particular.
Raymond Rhodes was honoured for his illustrious career in the saddle, which spanned the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s. Big race wins included two Durban Julys and two Queen’s Plates and he was Champion Jockey for the 1970/71 season. He was associated with great horses such as Numeral, In Full Flight and the mighty Hawaii and rode for trainers including Henry Eatwell, George Azzie, David Payne, JF ‘Cookie’ Coetzee, Ormond Ferraris, Syd Laird, Nic van Tonder and Bert Sage. He regarded the late Coetzee as the best trainer he worked for.
Breeder Awards
· Champion Broodmare: Palace Of Dreams
· Champion Stallion: Vercingetorix
· Champion Breeder: Wilgerbosdrift & Mauritzfontein
Racing Awards
· Champion Apprentice: Blaine Marx-Jacobson
· Champion Jockey: Craig Zackey
· Champion Trainer: Justin Snaith
· Champion Owner: Hollywood Racing (Nom: Mr A Delpech)
· Horse of the Year: See It Again
· Groom of the Year: Sokhe Mwelase
ENDS.
