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Despite only finishing fourth in Saturdays Grade 1 Brentford CC Garden Province Stakes, Captain’s Ransom clung onto her lead at the top of the Horse of The Year table.

Sparkling Water, after her runaway Hollywoodbets Durban July win, enters the table for the first time, only one point adrift of Captain’s Ransom, and this places two fillies at the top of the Horse of The Year table with four weeks to season end.

Jet Dark, following his second place in the July, is just off the pace, four points below Captain’s Ransom. The only other mover on the table was Safe Passage, third in the July, while MK’s Pride fell from the top seven.

The Grade 1 Champions Cup at month end may well decide which horse tops the Horse of The Year Table this season. The winner will accumulate an extra 48 points towards the table.

Captain’s Ransom heads the table on 108 points, followed by Sparkling Water (107), Jet Dark (104), Safe Passage (90), Rain In Holland (86), and both Kommetdieding and Pomp and Power on 84 points.

Champion Three-Year-Old Colt

Apart from their participation in the Hollywoodbets Durban July there was little action in the three-year-old male category this month. Safe Passage moved to the top of the table after his third in the July, while Pomp and Power, Aragosta and Master Archie were unable to add to their June points tallies.

Safe Passage heads the table on 90 points followed by Pomp and Power (84), Aragosta (52), Master Archie (48) and Double Superlative (46).

Champion Three-Year-Old Filly

There was no change to the Champion Three-Year-Old filly table this month. Rain in Holland (86 points) remains on top followed by Chansonette (72), Big Burn (54), Under Your Spell (45) and Sprinkles (42).

Champion Older Male and Female

Jet Dark (104 points) moved back to the top of the Champion Older Male category and now holds a large lead over his closest rivals, Kommetdieding (84), MK’s Pride (83), Al Muthana and Astrix on 68 points. Al Muthana is a new entrant to the table after his first Grade 1 win in the Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge in June.

Captain’s Ransom (108) holds onto her lead by a slender one-point over Sparkling Water (107). She’s A Keeper (32 points) enters the table for the first time after her first Grade 1 success in the Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes. Likewise, Marina (32) enters the table off a second in the same race while Princess Calla (52) remains on the table.

Distance Categories

There was no change to the Champion Sprinter table this month with Alesian Chief (45 points) still on top, followed by Master Archie and Bohica (both on 40 points), Big Burn (36) and Captain’s Ransom (32).

The Grade 1 Mercury Sprint at month end could well decide which horse finishes on top of this closely contested category.

The result of the Grade 1 Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge dictated the changes to the Champion Miler table this month. While MK’s Pride finished fourth in that race he remains on top with 83 points. The winner of the Gold Challenge, Al Muthana (68) enters the table for the first time, followed by Gold Challenge third, Jet Dark (60), Princess Calla (48) and Captain’s Ransom (44).

With her win in the July Sparkling Water has leapt to the top of the Champion Middle Distance table. She leads with 79 points, followed by Astrix (54), Kommetdieding (48), Jet Dark (44), and Flying Carpet (38).

Black Thorn displaced Nebraas and Sparkling Water at the top of the Champion Stayers table after his win in Saturday’s Grade 3 DSTV Gold Vase. He leads the table on 21 points followed by Sparkling Water and Nebraas (both on 20 points), and new entrants Pink Tourmaline (16) and Salvator Mundi (11).

Champion Two-Year-Old Colt and Filly

Thunderstruck remains on top of the colt’s category with 32 points, while Saturday’s Grade 2 Golden Horseshoe winner Cousin Casey (24) is in pursuit. They are followed by Now I Got You, Karangetang and Prophet (all on 16 points).

Despite finishing unplaced in Saturday’s Grade 2 Golden Slipper, Sweet Pepper remains in the lead in the filly’s category on 32 points.

The winner of that race, Ameena (24) is second followed by Glittering Girl, Maharanee and Miss Cool (all on 16 points).

Note: Points log will determine one-third of the final award in each category, with an expert panel and a public vote each accounting for another third of the final vote. Only horses included in the final points log will be voted on by the expert panel and public. The final awards in each category will be announced on 24 August 2022.

Equus Awards 2022 – Points Tables to 2 July 2022

Horse of the Year Age Sex Pts
CAPTAIN’S RANSOM (SAF) 4 F 108
SPARKLING WATER (SAF) 4 F 107
JET DARK (SAF) 4 C 104
SAFE PASSAGE (SAF) 3 G 90
RAIN IN HOLLAND (SAF) 3 F 86
KOMMETDIEDING (SAF) 4 C 84
POMP AND POWER (SAF) 3 G 84

 

Champion Three-Year-Old Male Age Sex Pts
SAFE PASSAGE (SAF) 3 G 90
POMP AND POWER (SAF) 3 G 84
ARAGOSTA (SAF) 3 G 52
MASTER ARCHIE (SAF) 3 C 48
DOUBLE SUPERLATIVE (SAF) 3 C 46

 

Champion Three-Year-Old Female Age Sex Pts
RAIN IN HOLLAND (SAF) 3 F 86
CHANSONETTE (SAF) 3 F 72
BIG BURN (SAF) 3 F 54
UNDER YOUR SPELL (SAF) 3 F 45
SPRINKLES (SAF) 3 F 42

 

Champion Older Male Age Sex Pts
JET DARK (SAF) 4 C 104
KOMMETDIEDING (SAF) 4 C 84
MK’S PRIDE (SAF) 4 C 83
AL MUTHANA (AUS) 4 G 68
ASTRIX (SAF) 5 G 68

 

Champion Older Female Age Sex Pts
CAPTAIN’S RANSOM (SAF) 4 F 108
SPARKLING WATER (SAF) 4 F 107
PRINCESS CALLA (SAF) 4 F 52
SHE’S A KEEPER (SAF) 5 M 32
MARINA (SAF) 4 F 32

 

Champion Sprinter Age Sex Pts
ALESIAN CHIEF (SAF) 3 C 45
MASTER ARCHIE (SAF) 3 C 40
BOHICA (SAF) 5 G 40
BIG BURN (SAF) 3 F 36
CAPTAIN’S RANSOM (SAF) 4 F 32

 

Champion Miler Age Sex Pts
MK’S PRIDE (SAF) 4 C 83
AL MUTHANA (AUS) 4 G 68
JET DARK (SAF) 4 C 60
PRINCESS CALLA (SAF) 4 F 48
CAPTAIN’S RANSOM (SAF) 4 F 44

 

Champion Middle Distance Age Sex Pts
SPARKLING WATER (SAF) 4 F 79
ASTRIX (SAF) 5 G 54
KOMMETDIEDING (SAF) 4 C 48
JET DARK (SAF) 4 C 44
FLYING CARPET (SAF) 4 C 38

 

Champion Stayer Age Sex Pts
BLACK THORN (SAF) 4 G 21
SPARKLING WATER (SAF) 4 F 20
NEBRAAS (SAF) 5 G 20
PINK TOURMALINE (SAF) 4 F 16
SALVATOR MUNDI (SAF) 4 G 11

 

Champion Two-Year-Old Male Age Sex Pts
THUNDERSTRUCK (SAF) 2 C 32
COUSIN CASEY (SAF) 2 C 24
NOW I GOT YOU (SAF) 2 G 16
PROPHET (SAF) 2 G 16
KARANGETANG (SAF) 2 C 16

 

Champion Two-Year-Old Female Age Sex Pts
SWEET PEPPER (SAF) 2 F 32
AMEENA (SAF) 2 F 24
GLITTERING GIRL (SAF) 2 F 16
MAHARANEE (SAF) 2 F 16
MISS COOL (SAF) 2 F 16

 

Picture: Captain’s Ransom (Chase Liebenberg).