Picture: Silvano’s Timer gave Drakenstein their 18th individual stakes winner of the season on Saturday. (Candiese Lenferna Photography).
Drakenstein Stud bred what is believed to be a new record of 18 individual stakes winners this season.
The Dean Kannemeyer-trained Silvano’s Timer became their 18th individual stakes winner on Saturday, when winning the Listed Marshalls World Of Sport Darley Arabian over 1600m on the poly under Keagan de Melo.
Later, Jet Dark (Trippi) won the Grade 1 HKJC World Pool Champions Cup to give Drakenstein-breds their 25th stakes win of the season.
Another highlight for them on the day was the respective fourth place finishes of the Candice Bass-Robinson-trained Golden Hostess and the Glen Kotzen-trained Hold My Hand in the Grade 2 Prosport International Debutante and the Grade 1 Thekwini respectively as both are by Drakenstein’s freshman sire Gold Standard, the first son of their stalwart stallion Trippi to be at stud.
Drakenstein will be crowned champion owners, having beaten second-placed the Hollywood Syndicate by more than R2.5 million.
However, the Hollywood Syndicate had a milestone season themselves, landing their 100th win on Saturday after an unusually long and agonising wait to get that final winner and they made it 101 winners yesterday at Kenilworth, the most of any owner this season.
Champion trainer Paul Peter’s 221 wins in the season was another of the season’s highlights, eclipsing Sean Tarry’s 215 wins in the 2016/2017 season.
Besides Champion Jockey Warren Kennedy’s 263 winners in the season and champion apprentice Rachel Venniker’s 70 wins, another fine achievement was Richard Fourie’s nine Grade 1 wins, which is only three short of the 12 Weichong Marwing rode in 1998/1999 and which is thought to be a record.
Justin Snaith also had nine Grade 1 wins, which is the equal of Mike de Kock’s nine in 1998/1999, but the archives will have to be checked to see whether this is a record or not.
Wilgerbosdrift and Mauritzfontein, breeders of July winner Sparkling Water, easily won the Breeders Championship (by more than R5.5 million) from Klawervlei Stud with Drakenstein third.
Wilgerbosdrift and Mauritzfontein’s progeny earned R26,780,663 and they had 160 individual winners of 244 races.
Silvano won his sixth Champion Sire title, beating his son Vercingetorix by just over R1,2 million. It could well be the first time a father and son have finished one-two.
Master Of My Fate had the most individual winners and the most wins, 102 and 158 respectively.
Querari was the leading sire of two-year-olds with an impressive 23 individual winners of 34 races.
Vercingetorix was leading sire of three-year-olds, beating Silvano by about R900,000. He had 43 individual three-year-old winners of 74 races, although that was not as many as Gimmethegreenlight’s 46 individual three-year-old winners (of 71 races).
Erupt was the leading freshman sire and had eight individual winners of ten races, although Canford Cliffs had 15 individual winners of 18 races but does not count as he has stood overseas before.
The Damsire Champion was once again Jet Master.
The highest earning horse of the season was Hollywodbets Durban July winner Sparkling Water, who also won the Grade 2 New Turf Carriers Western Cape Stayers. She earned R4,030,000 and Jet Dark was second on R3,057,500.
Safe Passage, Captain’s Ransom and Kommetdieding were next best in that order and it was no surprise that the 1-2-3 in the R5 million Hollywoodbets Durban July were 1-2-3 in the earnings standings.
