Gold Circle Pty (Ltd)

Today's Racing :

Irish Flame grabs the Horse of the Year award

David Thiselton
There were no real surprises at the 2010 Equus Awards ceremony which were presented by Racing South Africa at the Centre Court, Emperor’s Palace in Johannesburg.
The much awaited Horse Of The Year Award went to the Mike de Kock-trained Irish Flame, who won the Grade 1 SA Derby, the Grade 1 Daily News 2 000, the Grade 2 Gold Circle Derby and finished a length second in the Vodacom Durban July when having to give 0,5kg to the winner, his de Kock-trained stablemate, Bold Silvano.
Irish Flame, owned by Larry Nestadt, Bernard Kantor, Gary Barber and Percy Von Molendorff and bred by the Millenium Stud, also won the Champion Three-year-old Colt/Gelding award and Champion Stayer award.
Irish Flame’s closest competitors for the Horse Of The Year Award were likely Bold Silvano and the Lucky Houdalakis-trained J J The Jet Plane.
Neither went home empty handed.
Bold Silvano, who won the Betting World 1 900 before going on to July glory, won the Champion Middle Distance Horse Award. J J, who won two Grade 1s in just two starts back in his home country, won the Champion Sprinter and Champion Older Colt/Gelding Awards.
It was a triumphant night for the de Kock yard, who took home eight trophies, while Larry Nestadt also had a fine night as besides the three trophies he shared with Irish Flame he also has a share in the Champion Two-year-old colt/gelding, the Dennis Drier-trained Gold Medallion winner Link Man, whom he owns in partnership with Greg Blank and G Z Burg.
Nestadt is also the nominee for the Tawny Syndicate, who bred Link Man.
The Champion three-year-old filly Award must have been a nightmare for the panel and the de Kock-trained Grade 1 Golden Slipper winner, the Galileo Australian-bred Mahbooba, got the vote over Grade 1 Durban Thekwini winner Happy Archer, probably on the grounds of also having won a Grade 2 event.
De Kock’s Brazilian-bred dual Grade 1 winner Here To Win won the Champion Three-year-old Filly Award, while his Windrush filly, Mother Russia, also a dual Grade 1 winner, won the Champion Older Filly/Mare Award.
De Kock also won the Champion Trainer Award, while AJ Boshoff took home the Thoroghbred Breeder Association’s International Achievement Award for the horse he bred, the de Kock-trained Lizard’s Desire, who finished second in the Dubai World Cup and won the Singapore Airlines Cup.
The Champion Stallion Award was won for the fourth year by Jet Master.
Summerhill Stud were Champion Breeders for the sixth time, Anton Marcus was Champion Jockey for the second time and Aldo Domeyer was Champion Apprentice.
The Broodmare of the Year was Stormsvlei, dam of three-times Horse of the Year, Pocket Power, and this year’s J&B Met winner, River Jetez.
The sire sensation of the season, Dynasty, sire of Irish Flame, won an Outstanding Stallion Achievement Award.
The Owners Of The Year were Ingrid and Markus Jooste for the second time in succession and the Workrider of the Year was shared by John Nel and Andile Ndongo.
The new South African record holder for number of races won, the Des McLachlan-trained Hear The Drums, won an Oustanding Achievement Award.

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