The Equus Awards voting panel met at Greyville on Saturday evening, 28 July to finalise the nominees and winners for this season’s awards.

The first round of nominations were submitted after Vodacom Durban July Day.

The voting panel comprised of Matthew Lips, Robert Garner, Roger Smith, David Thiselton and Larry Wainstein as non-voting chairperson.

The categories and finalists are:

Champion Two-year-old Colt – distance immaterial: Soqrat, Van Halen

Champion Two-year-old Filly – distance immaterial: Mighty High, Return Flight

Champion Three-year-old Colt – distance immaterial: Bold Respect, Do It Again, Eyes Wide Open, Hero’s Honour, Lobo’s Legend, Surcharge, Tap O’ Noth, Undercover Agent.

Champion Three-year-old Filly – distance immaterial: Oh Susanna (Aus), Snow Dance.

Champion Older Male – distance immaterial: Captain America, Coral Fever, Legal Eagle, Will Pays.

Champion Older Filly/Mare – distance immaterial: Nother Russia, Redberry Lane, Sommerlied.

Champion Sprinter – (1000 – 1200m; age/gender immaterial): Attenborough, Bold Respect, Sergeant Hardy, Will Pays.

Champion Miler – (1400 – 1600; age/gender immaterial): Legal Eagle, Snow Dance, Undercover Agent.

Champion Middle Distance – (1800 – 2200; age/gender immaterial): Captain America, Coral Fever, Do It Again, Oh Susanna (Aus).

Champion Stayer – (2400 and up; age/gender immaterial): Hero’s Honour, It’s my Turn.

Voting Criteria
The awards are based on graded races and in particular Grade 1 races. As regards the stayer category, the winning horse will be at the discretion of the voting panel. This decision was taken as the only Grade 1 race in SA is the SA Derby, which would mean that this should be the obvious winner based on a single run. This would also have excluded fillies and mares.

Breeder Awards:
Stallion of the Year
Broodmare of the Year
Breeder of the Year

The Thoroughbred Breeders Association may include outstanding and/or international achievement awards.

Individual Awards:
Champion Apprentice
Champion Jockey
Champion Owner (based on stakes earned)
Champion Trainer (based on stakes earned)
Industry Merit Awards
Horse of the Year Award

The awards are a glittering black-tie gala event that takes place at the Convention Centre at Emperor’s Palace on Tuesday, August 14. Clyde Basel will be the master of ceremonies for the evening and guests will be treated to an array of entertainment. There will also be an after party at the same venue.

If you wish to purchase tickets (R700 per person) for this event, please contact Penny Morsner at the Racing Association on (011) 683-3220 or email penny@racingassociation.co.za

The Vaal Inside track stages a competitive ten race meeting tomorrow and once again the exotics looks the best way to approach it.

Psychic ran on well to win over 1800m last time and will relish the step up to 2000m in the seventh race. He was only given a two point raise in his merit rating and this Visionaire gelding is on the way up despite being a five-year-old so can win again from a plum draw of three. He is selected to be the Pick 6 banker. Zeal And Zest is a fair sort and has bounced back to form recently having dropped to his current mark and looks the main danger. Samar can also be a threat if repeating any of his last three runs which have been over distances from 1800m to 2400m.

The first leg of the PA over 1000m is an uninspiring event and a bit tricky. However, Mischievous Green looks to have scope for improvement and What A Fizz ran a fair race in his only start back in March. They can fight it out with the exposed Deago Deluxe, who ran on well the last time he went this trip and beat the debuting Mischievous Green by 2,9 lengths in that race.

In the first leg of the Pick 6 there is an interesting runner in the R220,000 British-bred filly Loja Lady. She was born on July 29 2015 and technically should be a four-year-old but the authorities appear to have given her three days leeway and accepted her as a three-year-old along with all other South African three-year-olds born on August 1 and onward. She makes a belated debut as the authorities did earlier stick to the rules and did not allowed her to compete as a two-year-old. She is by the Group 1 Dewhurst and Epsom Derby winner Sir Percy out of a Brazilian-bred Grade 2 winner and she would not have to be a star to win this 1400m event under Muzi Yeni. Little Sparrow and Soul Of Wit are still unexposed and have shown promise so are taken o be the chief contenders of those to have raced. Pachanga has hard knocking form but is a touch one-paced and limited. Rustling Leaf is another interesting first-timer, being a R140,000 purchase by Pathfork and a half-sister to Grade 1 winner On Her Toes, who also won the Grade 2 KZN Fillies Guineas.

The fifth race over 1400m is open and as many horses as possible should be included. Topweight Gold Shades is selected to win on the grounds of her fast finishing third in her penultimate start over 1700m when beaten a length by the well regarded Lady Val. She disappointed last time and has the same 4kg claimer aboard, but if he can revert to the off-the-pace tactics she enjoyed in her penultimate start she could go close from a plum draw.

In the sixth race, a MR 84 over 1400m, Bold Coast has been consistent in a higher class than this and off a competitive merit rating over an ideal trip he can go close from a fair draw. Dan The Lad and Sail For Joy are also ideally distance suited and are the main dangers.

The last two legs of the Pick 6 are tough 1200m handicaps and punters should go as wide as possible.

In the first of them Operetta has her first run out of the maidens but looks to be on the up and can get it right off a reasonable opening merit rating of 75. Kungfoofighting has dropped to an attractive merit rating and should make her presence felt. River Ayre has won over the course and distance and is only two points higher than that win.

In the last race Wottahottie is an honest and versatile type who gets on well with Keagan de Melo. He was raised only two points for his recent win over this 1200m trip and proved he was up to that mark by going close over 1600m last week. He now drops back to the trip of that last win but it will be tough.

By David Thiselton

Paul Reeves celebrated his 51^st birthday yesterday and victory for Photocopy in the opening Itsarush.co.za Welcome Maiden at Durbanville today would be a most welcome present.

The four-year-old is a consistent, albeit frustrating, sort who has been placed in all but one of his 11 starts but for a long time his trainer has been saying that his trip is a mile. Yet he runs over 1 250m here.

“Yes, I always thought he would be best over a mile but I now believe that is in the summer,” Reeves explains. “He doesn’t like the wet and a mile on softish ground at the end of May proved to be too far.

“This 1 250m should be perfect for him and if he doesn’t win today he is not the horse I thought he was!”

Reeves rode nearly 300 winners before a freak head-on collision riding work on the Milnerton training track ended his career. He started training nearly nine years ago and has earned a reputation as a hard-worker who can be guaranteed to get the best out of even the most moderate horse.

Photocopy probably has most to fear from Tyrian who is ridden by Richard Fourie, the rider of Photocopy in five of the latter’s last six starts. The Dynasty colt raced green on debut and was 9-10 favourite with World Sports Betting yesterday when Photocopy was a 5-2 chance. However the weights favour Photocopy. He has only to concede 2kg to the younger horse whereas the weight-for-age scale says he should be giving away 8kg.

Whatever his fortunes on Tyrian, Fourie should win the TAB Telebet Maiden on Margrethe 35 minutes later if he can only keep the Justin Snaith filly calm in the pens. She ran a most encouraging debut only to become fractious in the stalls on her last start. She got extremely upset and reared repeatedly. She was in no frame of mind to race when the gates eventually opened and she only managed fourth.

She has been backed from 11-10 to 8-10 with Touch Of Green (13-2) and newcomer Princess Irene (11-2) also in contention. Beautiful Beat (15-2) is another with claims.

Ikebana (7-10) is the obvious choice for the Tabonline.co.za Handicap after finishing well last time but don’t ignore 15-2 shot China Wolf as she is expected to leave last time’s disappointing effort behind her. “It was her first run out of the maidens and she was taking on the boys,” says Dan Katz. “She got a bit interfered with but she flew home. She is a big runner.”

Forest Prince (13-10) stands out in the Betting World Handicap despite a poor draw and losing ground at the start last time. Those looking for a better price (and a slightly better draw) may like to consider Astrapi at 9-2.

Blue Roller has been second on all his four starts but his turn should finally come in the Play Soccer Maiden, particularly with Aldo Domeyer’s mount stepping up to a mile.

By Michael Clower

The race for the third spot in the International Jockey’s Challenge to take place in Singapore on September 25 is down to the wire with Aldo Domeyer scoring a treble at Flamingo Park in Kimberly yesterday and going two up on rival Greg Cheyne.

Going into the last two days of the 2017/18 racing season just one win separated Cheyne and Domeyer on the jockeys’ log with Domeyer, who started the day on 132 winners, one behind Cheyne, on 133.

Domeyer won the first two races at Flamingo Park for Paul Matchett to edge one clear and went two clear when partnering Bright Flame to victory in the eighth for Steph Miller.

This leaves Cheyne with something of a mountain to climb, needing three winners at Fairview today to claim the final sport in the South African team and a draw is very much on the cards.

The current standings dictate that Lyle Hewitson, Muzi Yeni and either Aldo Domeyer or Greg Cheyne will represent South Africa.

Hewitson, still an apprentice, is set to be crowned the country’s top jockey having ridden 185 winners this season and will hopefully be recovered from a knee injury in time. Yeni, with 147 winners is also guaranteed a place in the SA line-up.

The UK will be represented by Jockeys Hayley Turner (England), Rob Havlin (Scotland) and PJ McDonald (Ireland).

Hugh Bowman, Corey Brown and Kerrin McEvoy will represent Australia.

The Asian team could well be led by Joao Moreira, who has had a tremendous spell in Hong Kong and is currently riding in Japan. His teammates will probably be the top two jockeys from the host country.

According to International Executive Director of Phumelela, John Stuart, Phumelela has been in a very successful relationship with the Singapore Turf Club (STC) for over a decade. The PGI Jockeys Challenge, will entrench this relationship and promote betting across international boundaries.

“Singapore offers magnificent opportunities and we would love South Africans to get seriously involved in Singapore racing,” he said.

By Andrew Harrison

Piet Botha trades in his jockey’s licence for a trainer’s one tomorrow and the man who made a comeback as a rider when all seemed lost is intent on making a big success of his new career.

He said: “I have had training in mind for some time and I have Barn Nine with 33 boxes in the old section of the Milnerton Training Centre where trainers like Dean Kannemeyer, Dan Katz, Billy Prestage and Ronnie Sheehan are also based.”

Botha, 41, was forced to hang up his boots after a bad fall at Summerveld in 2010 caused a broken rib and endless pain that led to his being medically boarded with apparently-permanent nerve damage.

He had a string of Grade 2 and 3 winners to his credit (plus two Grade 1s in Mauritius) including the Green Point and Matchem on Roman Charger, the Peninsula Handicap (Dunford), the Chairman’s Cup, Odessa, Sceptre and two J & B Reserve Stayers.

He began a new career developing a coffee-machine business but the lure of the turf never left him and he returned in April last year to ride for Glen Puller. He has ridden 14 winners since then – Jay Rock being the first and last of them – and has also worked as Puller’s assistant.

He said: “The nerve damage was alright when I resumed race-riding but then it started playing up and it has been causing me problems for quite a while now.”

He passed the trainers’ exam at the first attempt (“although it wasn’t easy, I can tell you!”) and he is keen to build up his string from its present nine horses.

By Michael Clower