The Equus Awards took place last night at the Emperor’s Palace in Johannesburg and the only three-time Grade 1 winner of the season, Oh Susanna, was named Horse Of The Year as expected.

The Australian-bred by Street Cry became the first three-year-old filly to win the Sun Met for over 100 years and her owners and breeders Drakenstein Stud have a valuable asset in hand.

Her trainer, Justin Snaith, received the National Champion Trainer’s trophy for the second time in his career.

Snaith’s charges received three other awards. Oh Susanna also won the Champion Three-year-old filly award and the Champion Middle Distance horse award as her Grade 1 wins in the Cartier Paddock Stakes, Met and Woolavington 2000 were all over middle distances. The Snaith-trained Do It Again won the most keenly contested award, the Champion Three-year-old male. A number of qualifiers had each won one Grade 1 apiece. However, Do It Again’s victory in the Vodacom Durban July was regarded as the Grade 1 three-year-old performance of the season as he had the field stretched out like the washing and it was in open company. He also won the Grade 2 Daisy Guineas and finished a flying second in the Grade 1 Investec Cape Derby.

The Champion Sprinter was also competitive with each of the contenders having also won only one Grade 1 each. The Mike Azzie-trained Will Pays got the nod as he won the weight for age (WFA) Grade 1 Mercury Sprint and in so doing beat the Grade 1 weight for age Computaform Sprint winner Attenborough. He also won the Grade 3 Spring Spree Stakes over 1200m.

The Sean Tarry-trained Legal Eagle lost his Horse Of The Year title, which he had won for the previous two years running, but he retained his Champion Miler award. He is unbeaten over this distance and defended his crowns in the WFA Grade 1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate and the WFA Grade 1 HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes. Legal Eagle also retained his Champion Older Male award.

The Tarry-trained Return Flight won the Champion Two-year-old Filly award due to her commanding performance in the Grade 1 Thekwini Stakes which was adjudged more meritorious than the Johan Janse van Vuuren-trained Mighty High’s impressive win in the Grade 1 Allan Robertson Championship.

Mike de Kock-trained horses won two awards. Soqrat was narrowly beaten by his stablemate Barahin in the Grade 2 Golden Horseshoe over 1400m but next time out in the Grade 1 Premier’s Champions Stakes over 1600m he won impressively and was given the nod for the Champion Two-year-old Male award. De Kock’s Grade 1 Empress Club Stakes winner and narrow Horse Chestnut Stakes runner up Nother Russia won the Champion Older Female award.

The Dean Kannemeyer-trained It’s My Turn was named Champion Stayer for his feat of winning the Track and Ball Derby, the Gold Vase and the eLan Gold Cup in the space of five weeks.

Lyle Hewitson received the National Champion Jockey trophy. He became the first apprentice to win the championships since Michael Roberts won it in the 1972/73 season, although Roberts became a fully fledged jockey in June 1973 so Hewitson was the first to receive the trophy while still an apprentice since Gerald Turner did so in the 1960s.

Drakenstein Stud were the deserved champion owners as they do a lot for the sport. The perennial champion owners Mayfair Speculators were forced to begin dispersing their stock under a cloud halfway through the season.

Klawervlei Stud retained their national Breeders Championships, although they were just over a R1 million clear of their perennial rivals Summerhill Stud.

Silvano retained his champion stallion trophy. It was the third time he had won the title.

By David Thiselton