Global View gelding Dave The King was crowned South Africa’s Champion Horse Of The Year at the 2024 Equus Awards Banquet held at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Thursday evening 15 August.
Owned by Messrs Lindsay Ralphs, Gary Player and Larry Nestadt and trained by Mike De Kock, Dave The King showed tremendous improvement after being gelded back in November and was the only horse through the course of the season to pick up victories in two Super Grade 1 events.
Dave The King (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
The first came in June when scoring in the Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge (Gr1-WFA) over 1600m, and then seven weeks later the son of Global View trounced a high quality field when taking out the Hong Kong Jockey Club Champions Cup (Gr1-WFA) over 1800m. Dave The King was bred at the Gary Player Stud.
Dave The King’s stable companion, Gimme A Nother was a strong contender for the title, having remained unbeaten throughout the Season, but she never took on the males and was an obvious winner of the Equus Champion Three Year Old Three-Year-Old Filly title for owner-breeders Mauritzfontein Stud.
Quid Pro Quo (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
The sensational juvenile filly, Quid Pro Quo, owned and bred by Gerald Kalil and trained by Barend Botes, was a dominant winner of the Champion Two-Year-Old Filly category but the equivalent for the juvenile Colts & Geldings was somewhat more competitive, with the Trophy being awarded to Gold Medallion (Gr1) winner, Proceed, from the stable of Sean Tarry and sporting the silks of the Wernars family.
Dual Grade 1-winning Green With Envy was voted Champion Three Year Old Colt ahead of fellow nominees Purple Pitcher, Main Defender, Lucky Lad and Hollywoodbets Durban July hero Oriental Charm. Trained by Dean Kannemeyer and racing in the colours of Christine Laidlaw’s Khaya Stables, Green With Envy was born and raised at the Varsfontein Stud.
Green With Envy (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
Lucky Lad was also a nominee in the Champion Sprinter category, but was upstaged by his stable mate Thunderstruck who has now gone on to take up stud duties at Ridgemont South Africa. The judging panel were divided when it came to debating the Champion Sprinter Award, but Thunderstruck was named the “split-vote” winner.
Charles Dickens was voted Champion Miler following his victory in the King’s Plate, Royal Victory Champion Middle Distance Horse as a result of his successes in the Betway Summer Cup (Gr1) and World Pool Premier’s Champions Challenge Challenge (Gr1) at Turffontein, while Master Redoute walked off with the Champion Stayer title having won both the New Turf Carriers Western Cape Stayers over 2800m and the World Pool Gold Cup over 3200m on the final day of the Season.
Dave The King was also voted Champion Older Male (any distance) while the Equus trophy for Champion Older Female went to recently exported Princess Calla.
All the winners:
- Champion Two Year Old Filly – Quid Pro Quo
Quid Pro Quo (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
- Champion Two Year Old Colt – Proceed
Proceed (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
- Champion Three Year Old Filly – Gimme A Nother
Gimme A Nother (Pic -Chase Liebenberg)
- Champion Three Year Old Colt – Green With Envy
Green With Envy (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
- Champion Sprinter – Thunderstruck
Thunderstruck (Pic – JC Photos)
- Champion Miler – Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
- Champion Middle Distance Horse – Royal Victory
Royal Victory (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
- Champion Stayer – Master Redoute
Master Redoute (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
- Champion Older Female – Princess Calla
Princess Calla (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
- Champion Older Male – Dave The King
- Horse Of The Year – Dave The King
Dave The King (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
- Champion Apprentice – Kobeli James Lihaba
- Champion Jockey – Richard Fourie
- Champion Trainer – Justin Snaith
- Champion Owner – Drakenstein Stud
- Champion Breeder – Wilgerbosdrift & Mauritzfontein
- Champion Sire – Gimmethegreenlight
- Champion Broodmare – Beach Beauty
- Outstanding Breeder – Drakenstein Stud
- Outstanding Stallion – One World
- Media Award (Broadcast) – Vicky Minott
- Media Award (Print) – Charl Pretorius
- Media Award (Photographic) – Chase Liebenberg.
