Honour. Michelle Rixon (left) with her sons Niall and Thor and winning Diadem Stakes owner Marsh Shirtliff (right)
The presentation of the Guy Rixon Memorial Trophy to the winner of Saturday’s Gr2 Diadem Stakes will sadly no doubt pass by largely unheralded in the public domain and unreported in the media.
The Rixon family name has long been associated with horseracing in the Western Cape.
The late Guy Rixon’s wife Michelle was on course with her sons Niall and Thor to present the trophy.
Ironically the longstanding association of one of the most successful owner bodies in South Africa in the Western Province Owners and Trainers Association was summararily dropped from its longstanding tie with the Diadem Stakes this year.
While some may label that progress, it is heartening to witness the soft touches like the presentation of the Guy Rixon Trophy standing the test of time.
Ralph Rixon was a leading trainer, owner and breeder , who trained the winner of the 1976 Durban July in Jamaican Music. He was ridden by the late Bert Abercrombie. The grey son of Jamaico was having his third attempt at July glory after controversially dumping jockey Tom Rattley in 1974 and then running fourth to Principal Boy in 1975.
Big Win. Jamaican Music and Bert Abercrombie on their victory canterpast following the 1976 Durban July. Ralph Rixon is in the background
Ralph’s son Guy, a talented man who followed in his father’s footsteps passed away at the age of 38 in 1994.
The trophy is presented in his memory.
Guy Rixon was born in Zambia, where it is thought that he contracted the disease that was eventually to lead to his untimely passing.
Suffering for years with swollen glands, he was eventually diagnosed with Avian Tuberculosis.
This disease is extremely rare in humans and it is a measure of Guy’s fighting spirit and character that he is thought to be the only person on earth to survive for the length of time that he did.
Guy Rixon was a leading trainer of his time and sent out a rare female winner of the South Africa’s premier weight-for-age mile, the Queen’s Plate.
The great race filly Wainui, took her place amongst the legends like Empress Club and scored a memorable victory under Glen Hatt when the Queen’s Plate was run on 30 December 1989. She won the prestigious mile as the third leg of a genuine hat-trick that interestingly included today’s feature, the Diadem Stakes and the Majorca Stakes.
In a great year for the fairer sex, Wainui won the Queen’s Plate beating Dynamite Lady with Anton Marcus up and the top-class Jungle Warrior.
Talking to the Sporting Post today, Michelle Rixon said that it was a special privilege for her and her sons to be on course to honour the memory of an exceptionally talented horseman.
Michelle is still involved with horseracing and recently bred two horses. She also runs her own horse transport business and assists trainers in winter with the clipping and grooming of horses.
