Jet Dark edges past Captain’s Ransom in final weekend to top Horse of The Year Table for 2021/22.
Jet Dark and Captain’s Ransom both won their final Grade 1 starts for the season, but it is the former who finishes on top in the final points table for the season on 152 points.
Jet Dark beats Kommetdieding in the HKJC World Pool Gr1 Champions Cup on Saturday (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
Jet Dark’s second Super Grade 1 win in the HKJC World Pool Champion Cup ensured that he passed Captain’s Ransom on 148 points after her first win in open WFA company in the Grade 1 Mercury Sprint.
In addition to topping the Horse of The Year table, Jet Dark also ends the season on top of the Champion Middle Distance and Champion Older Male tables, and third on the Champion Miler table.
In winning the Mercury Sprint, Captain’s Ransom ensured that she headed the Champion Sprinter table which she adds to her table-topping performance in the Champion Older Female category, a table she has dominated throughout the season.
The final table for the season sees Jet Dark ahead on 152 points, followed by Captain’s Ransom on 148 points, Kommetdieding (108), and Sparkling Water (107).
- Champion Three-Year-Old Colt
The sole noteworthy performance by a three-year-old in the final weeks of the season came from William Robertson when finishing second to Captain’s Ransom in the Grade 1 Mercury Sprint. This however was not enough for him to enter the Champion Three-Year-Old points table and the table remains at season end with Safe Passage on top with 90 points, followed by Pomp and Power (84) and Aragosta (52).
- Champion Three-Year-Old Filly
Big Burn added to her points tally with a third place in the Grade 1 Mercury Sprint but was unable to make inroads into the lead of Rain In Holland who ends the season as the table leader on 86 points. Chansonette (72) and Big Burn (64) complete the 2021/22 table.
- Champion Older Male
Jet Dark with two Super Grade 1 victories in the season dominates the Champion Older Male table on 152 points with closest rival Kommetdieding (108 points) in second place. The Paul Peter pair, MK’s Pride (83) and Astrix (80), finish third and fourth.
- Champion Older Female
While Sparkling Water (107 points) was not seen again after her fine Super Grade 1 Hollywoodbets Durban July win, Captain’s Ransom’s (148 points) win in the Mercury ensured she pulled well clear in the Champion Older Female category. These two in turn finished well clear of Princess Calla on 52 points.
- Champion Sprinter
With neither Alesian Chief nor Master Archie firing in the final Grade 1 sprint event for 2021/22, the Mercury Sprint, Captain’s Ransom grabbed top honours and vaulted from fifth position on the Champion Sprinter log to end the season on top with 72 points. Consistent Big Burn, third in the same race, jumped above the two colts and finishes in second place on 46 points. She also completed the most top four finishes in graded and feature races for the season – nine. Alesian Chief (45), Master Archie (40) and Bohica (40) make up the table.
- Champion Miler
No miler was able to win two open Grade 1 mile events in the season, and with no mile events in the final weeks of the season the table remains static with ever-consistent MK’s Pride on top with 83 points. Al Muthana (68) and Jet Dark (60) make up the final table.
- Champion Middle Distance
Jet Dark’s win in the Grade 1 Champions Cup sees him jump above Sparkling Water to top the middle-distance category. This adds to his two seconds in the Super Grade 1 World Sports Betting Cape Met and the Super Grade 1 Hollywood Durban July. He tops the table on 92 points, followed by Sparkling Water (79), Kommetdieding (72) and Astrix (66).
- Champion Stayer
With none of the prior table-topping stayers adding to their points tallies in the Marshall World of Sport Gold Cup, Black Thorn, fourth in that race, stays on top of the Champion Stayer log with 21 points. He ends the season marginally ahead of Sparkling Water and Nebraas (both on 20 points), while Shangani (18 points) re-enters the log after his victory in the Gold Cup and finishes in fourth position.
- Champion Two-Year-Old Colt
Cousin Casey (48 points) dominates the Champion Two-Year-Old Colt table with a rare double, completing wins in both the Grade 2 Golden Horseshoe and Grade 1 Premiers Champion Stakes. His closest rival Thunderstruck, not seen again after his Grade 1 Gold Medallion win, finishes second on the table with 32 points.
- Champion Two-Year-Old Filly
Keen competition amongst the two-year-old fillies saw no dominant filly emerge from the 2021/22 season and the table is headed by two fillies, Grade 1 winners Canadian Summer and Sweet Pepper on 32 points each. Ameena finishes third on the table with 24 points.
Note: Points log will determine one-third of the final award in each category, with an expert panel and a public vote each accounting for another third of the final vote. Only horses included in the final points log will be voted on by the expert panel and public. The final awards in each category will be announced on 24 August 2022.
The final nominations for voting by the expert panel and the public are reduced from the hitherto shown five in each age-group and distance category, to horses which have finished in the top two or three on the points table in each category, except where a fourth or fifth candidate is close in points to the top three so selected.
Equus Awards 2022 – Points Tables to 31 July 2022
| Horse of the Year | Age | Sex | Pts |
| JET DARK (SAF) | 4 | C | 152 |
| CAPTAIN’S RANSOM (SAF) | 4 | F | 148 |
| KOMMETDIEDING (SAF) | 4 | C | 108 |
| SPARKLING WATER (SAF) | 4 | F | 107 |
| Champion Three-Year-Old Male | Age | Sex | Pts |
| SAFE PASSAGE (SAF) | 3 | G | 90 |
| POMP AND POWER (SAF) | 3 | G | 84 |
| ARAGOSTA (SAF) | 3 | G | 52 |
| Champion Three-Year-Old Female | Age | Sex | Pts |
| RAIN IN HOLLAND (SAF) | 3 | F | 86 |
| CHANSONETTE (SAF) | 3 | F | 72 |
| BIG BURN (SAF) | 3 | F | 64 |
| Champion Older Male | Age | Sex | Pts |
| JET DARK (SAF) | 4 | C | 152 |
| KOMMETDIEDING (SAF) | 4 | C | 108 |
| MK’S PRIDE (SAF) | 4 | C | 83 |
| ASTRIX (SAF) | 5 | G | 80 |
| Champion Older Female | Age | Sex | Pts |
| CAPTAIN’S RANSOM (SAF) | 4 | F | 148 |
| SPARKLING WATER (SAF) | 4 | F | 107 |
| PRINCESS CALLA (SAF) | 4 | F | 52 |
| Champion Sprinter | Age | Sex | Pts |
| CAPTAIN’S RANSOM (SAF) | 4 | F | 72 |
| BIG BURN (SAF) | 3 | F | 46 |
| ALESIAN CHIEF (SAF) | 3 | C | 45 |
| MASTER ARCHIE (SAF) | 3 | C | 40 |
| BOHICA (SAF) | 5 | G | 40 |
| Champion Miler | Age | Sex | Pts |
| MK’S PRIDE (SAF) | 4 | C | 83 |
| AL MUTHANA (AUS) | 4 | G | 68 |
| JET DARK (SAF) | 4 | C | 60 |
| Champion Middle Distance | Age | Sex | Pts |
| JET DARK (SAF) | 4 | C | 92 |
| SPARKLING WATER (SAF) | 4 | F | 79 |
| KOMMETDIEDING (SAF) | 4 | C | 72 |
| ASTRIX (SAF) | 5 | G | 66 |
| Champion Stayer | Age | Sex | Pts |
| BLACK THORN (SAF) | 4 | G | 21 |
| SPARKLING WATER (SAF) | 4 | F | 20 |
| NEBRAAS (SAF) | 5 | G | 20 |
| SHANGANI (SAF) | 4 | G | 18 |
| Champion Two-Year-Old Male | Age | Sex | Pts |
| COUSIN CASEY (SAF) | 2 | C | 48 |
| THUNDERSTRUCK (SAF) | 2 | C | 32 |
| Champion Two-Year-Old Female | Age | Sex | Pts |
| CANADIAN SUMMER (SAF) | 2 | F | 32 |
| SWEET PEPPER (SAF) | 2 | F | 32 |
| AMEENA (SAF) | 2 | F | 24 |
Public voting on https://equusawards.co.za/public-vote/ will open on August 8, 2022, and close at midday on 12 August 2022.
