Igugu, Horse of the Season
HIGHVELD RACING AWARDS 2011
Igugu was named Horse Of The Season at the Racing Association’s Highveld Feature Season Awards on Saturday night.
The Mike de Kock-trained filly was a worthy winner of the accolade after becoming the first filly in history to win the SA Triple Tiara, which comprises the Gauteng Fillies Guineas over 1600m, the SA Fillies Classic over 1800m and the SA Oaks over 2450m.
The 2009 Summerhill Ready To Run graduate won by a landslide with every member of the panel of judges, comprising Nicci Garner, Jack Milner, Lennon Maharaj, Germaine Maharaj, Shaheen Shaw, Patrick Davis and Darryl Maree, giving her the nod. The equine awards were adjudicated by the panel, while the winners of the champion breeder, apprentice, jockey and trainer awards were calculated on a point system according to graded and listed races won. The champion owner was decided on stakes earned in feature races during the season.
Igugu also won the award as Champion Three-Year-Old Filly, while her trainer Mike de Kock was named Champion Trainer and his stable also collected Ilsanpietro’s Champion Stayer award.
Dancewiththedevil - dual title winner
One other horse collected two awards, and that was Horse Chestnut Stakes and Empress Club Stakes winner Dancewiththedevil, who took the awards as Champion Older Horse and Champion Middle Distance Horse. She was bred and is owned and trained by St John Gray.
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Champion Two Year Old Filly – HIDDEN BEAUTY
Trainer Paul Matchett; Owner Fred Crabbia
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Champion Two Year Old Colt / Gelding – DELAGO DELUX
Trainer Charles Laird; Owners Ingrid and Markus Jooste
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Champion Three Year Old Filly – IGUGU
Trainer Mike de Kock; Owners Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum and Andre & Joyce Macdonald
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Champion Three Year Old Colt / Gelding – ENGLISH GARDEN
Trainer Mike Bass; Owner Lady Lilford
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Champion Older Horse – DANCEWITHTHEDEVIL
Trainer St John Gray; Owner St John Gray
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Champion Sprinter – VAL DE RA
Trainer Dennis Drier; Owner Avontuur Estate (Nom: Mr B A I Taberer)
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Champion Middle-Distance Horse – DANCEWITHTHEDEVIL
Trainer St John Gray; Owner St John Gray
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Champion Stayer – ILSANPIETRO
Trainer Mike de Kock; Owner Fazenda Mondesir International (Nom: P C P de Castro)
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Champion Sand Specialist – IRON CURTAIN
Trainer Robbie Sage; Owner Bridget Oppenheimer
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Horse Of The Season – IGUGU
Trainer Mike de Kock; Owners Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum and Andre & Joyce Macdonald
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Champion Apprentice – JP VAN DER MERWE
Champion Jockey – ANTHONY DELPECH
Champion Trainer – MIKE DE KOCK
Champion Breeder – SUMMERHILL STUD
Champion Owner – INGRID and MARKUS JOOSTE
