(This story was sourced from the Gold Circle website; no press release was issued for the awards by organisers, for nominees nor winners)
There were serious reversals of form with Equus at the Kwazulu-Natal Racing Awards held at the Durban Country Club on Friday.
Sean Tarry-trained Happy Archer was voted above the Mike de Kock-trained Equus champion Mahbooba in the Two-Year-Old filly category.
The KZN Horse Of The Year Award saw the de Kock-trained Bold Silvano oust his Equus Horse Of The Year winning-stablemate, Irish Flame, apparently because one of Irish Flame’s Gr1 wins, in the SA Derby, took place outside of the province. Bold Silvano’s July win over Irish Flame must have been viewed as superior in status to Irish Flame’s Daily News 2000 win over Bold Silvano, even though there was a weight difference in the July in Bold Silvano’s favour.
Bold Silvano also won the Three-year-old Colt/gelding Award above Irish Flame, Orbison and Ancestral Fore.
The two-year-old colt Award went the same way as the Equus Awards with the Dennis Drier-trained Link Man clinching it with his Grade 1 Gold Medallion win.
The three-year-old fillies award also was like the Equus with the De Kock-trained Gr1 Garden Province winner Here To Win clinching it from the other Grade 1 winning nominee, the Glen Kotzen-trained Imperious Star. Here To Win also won the Grade 1 SA Oaks in Johannesburg.
The panel proved they did consider out of province races by awarding the Dennis Bosch-trained Noble Heir the KZN Older Filly/Mare Award, as she won the Grade 1 Computaform Sprint outside of the province.
The KZN Older Colt/Gelding Award went to the Duncan Howells-trained Tropical Empire, virtue of his win in the Gr2 Drill Hall Stakes.
The Stayer Award was a reversal of the Equus Award with the Gr1 Canon Gold Cup winner, the De Kock-trained Ancestral Fore, ousting his stablemate and dual Derby winner Irish Flame.
The KZN Apprentice Jockey of the Year was Aldo Domeyer, while Jockey of the Year was Anthony Delpech.
The KZN Breeder of the Year was Summerhill Stud.
The Ernie Duffield Memorial Trophy for the KZN based trainer with the most wins in KZN went to runaway National Champion trainer Mike de Kock, who was given a standing ovation.
The Anita Akal Special Award went to Felix Coetzee, who also received generous applause.
The KZN Owner of the Year, based on Stakes earned in KZN, went to Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum, who is de Kock’s chief patron.
The award for the person having gone out of his or her way to support the industry was presented to David Thiselton for his tireless journalistic work.
