Horse of the Year - Europa Point
There were few, if any genuine surprises at last Saturday evening’s Highveld Feature Season Racing Awards, held at a glittering black-tie affair in the Aquanaut Room at Turffontein Racecourse. Most of the winners selected themselves with Europa Point picking up three trophies.
Owned by Mary Slack and trained by Mike de Kock, the Irish-bred filly was named Champion Older Horse, Champion Middle Distance runner and Horse Of The Year – the most prestigious title of them all.
Europa Point was unbeaten during the season and captured two successive Grade 1 races: the Laurie Jaffee Empress Club Stakes and the President’s Champions Challenge.
John Buckler and Diane De Kock
Power Game
The balance of power in racing is slanted, but that is the nature of the game.
Mike De Kock was not unexpectedly crowned Champion trainer while his first choice jockey, Anthony Delpech and his major patron, Wilgerbosdrift Stud’s Mary Slack, were champion jockey and owner respectively.
Mary Slack in fact came away with six trophies as she also won for Ilha Bela (champion three-year-old filly), Gorongosa (champion stayer) and was named as champion owner. De Kock also trains the champion Two Year Old colt, Soft Falling Rain, who is unbeaten in four starts.
The shock winner of the SA Fillies Nursery on Champions Day, King’s Temptress, was named Champion Two Year Old Filly, after her one and only racecourse appearance. The pressure will be on her new trainer Kom Naidoo, as she goes to post for this Saturday’s Gr1 Allan Robertson Championship at Scottsville.
Fast
After his dazzling win in the Gr1 Computaform on Champions Day, Geoff Woodruff’s National Emblem gelding Shea Shea, who is bound for Hong Kong, won the Champion Sprinter award.
Chris Van Niekerk and Sean Tarry may have expected their sand specialist Mr Tobin, who is undefeated in six starts on the sand, to have picked up an award, but Tarry would have been thrilled to see his other charge, The Mouseketeer win this award. Interestingly the Bush Hill Stud-bred son of Kahal only won two on the sand, but they were the two big ones. He won the Gr3 August Stakes and the richest sand race, the Gr2 Emerald Cup.
Mick Goss’ Mooi River Summerhill Stud were crowned Champion Breeders.
In a wonderful acknowledgement to Mauritius and its thriving racing industry, which celebrates 200 years of existence in 2012, one of their favourite sons was crowned Champion Apprentice. Nooresh Juglall is fast making a name for himself and looks to be a champion jockey of the future, in the making. Longstanding Work Rider Abram Makhubo was also a proud recipient of the Champion Work Rider trophy.
A pleased as punch Tom Callaghan, Marketing Manager of Bloodstock SA, said afterwards that he was extremely proud of the fact that 5 of the 10 awards were won by BSA Sales graduates. “ This bears testament to the fact that we are indeed the source of champions and we look forward to selling more of tomorrow’s champions,” he said. Well done to all the winners!
The Full List Of Winners:
2yo Filly:
King’s Temptress
2yo-Colt/Gelding:
Soft Falling Rain
3yo Filly
Ilha Bela
3yo Colt/Gelding
Slumdogmillionaire
Older Horse (Four Years Old And Older)
Europa Point
Sprinter (1000m-1200m)
Shea Shea
Middle Distance (1400m-2200m)
Europa Point
Stayer (2400m And Further)
Gorongosa
Sand Specialist
The Mouseketeer
Horse Of The Year
Europa Point
Breeder
Summerhill Stud
Owner
Mrs M Slack
Jockey
Anthony Delpech
Trainer
Mike De Kock
Apprentice
Nooresh Juglall
Work Rider
Abram Makhubo
