Equus Champion Marinaresco was crowned KZN Horse of the Season at the Gold Circle KZN Racing awards held at the Elangeni Hotel in Durban on Friday evening.
Second in the Vodacom Durban July and winner of the Gr1 Mike and Carol Bass Champions Cup on the last day of the season, Marinaresco hit the headlines from the time he was pencilled in for the July, forsaking the final leg of the Cape Winter Series having already won the Tekkie Town Winter Guineas and the Winter Classic.
Marinaresco was trained by Mike Bass and provided a fitting finale to the veteran trainer’s career as he handed over his yard to daughter Candice the following day.
Ashburton-based trainers dominated the awards with Duncan Howells collecting three trophies. Dawn Calling, owned by Dave MacLean, collected the Best performance by a Two-year-old Filly where Howells had all three nominations including A Womans Way and KZN Million winner Lunar Rush.
The Howells-trained Cosmic Light was judged to have put up the best performance by a three-year-old filly for owner Hester Kuhn and Red Jack Trading while the Drakenstein Stud-owned Same Jurisdiction collected the trophy for Best performance by an Older Filly or Mare.
Weiho Marwing, now permanently based at Ashburton, was on hand to collect trophies for Best performance by an older Male and also Middle Distance for Gr1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge winner Mac De Lago who races in the colours of Hassen Adams.
Best performance by a two-year-old male went to another Ashburton-based trainer Paul Gadsby and a host of owners collected the trophy for Gr1 Premier’s Champion Stakes winner Gunner.
Summerveld-based Dennis Drier was again KZN Champion trainer by number of winners in the province, edging Howells by seven. Drier also collected the Best performance by a Sprinter for Gr2 Cape Merchants winner Triptique who races in Braam van Huyssteen’s silks.
Equus Award winners Ingrid and Markus Jooste were also KZN’s leading owners by prizemoney and Summerhill Stud, the country’s Champion Breeders for the 10th time, also had the honour of being leading breeders in their home province by stakes won. Roy Moodley was the leading KZN-based owner by stakes won.
Anthony Delpech was leading jockey and Eric Ngwane leading apprentice.
Paul Lafferty, racehorse trainer, television presenter and stand-up comic was a popular recipient of KZN Personality of the Year.
In a new category voted for by the racing public, Piere Strydom got Ride of the Season for his handling of The Conglomerate in the Vodacom Durban July, winning from 18 draw.
Andrew Harrison
