A tried and tested points system accounts for 40 per cent of the decision making process, while an expert panel accounts for 30% and readers of two British newspapers, the Daily Telegraph and Racing Post, accounts for the remaining 30%.

Various Gr 1 races are accorded “super category” status and for these events horses are awarded 48 points for winning, 24 for second and 12 for third. The “super category events” are the QIPCO 1000 Guineas, QIPCO 2000 Guineas, Investec Derby, Investec Oaks, Coral-Eclipse Stakes, King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes sponsored by QIPCO, QIPCO Sussex Stakes, Juddmonte International, QIPCO Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, QIPCO British Champions Stakes, Prix Ganay, Prix du Haras, Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, the QIPCO Irish Champion Stakes, Dubai World Cup Sponsored By Emirates, the Breeders’ Cup Classic, Breeders’ Cup Mile and the Breeders’ Cup Turf

Other Gr1 events in Great Britain, France and Ireland are given 32 points for a win, 16 for second and 8 for third, while Gr 2s are given 16, 8 and 4 and Gr 3s 8, 4 and 2.

Gr 1 and Gr 2s in America, Australia, Dubai, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore are accorded points that equate to 75% of the points for British Gr 1s, while Gr 3s are given 50% of the corresponding British Gr 3s. Pattern races (Group or Graded) events in other countries are awarded points equating to 50% of points for the American and Australian equivalent.

Using this system the Equus Horse of the Year Legislate would likely have collected 182 points (both of the classics as well as the Vodacom Durban July that he won would probably be accorded “super category” status, and he also had a Gr 2 win and both a Gr 2 and Gr 3 second), Yorker would have collected 144 presuming the Sansui Summer Cup and L’Ormarin’s Queen’s Plate would be considered “super” events, while Beach Beauty would have collected 132 points.

All of the Equus Award winners of the corresponding Cartier categories would have been on top using the above points system with the exception of the Champion Stayer Hot Ticket and the controversial Champion Two-Year-Old filly Majmu.

In the Stayer category Wavin’ Flag would have earned either 58 or 42 points, depending on whether the eLan Property Group Gold Cup is accorded super status or not, while Hot Ticket would have collected 40 points. Considering the country’s biggest staying event is a handicap, the voting system might have saved the Gold Cup topweight Hot Ticket.

However, the runaway points winner in the Two-Year-Old fillies category would have been Carry On Alice on 64 points and the voting system would unlikely have saved Majmu, who on 24 points would have been the lowest points scorer among the five fillies nominated.

The Equus Awards could benefit from using a similar system to the Cartier one, although the respective gaps between “Super” events and other Gr 1s, and Gr 1s and Gr2s, are not nearly as wide in South Africa as they are in Europe, so the points system would likely need to be adjusted.

The Cartier points system adds plenty of excitement to the season. For example in the current race for Cartier Horse Of The Year, the brilliant John Gosden-trained miler Kingman is out in front on 208 points, while his contemporary Australia is his nearest rival on 140 points.

However, the latter, who is regarded by prolific trainer Aiden O’Brien as the best horse he has ever trained, could still take in three “super” status events, the Irish Champion Stakes in two weekends time at Leopardstown, The Qipco Champion Stakes at Ascot on October 18 and the Breeder’s Cup Turf or Classic on November 1. He is also currently an 8-1 shot for the prestigious Gr 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, but his jockey, the six foot tall Joseph O’Brien, had to lose two pounds in weight to ride him in the  Juddmonte and would have to lose a further pound to ride him in the Arc.

Meanwhile, Kingman is on course for the race that has always been his end of season target, the Gr 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot on October 18. Kingman and Australia have only met once, in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket, and Kingman was victor with Australia beaten 0,6 lengths into third, although the mile is short of the latter’s best trip.

Picture: Kingman – Newbury Racing

A R350,000 yearling purchase by Sheikh Hamdan al Maktoum’s Shadwell, Soft Falling Rain was trained throughout his career by Mike de Kock and was voted the country’s champion juvenile following an undefeated season, the highlight of which a fluent victory in the Gr.1 SA Nursery at Turffontein.

Exported to Dubai, the colt stretched his perfect record to seven from seven, with impressive scores in the Gr.2 Godolphin Mile, Gr.3 UAE 2000 Guineas and Guineas Trial.

Soft Falling Rain finally relinquished his unbeaten record eight months later when runner-up in his English debut, the Gr.2 Hungerford Stakes, only to bounce back in what was for many his finest racetrack performance.

Contesting Newmarket’s Gr.2 Nayef Joel Stakes, the South African-bred displayed a devastating turn of foot to leave his rivals trailing, a spine-tingling performance which set him up perfectly for a crack at the Gr.1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes. Sadly, the colt failed to act in the bottomless going and was eased out of the race.

Soft Falling Rain ran just three times this year. Patently in need of the run when unplaced in his Dubai pipe-opener, the Gr.3 Mahab Al Shimal, he was a close-up second to Variety Club in the Gr.2 Godolphin Mile.

Unfortunately, the horse did not travel well and was sick upon arriving back in Britain. Having missed around ten crucial days of training, the interrupted preparation told in the Gr.1 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot, where he could finish no closer than sixth, four lengths behind Sussex Stakes hero Toronado. That proved to be the final racetrack appearance for Soft Falling Rain, and he bows out the winner of eight races from 13 starts.

De Kock had high praise for his former stable star: “Soft Falling Rain was a world class sprinter-miler and will bring a valuable pedigree, remarkable versatility and true international quality to our community of breeders.” He added, “Soft Falling Rain has been doing plenty of travelling which is not ideal for a horse of this calibre competing at the highest level. It takes its toll. This is the right time to have retired him. That Sheikh Hamdan has kept a share is most encouraging. He will support Soft Falling Rain with some of his top broodmares. Wilgerbosdrift, too, has a terrific broodmare band.”

A product of the Highlands paddocks, Soft Falling Rain is a member of the penultimate crop of Danzig’s excellent son National Assembly, whose stallion sons National Emblem and Announce, together with grandson Rebel King, have ensured his legacy as a sire of sires.

Cleverly named, Soft Falling Rain is out of the Giant’s Causeway mare Gardener’s Delight, while his grandam is by Triple Crown legend Seattle Slew.

Picture: Liesl King

The powerfully built grey filly is by the top USA sire Tapit out of a USA mare and was bred to southern hemisphere time by Highlands Farm Stud.

She had finished a strong finishing fifth and sixth respectively in both the Gr 1 Durban Golden Horseshoe and the Gr 1 Thekwini at the end of last season, so came into yesterday’s race, a Novice Plate over 1600m for fillies and mare, with a merit rating of 101.
She started at odds of 8/10 and was slow away for the third time in succession.

She then raced wide around the final turn, but that proved to be of no consequence as she powered clear to beat a promising sort in Cousin Annie by 7,5 lengths.
Another horse to take out of the day is Go West McGraw, who was caught wide throughout in a 2000m handicap, but still only just failed in an exciting three-way finish that was won by the Jet Master gelding Roy’s Jet under Stuart Randolph.

Another progeny of reigning champion sire Jet Master, the Dennis Drier-trained filly Gathering Fame, won a maiden over 1600m with ease under Sean Cormack and should have more wins in her.

The Charles Laird-trained Bold Inspiration later proved that gelding has brought the best out of him when winning the highest rated race on the day, a MR 93 Handicap over 2000m, by a comfortable 2,75 lengths under Kevin Shea.

The Horse Chestnut gelding has now won four races in six starts and could take in a feature race soon.

Shea formed a lethal partnership with Dean Kannemeyer at this time last year and the pair are repeating the dose. They had a another winner together yesterday with the Argentinian-bred Equal Stripes colt Boyes Drive, a three-year-old who won a maiden over 1400m at the second time of asking.

Meanwhile at Deauville in France the sensational miler Kingman cruised to his fourth Gr 1 in succession in the Prix Jacques. The John Gosden-trained three-year-old colt by Invincible Spirit runs in the same Khalid Abdullah-owned colours that Frankel sported and was ridden by regular pilot James Doyle.

Picture: Nkosi Hlophe

The colt, named Bombardino, was sent up by Varsfontein and is a half-brother to the Vaughan Marshall-trained MLjet who was unlucky when dead-heating for third in last month’s Premiers Champion Stakes.

Malherbe said: “He is a lovely colt, a half-brother to a very good horse and by a terrific sire. He was bought for a long-standing client and will be trained by Dean Kannemeyer.”

The previous record for this sale – R1 050 000 – had stood for nine years. The R33.5 million aggregate was also a record but the R84 810 average was 15% down, partly because of the much larger catalogue.

The next TBA sale is the Ready To Run at the end of October with the associated Emperors Palace Ready To Run Cup set to break all previous South African stakes records. According to Summerhill, which has dominated this sale since its inception in 1988, the race will be worth R3.85 million, making it the richest race ever run on the African continent.

An understandably enthusiastic Mick Goss said: “It will take a tad over 80 seconds for a field of this class to complete the 1 400m journey, which means they will be running for the best part of R50 000 a second, every stride of the journey.”

The former pair are two of Drakenstein Stud’s most prized recent purchases and look to be the perfect match.

Beach Beauty, known sometimes as the Pocket Rocket, was evergreen and won three Gr 1s last season as a six-year-old to increase her career tally to five.
Her suitor, who is by Danehill and is now ten-years-old, earned worldwide fame as a four-year-old in 2008 when winning five Gr 1s on the trot in France, Ireland and England.

These included the prestigious Prince Of Wales Stakes over ten furlongs and the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes over twelve furlongs, both at Ascot, as well as the Juddmonte International Stakes over ten furlongs which was run at Newmarket that year.

One of his wins was on firm ground and two on good to firm, so he should be ideal for South Africa’s general fast conditions.
Furthermore, the progeny of Danehill’s offspring, bought mainly from Australia, have done very well in South Africa. This year for example two daughters of his son Rock Of Gibraltar, Alboran Sea and Rich Girl, finished first and second in the Gr 1 Allan Robertson Championship and less than an hour later Guiness, who is by Rock of Gibraltar’s son Seventh Rock, won the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Medallion.

Beach Beauty is by the top local sire Dynasty, who received the “Outstanding Stallion” prize at the recent Equus Awards, having also produced the Horse Of The Year, Legislate, as well as Gr 1 winner Futura. His progeny won seven Gr 1s between them this season.

John Bescoby, a member of the Shanks syndicate that raced Beach Beauty, paid tribute to the great mare recently, saying, “What I will remember most about her is that whenever she lost, she never lost by far and she also must be the only horse in history to have defended her crowns in all of the Gr 1 Paddock Stakes, the Gr 2 Drill Hall Stakes and Gr 1 Garden Province Stakes. She just never let her supporters down and whenever she had “meeting banker” status she delivered.”

Drier said that the build up to her last event, the Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes on Vodacom Durban July day this year, had been nerve-wracking and will always be the race he most remembers. He revealed, “I was told that Hammie’s Hooker was unbeatable.” Drier had obviously wanted her to go out on a high note and victory had also been particularly important because the decision had been made by the connections to avoid the July. Furthermore, whether it was due to Drier’s nervousness being mis-interpreted or just one of those inexplicable racing phenomenons, a rumour had spread like wildfire on the Friday before the race that not all was well with Beach Beauty.

Drier recalled, “Gill (his wife) and I were both at the Sales and within a few minutes of each other we received phonecalls enquiring whether Beach had a problem. The rumours were completely false. She had never been better, but it added to the pressure, especially when she began drifting in the betting and Hammie’s Hooker began shortening.” She proved the rumours wrong by putting in one of the performances of her career, finding another gear to repel Hammie’s Hooker’s threatening challenge and jockey Sean Cormack could afford to wave to the crow before the line.

She won by 0,75 lengths with two Guineas winners beaten 5,75 and 8 lengths respectively. Drier’s post-race words in her final season usually included the phrase, “She was just too good”, because by the end of her career there were no more superlatives left to describe her. She had a perfect racing temperament, as gentle as a lamb in her stable, but one that always relished her work and her races. She was bred by the late Trevor Armitage and his practice of letting them loose on the farm no doubt contributed to her always being tough and as sound as a bell. However, she will most be remembered for her early speed, her devastating turn of foot and her ability to fine another gear when challenged.

Another phenomenon has been occurring at Drakenstein in the paddocks as Schiffer has for some reason become fiercely protective of the tiny Beach Beauty. They never stabled together at Drier’s Summerveld yard, but Drakenstein’s stud manager Ross Fuller put them in a paddock together when they arrived at the farm. When they were later moved into a more populated paddock, Schiffer would chase any other mare that came close to Beach Beauty off before returning to her side.”

Schiffer, who has just turned five, is by another outstanding stallion in Var and was retired for the reason that Drier said he felt he would not be able to keep her sound for yet another season. She was at one stage thought to be the successor to her great stablemate and paternal half-sister Val De Ra, but chipped a knee as an early three-year-old, which put her out for nearly a year. She ended up being a five-time winner from just ten starts and achieved deserved bold black type in her last race when winning a Listed event over 1000m at Greyville on Gold Cup day.