KZN’s chief flag bearers in the 2014/2015 season were once again the respectively powerful yards of Dennis Drier and Duncan Howells and it was the former who recaptured the title of KZN Champion Trainer. Gavin van Zyl finished in the top ten on the National log for the fifth season in succession, Charles Laird had won of the highest strike rates in the country and it was a roller coaster season in more ways than one for Paul Lafferty. Mike de Kock is officially a KZN trainer, although he is generally regarded as an international trainer, and he finished second on the national log.

Drier can look back on a particularly memorable Champions Season in which he won five Gr 1s. Historians are always hard pressed to accurately present previous racing records in this country as the archives are poorly kept, but it would appear that the great Terrance Millard won six Gr 1s during the Durban Winter season (now known as Champions Season) of 1990 (Illustrador won the SA Guineas, the Durban July and the Gold Cup, Jungle Warrior won the Schweppes Challenge and the Champions Stakes and Olympic Duel won the SA Fillies Guineas).

Drier’s five Champions Season Gr 1 victories were achieved through Captain Of All (Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint and Gr 1 Mercury Sprint), Seventh Plain (Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion and Gr 1 Durban Golden Horseshoe) and Chestnuts N Pearls (Gr 1 Zulu Kingdom Golden Slipper). The Scottsville Sprint meeting was the first time Drier had landed two Gr 1s on the same day and then he did it again on Vodacom Durban July day. Drier’s Cape Summer Of Champions Season was plagued by the travel sickness many of his string picked up on the way down and having won Gr 1 races down there for the previous three seasons he came home empty handed in that regard this year.

However, Captain Of All was reckoned by all and sundry to have won the Gr 1 Cape Flying Championship until the photo finish showed otherwise. Drier still had a successful time in Cape Town, winning a Gr 2 and two Listed events, while his Var colt Generalissimo broke the Kenilworth 1200m course record in a Graduation Plate over 1200m. In KZN, on top of the five Gr 1s, he also won a Gr 3 and three Non-Black Type features and at the postponed Super Saturday meeting, which officially fell in this season, he won a Listed race. Drier finished sixth on the National log with stakes earnings of R8,946,512 and was crowned KZN Champion trainer with 74 winners in his home province.

Howell’s chief horse in the season was the brilliant three-year-old filly Same Jurisdiction. She had a luckless Johannesburg campaign, but still claimed a Gr 1 runner up position in the Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic. In KZN she won the Gr 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes and the Gr 3 Flamboyant Stakes and she was a fast finishing second in the Gr 2 Tibouchina. Howells also won the Gr 1 Thekwini Stakes on Super Saturday with the filly Lauderdale and had earlier won the Gr 2 The Debutante with the exciting unbeaten filly Cosmic Light.

The yard also won three Listed races and two Non-Black Type events and one of the winners of the latter, Saratoga Dancer, is another horse to follow this season. Howells finished twelfth on the national log with earnings of R6,862,038, but lost his KZN Champion trainer title partly due to his string not initially taking well to polytrack racing. However, he still finished second on the KZN log with 61 winners.

Van Zyl operated out of Summerveld and Turffontein and had Gr 2 wins with No Worries (Jo’Burg Spring Challenge) and Heart Of A Lion (SABC Gold Vase). He also won two Gr 3s and a Non-Black Type event. He finished eighth on the National log with earnings of R8,009,800 and fourth on the KZN log with 44 winners.

Charles Laird won the hitherto richest race in South African history, the R3,85 million Emperor’s Palace Ready To Run Cup over 1400m on the tough Turffontein Standside track with Rich Girl and this was a fine training feat for a filly who appears to be better at sprints. This was a restricted race so didn’t count towards the national log statistics. Laird also worked wonders with the talented but problematic Ice Machine, who joined his yard as a six-year-old at the beginning of the season.

The classy Silvano gelding won the Gr 2 IOS Drill Hall Stakes in emphatic fashion and then ran a great race in the July over a trip too far before being touched off in the Gr 1 Champions Cup over 1800m by Equus Horse Of The Year Futura. The yard also won two Listed events and a Non-Black Type feature and finished 17^th on the national log with earnings of R6,022,850 achieved at a strike rate of 15%. The yard finished joint fourth on the KZN log.

Lafferty’s top class three-year-old colt Harry’s Son was one of the most travelled horses of the season and he won the Gr 3 Graham Beck Stakes over 1400m as well as the Gr 2 Gauteng Guineas at Turffontein and also finished second in both the Gr 1 Grand Parade Cape Guineas and Gr 2 Investec Dingaans and fifth in the Gr 1 SA Classic. Lafferty was at the centre of one of the most heartwarming stories of the season as the industry rallied around him and raised funds for treatment after being diagnosed with lymphoma. Lafferty also won both a Listed and a Non-Black Type event with “the miracle horse” Double Clutch.

De Kock was second on the national log with earnings of R19,616,262 and third on the KZN log with 50 winners. His highlights were wins in both the Gr 1 Cape Flying Championships and Gr 1 Computaform Sprint with the brilliant filly Alboran Sea, victory in both the Gr 1 Avontuur Estate Cape Fillies Guineas and the Gr 1 Laurie Jaffee Empress Club Stakes with his champion filly Majmu, Ertijaal’s win in the Gr 1 Investec Cape Derby, Entisaar’s wins in both the Gr 2 SA Fillies Nursery and the Gr 1 Allan Robertson, Pine Princess’s win in the Gr 1 Wilgerbosdrift SA Oaks and he also won the Gr 1 eLan Property Group Gold Cup on Super Saturday with Wild One, which put him into the lead on the current season’s log.

Weiho Marwing officially became a KZN trainer this season and won the Gr 1 President’s Champions Challenge with Wylie Hall and he also won a GR 2, a GR 3, a Listed race and a Non-Black Type feature.

Mike Miller had a fine Champions Season considering his small string. His gelding Sheik’s Brashee won a Non-Black Type Sprint before finishing third in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint at odds of 33/1 and his colt King’s Night won the Gr 2 Umkhomazi Stakes.

Colin Scott won the Gr 3 Christmas Handicap with Fourth Estate and the yard also won a Non-Black Type event with the old soldier Stolen Destiny.

Dennis Bosch won the Non-Black Type KZN Yearling Sale Million with Cutting Edge.

Mark Dixon won a Non-Black Type event with his classy filly African Dream and she was later a mere 0,35 lengths behind the runner up when fifth in the Gr 1 Mercury Sprint.

Alyson Wright won a Listed event with Deputy Ryder.

There were Non-Black Type wins for all of Alistair Gordon, Paddy Lunn and Doug Campbell.

Kom Naidoo was sixth on the KZN log with 38 winners and 32^nd on the National log.

By David Thiselton

Futura received uproarious applause when deservedly named Equus Horse Of The Year for the 2014/2015 season at a glittering ceremony held in the Emperor’s Palace Convention Centre in Johannesburg last night.

The brilliant Dynasty colt was trained by Brett Crawford to win both the Gr 1 L’Ormarin’s Queen’s Plate and the Gr 1 J&B Met and by Justin Snaith to win the Gr 1 Champions Cup. He was owned in the first two events by Jack Mitchell, John Freeman and Ian Longmore. Longmore then sold his share to Drakenstein Stud, a happening which led to the horse changing yards.

Futura also won the Champion Older Male and Champion Middle Distance award. Last Friday evening he won the equivalent of these three titles at the Western Cape Racing Association Award ceremony held at the Lanzerac Hotel in Cape Town.

Three of the most eagerly awaited Equus Awards were that of Champion Sprinter, Champion Stayer and Champion Three-year-old Male and in the end all three required a vote by the tie-breaking panellist Larry Weinstein.  Captain Of All was crowned Champion Sprinter on the likely grounds that his 1200m wins in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint and Gr 1 Mercury Sprint were superior combined performances when compared to the Mike de Kock-trained Alboran Sea’s wins in the Gr 1 Cape Flying Championship and Gr 1 Computaform Sprint. Alboran Sea defeated Captain Of All in both of the latter events, there only clashes of the season, but Captain Of All was invincible over his preferred trip of 1200m and ended the season on a merit rating of 126, the joint second highest rating in South African history.

Alboran Sea had consolation in that she was named the Champion three-year-old filly of a vintage crop, which included the like of Majmu, Same Jurisdiction and Siren’s Call.

Champion Stayer was awarded to the De Kock-trained Gr 1 eLan Property Group Gold Cup winner Wild One at the expense of the Gr 1 SA Derby winner Legal Eagle. The Gold Cup winner is usually awarded this title due to the race being the country’s premier staying event and it also being a true test of stamina.

The Champion Three-year-old Male award went to dual Gr 1-winner French Navy at the expense of the luckless Legal Eagle, although Sean Tarry trained both of them so he was still full of smiles.

Tarry later received a huge ovation when officially accepting the award for National Champion Trainer, having finished second on three occasions in the past and in the top ten for the previous ten seasons.

Gavin Lerena was admired for his true grit in winning his first National Champion Jockey title and also received loud applause.

The Two-Year-Old Awards expectedly went to the Drier-trained colt Seventh Plain and the De Kock-trained filly Entisaar respectively.

The Champion Older filly/mare category was not strongly contested this year, as the contestants generally had to play second fiddle to the three-year-olds. However, the Mike Bass-trained mare Hammie’s Hooker, who won both a Gr 2 and a Gr 3 during the season, because in previous seasons she was the perennial bridesmaid to the brilliant Beach Beauty.

The Champion Miler award raised one or two eyebrows as Futura lost out to his current stablemate Legislate, but a close look at their performances vindicates the decision. Legislate broke the Kenilworth Old Course record when beating Futura in the Gr 2 Lanzerac Le general Green Point Stakes over 1600m and was then clearly not himself when defeated by Futura in the Gr 1 L’Ormarin’s Queen’s Plate. In KZN he exacted revenge when beating Futura in the Gr1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge.

2015 Equus Award winners:

CHAMPION 2YO COLT

Seventh Plain

CHAMPION 2YO FILLY

Entisaar (AUS)

CHAMPION 3YO COLT

French Navy

CHAMPION 3YO FILLY

Alboran Sea (AUS)

CHAMPION OLDER MALE

Futura

CHAMPION OLDER FILLY/MARE

Hammie’s Hooker

CHAMPION SPRINTER (1000-1200m)

Captain Of All

CHAMPION MILER (1400-1600m)

Legislate

CHAMPION MIDDLE DISTANCE HORSE (1800-2200m)

Futura

CHAMPION STAYER (2400m upwards)

Wild One

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Piere Strydom

CHAMPION STALLION

Captain Al

CHAMPION BROODMARE

Si Senorita

CHAMPION BREEDER

Klawervlei Stud

OUTSTANDING STALLION ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Dynasty

OUTSTANDING BREEDER AWARD

Highlands Farm Stud

MEDIA AWARDS

Print – Michael Clower

Television – Kevin Harris

APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR

Craig Zackey

CHAMPION JOCKEY

Gavin Lerena

CHAMPION TRAINER

Sean Tarry

OWNER OF THE YEAR

Mrs I & Mr M J Jooste

HORSE OF THE YEAR

Futura

By David Thiselton

The Vaal Inside turf track stages a nine race meeting tomorrow. It is usually the low draws that are favoured at this track and punters should also have a good look at the horses in the parade ring and the canter past which will give them an edge at a time of the year when there can be some good value dividends available.

In the first race over 1400m Tripadvisor is the form choice as her formlines are strong, she will appreciate the step up in trip and Piere Strydom is up from a favourable draw.  Frosty Friday is an interesting first-timer being by Western Winter out of a Noverre mare that won a Gr 3 over 1200m.Capricious could provide fair value for a place from a favourable draw having shown improvement last time out.

In the second over 1200m Strydom could notch up a quick double as he rides the promising Kwinta, who finished just over three lengths behind Siren’s Call in the Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas and was a facile winner over this course and distance last time out when wearing first time blinkers. She could well be running off a capped merit rating here as she was given the maximum eight point raise for that last win, so she could go in again. Poderosa won second time out over 1000m despite casting a shoe and looks a fair sort in the making, so she has to have a chance running off a 76 merit rating with a 1,5kg claimer aboard. Black Belverdere had some decent Cape form before being suspended for bleeding and she won well over 1400m last time out in her second run on the Highveld. She could be a threat from a favourable low draw as she prefers further so will be doing good work late. Lady Al is 4kg better off for a 4,5 length beating by Kwinta over course and distance. However, the bigger danger to the selections could be Shepard One, who appeared to run below par last time when well beaten by the first two mentioned.

In the third over 1400m Chapel Oak is a typically strong daughter of the exciting new sire Ideal World, whose progeny usually show notable improvement after their debuts and she has a 1,5kg claimer up. Picardi Pink comes from some strong formlines over shorter and should be thereabouts from a favourable low draw as long as she puts her below par run against a stronger field on Sunday at Turffontein behind her. Sweet Habanero has run two good races at long odds and the form of the last of them over 1400m at Turffontein has worked out well, but her high draw might make it tough. Bespoken has run a couple of decent races over 1200m and on a line through Well In Flight has Picardi Pink beaten, but on the other hand Well In Flight showed considerable improvement when beating Picardi Pink. Cash In Camilla is drawn on the right side but was disappointing over 1160m last time out and has something to prove.

The fourth is a weak maiden over 2400m. Bevelled Edge almost stole a 2600m race last time when slow away and then leading, so he should get every inch of this trip and could give Strydom another winner. Mr Balboa stayed on steadily over 1600m on debut in a weak field and gave the impression he would enjoy this trip. Chesa pulled hard early last time over 2000m but has shown signs of ability before and if settling could surprise. The Golden Boy has finished strongly in weak staying events before so could earn. Balli Miracle ran a fair race over 2000m last time and now has Fortune up.

In race five over 1700m Netflix looks an immature sort with plenty of ability so he will be improving all the time and he has a better draw than last time. Scare Tactics made late progress over 1600m on Turffontein Standside in his penultimate start and should appreciate a return to a galloping track, although he does have a wide draw to overcome. Striking Night was running on last time and finished just over a length behind Netflix. Elusive Seven has fair form and is drawn well but there is a question mark over the trip. Counting Silver was running on to be just over three lengths behind Netflix last time and could improve.

In the sixth over 1700m Counterstroke could follow up on his eyecatching maiden win as he looks to have scope and should relish the trip on pedigree. Kingkovsky won over 1600m in his penultmate and Strydom is now back aboard.  Cashmere Kid is having his third run after a rest over a suitable trip. Glitter Alley could shape if at his best. Amber Sail is another one to consider from a good draw.

In the seventh over 2000m Inala ran a fair race when stepped up to this trip last time and could be the one to side with here from pole position. Jezero has done well over further in two runs since winning his maiden over this course and distance. Rock The Country, having done well in Zimbabwe’s biggest handicap races, has to be considered alongside Coby and Leeuloop Jet who both have the ability to win this.

Pacific G makes most appeal in the eighth. He does tend to come from off them so hopefully can find a good position from a high draw before producing his usual strong finish. Nahoon Beach has come down to an attractive merit rating and could provide some good value here. The consistent Perfect Grace is drawn in pole and returns to the distance of his maiden win.

The speedy Woodrose looks the one to beat in the ninth over 1200m from a favourable draw with a 1,5kg claimer up. Varanese and Kings V make most appeal of the rest.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Piere Strydom

Justin Snaith, unhappy about losing out on a second trainers’ championship, is going all out to regain his crown this season and he underlined the point by taking four of the first five races at Kenilworth yesterday.

He said: “The Ready To Run races knocked the wind out of us last season but they won’t count this time and I am going to have a full go at the title.”

Alpha Pegasi, as expected, proved to be the easiest of the Snaith winners and the evens favourite came up the stands side under Greg Cheyne to lead 150m out in the itsarush.co.za Graduation Plate and score far more convincingly than the near two-length verdict would suggest.

Snaith said: “It’s very hard to find races for horses of his high rating (96) – even now he has only won three – but he will go for the Matchem when he could have a fitness advantage.”

He will need it because one of his opponents in the October 3 Kuda-sponsored Durbanville highlight will be Captain Chaos who could be one of the three-year-old stars this term.

Veteran trainer Ronnie Sheehan, on the mark with Mambo Fever and Rush For Roses, said: “He has been on holiday but he has had a couple of canters and he has improved.”

That’s not the only cloud on the Snaith horizon either and the ex-champion disclosed that one of his big concerns is that Cape Town could go the way of Durban and Port Elizabeth by installing a polytrack.

He said: “If that happens they would switch the races from the grass course when it rains to save the turf and for those horses that like the soft the winning days would be gone.”

It was the victory of Ovidio, the second for new stable jockey Bernard Fayd’Herbe, that brought these fears to the surface. The top weight may be Australian-bred – and therefore likely to want it fast – but he is by the Irish sire Danehill Dancer.

Snaith’s opening winner, the Grant van Niekerk-ridden Baritone, drifted from 7-2 to twice that price thanks in no small measure to all the money that poured on the Brett Crawford-trained Midnite Zone. Corne Orffer’s mount was backed at all prices from 12-1 down to 7-2 joint favourite yet he never looked like collecting and finished halfway down the field.

Crawford said: “We thought he would run better than that. At home he is a bit stronger than My Man Alex who finished fourth. He only started to come into it at the end so I think he now needs to go round the turn.”

Dynastic Power, winner of the Betting World 1900 and last year’s Winter Derby, is recuperating from a virus infection and is the only one of Stan Elley’s string that has not been allocated to a new trainer.

Elley said: “He has had a virus that is affecting his nerve endings and he is having a break on a farm. No decision has been taken about him.”

Mike Bass has taken over three of the now-retired trainer’s Philippi team including the useful My World. Dogmatism has gone to Alan Greeff in Port Elizabeth where Yvette Bremner has also been sent one. Vaughan Marshall has one and another is now under the care of Lucy Woodruff at Milnerton. Dennis Drier has three that have been campaigning in Durban including the July runner-up Punta Arenas.

By Michael Clower

Picture: Justin Snaith (Nkosi Hlophe)

Sean Tarry broke through for his first National Trainer’s Championships this past season having finished in the top ten for the previous ten seasons in succession and having been runner up on three occasions. In the process his yard set a new South African stakes earnings record of R25,924,250, which surpassed the mark of R22,191,845 set by Mike de Kock in the 2009/2010 season.

He said when asked what the title meant, “It was important to achieve the goal we set and worked hard for and it has left me with a sense of achievement.”

Champion Trainer status probably opens doors for overseas opportunity, but this is not on Tarry’s current list of priorities.

“International racing is very attractive and lucrative and there is talk of things getting easier for us but there is no evidence of it happening. Until the restrictions on movement are relaxed I think I will sit on the fence. Michael (De Kock) has been successful under very tough conditions that only look to be getting tougher.”

Tarry usually pays tribute to the loyal team behind him in his post-race interviews and also occasionally mentions he is not always easy on them. He did not go as far as saying he was a “hard task master” but said he was definitely not a “soft touch.” He added, “There is only one way and that’s the right way. Each time you drop the ball that’s an opportunity lost. It is always going to be a game where 90% is not good enough. There is a recipe and it has to be followed 100%.”

The base of Tarry’s team have been with him for a long time. Further evidence they are happy in their positions was seen one day this season at Summerveld in the week of The July, when the harmonious singing of the Tarry yard grooms riding a string back to the stables rose above the early morning mist.

Tarry lists his highlight of the season as being the entire Johannesburg Autumn Season, in which he enjoyed considerable success. March 28 was a particularly good day as Siren’s Call won the Gr 1 R1 million Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic, French Navy won the Gr 1 R2 million SA Classic, Amber Orchid won the Gr 3 Jacaranda Handicap and Carry On Alice won the Gr 3 Man ‘O War Sprint. Siren’s Call later failed by one stride to land the Triple Tiara. She lost a shoe and played up at the start that day in the Gr 1 Wilgerbosdrift SA Oaks and this could have cost her victory. However, her other wins, including victories in the R2,5 million CTS Book 2 Graduates Race over 1400m at Turffontein and the Gr 2 R500,000 Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas saw Tarry walking away with a R1 million bonus as trainer of the highest earning three-year-old from the 2013 Book 2 Sale.

Another highlight was the overall brilliance of his three-year-old string. Seven of them earned 50% of his entire season’s stakes.

Therefore he has much to look forward to this season with only one of them, the filly Tamaanee, having been retired to stud.

Asked on his lowlight he said, “We did Durban a little differently with a couple of my Gr 1 horses. I didn’t have the confidence to move the whole string like we used to at Clairwood and I don’t think we fired as well as we usually do, although we did still win two Gr 1s (French Navy won the Daily News 2000 and Carry On Alice won the City Of Pietermaritzburg Sprint).

Tarry added being unlucky in the July with a number of his horses hadn’t helped.

Tarry pointed out that historically the July was a race where 18 to 20 horses fanned out at the top of the straight and generally had fair chances from then on in. However, he said it should now be accepted that it was a different race and sincerely believed the size of the field should be reduced to 16 on a track which is narrower than it used to be.

He said, “The July is the race the whole Champions Season revolves around and it is going to lose some of its sparkle if we continue to have rough races with sad luck stories and objections.”

Tarry praised the proactive approach of Tony Rivalland in his position at Summerveld and said he might approach the Champions Season differently next season, although he was hoping one or two changes would still be made at the KZN training centre, where he also has a permanent satellite yard.

He said of the yard’s jockeys for this season, “Raymond (Danielson) and S’manga (Khumalo) have done well for the team and I hope the relationships continue, but we have a big string (about 180) and we might look at a couple of other jockeys to spread it around a bit.

Tarry recently submitted an affidavit in favour of Khumalo regarding the 60 day suspension the latter was given after being charged of being in contravention of Rule 62.2.1 in that “he failed to take all reasonable and permissible measures to ensure that SUPERTUBE (a first-timer) was given a full opportunity to win or obtain the best possible placing” in a race on November 5 2013. The case went on appeal but Tarry submitted the affidavit on the grounds that the belief in a first-timer (he was trainer of Supertube) was largely about “speculation”, whereas a few runs down the line form and jockeys comments give a much better idea of what the horse was all about.

Tarry is also looking forward to the stud career of Pomodoro, who became the second horse he has trained after Fort Beluga to have made it into the stallion ranks.

He believes the July-winning Pomodoro “ticks all the boxes” although he is mindful that only 5% of all stallions “make it.”

Tarry’s ability as a trainer is chiefly seen in the loyalty shown to him over many years by his chief owner Chris van Niekerk, because it is well known that top businessman like the latter are results driven.

Tarry looks to be in a strong position to add a few more championships to his CV in years to come, although it is never going to be easy in a country which boasts many top class trainers.

By David Thiselton