Unbeaten Majmu crowned champion 2yo filly
The Equus Awards are particularly important as they have a marked effect on the stud book and after this year’s controversial edition a review of the panel that decides the country’s champions might be required.
The announcement that had virtually all and sundry bewildered was of the champion two-year-old filly award, which went to the facile Gr 2 SA Fillies Nursery winner Majmu.
Nobody would doubt that Majmu could well be the best of her crop as she has oozed class in her unbeaten three race career and has also been awarded the highest ever rating of 114 for a two-year-old filly in South Africa.
It should also be remembered that when a virus put her out for the rest of the season there was widespread disappointment among the racing public.
However, champion awards have always been about performance at the highest level, namely Gr 1s, and she is yet to run in one.
The Summerhill blog before the awards rated the two-year-old colt’s category, eventually won by the Paul Lafferty-trained Harry’s Son, as a difficult one to decide, before adding, “The fillies have a similar problem with the nominees including Alboran Sea, Bilateral, Carry On Alice and Same Jurisdiction.” Not even a mention for Majmu, which highlights the importance of Gr 1 performance.
Carry On Alice became the first filly since the great Empress Club to win the Gr 1 SA Nursery and interestingly recorded a faster time that day than Majmu did for the fillies version. The latter did it easily, but Carry On Alice was not being hard pressed at the line either. Carry On Alice went on to finish second, against the boys again, in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Medallion and, after having no luck from a wide draw in the Gr 1 Zulu Kingdom Golden Slipper, she made amends by being beaten a hair’s breadth by Same Jurisdiction in the Gr 1 Thekwini over 1600m, again from a wide draw.
Gr 1 winners Alboran Sea and Bilateral also had a respective Gr 1 second and third to their names and were both 1-1 in meetings with Carry On Alice.
KZN Yearling Sale Million winner Same Jurisdiction wins the Gr1 Thekwini in a nailbiting finish
However, the winner was widely expected to come from either Carry On Alice or Same Jurisdiction. The former ousted the latter in the Cape Breeder’s Awards, but Same Jurisdiction’s supporters were hopeful of a reverse, as she had come out on top in their only meeting on the racecourse. The connections of both Carry On Alice and Same Jurisdiction were at the awards and had been on tenterhooks for days, while on the night even the neutrals were holding their respective breaths in anticipation, as this category had been by far the most debated one beforehand.
“… and the winner is … Majmu.”
It was not surprising that this announcement was greeted by virtual silence and it had absolutely nothing to do with the winning connections, because Mike de Kock is without doubt the most respected trainer in the country, and he and his team are generally very popular among their peers.
The panelists that voted for Majmu likely did it on the grounds of the impression she had created and also that she had given 3kg and a 4,75 length beating to Carry On Alice when the latter was making her debut.
The panel for the last four years has been made up of two commentators, two handicappers, two racing executives and two publishing managers and there is one other official in place to decide in the case of a dead-heat. There is one bloodstock agent among them and several that own horses, but they would no doubt follow the worldwide practice of recusing themselves from the vote in the case of a conflict of interest.
However, it is questionable whether handicappers should be allowed on an Equus panel for their view will likely be dictated to by the merit rating assessments they have made. After all, if Roger Federer had never played in a major he would still have started favourite for the other tournaments, but would never have won a player of the year award.
Capetown Noir’ after his Queen’s Plate victory – deserving of Champion Miler?
A glaring inconsistency was that if Majmu’s form against Carry On Alice was regarded as the telling blow, then how did Capetown Noir get the Champion Miler award having met Beach Beauty three times, from 1400m to a mile, and being beaten every time. That is not to say Capetown Noir didn’t deserve it as he won the most prestigious mile event, the L’Ormarin’s Queen’s Plate, in commanding fashion.
Furthermore, would Harry Lime have been given the two-year-old colts awards had he not taken part in his last two races, for he was at one stage unbeaten in three starts and had given Harry’s Son a 5,25 length beating in a Gr 2. However, it would be expected that in order to be considered for champion two-year-old colt Harry Lime would need to run in Gr 1s and in doing so Harry’s Son emphatically reversed the form.
Finally, the Champion Stayers award, which went to Gr 2 winner Hot Ticket, cannot be compared to the two-year-old fillies award because the country’s top staying event, the eLan Property Group Gold Cup, is a handicap and Hot Ticket’s placed run in that race under topweight as well as his general performance throughout the season fully justified the decision.
The two-year-old fillies award will be particularly difficult to explain in the unlikely event that Majmu never runs again as she will have “Equus Champion” next to her name in the stud book with no more than a Gr 2 on her CV.
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