Multiple champion jockey Piere Strydom, who rode a recordbreaking 5000th winner earlier in the season, was deservedly acknowledged with a special achievement award for his incredible feats in the saddle
Sarah Whitelaw reviews the year’s big race results and the likely candidates for the 2015 Equus Awards
Ice Machine ran a cracker in the July when looking dangerous and only fading late. Over 400m shorter, and with Anton Marcus back in the irons, is it stretching the imagination that he could lower the powerful Snaith colours in Saturday’s R1 million Gr1 Champions Cup?
“The race was a bit harder than we expected. I thought we might be able to overcome the draw but he was caught five wide on the turn and then eventually had to go and lead the race. Obviously I never thought I would have Legislate leading the fastest horses in the country…”
“The ratings of horses in this country are so elevated it’s frightening. The handicappers seem to think we produce champion after champion every year,” says our champion trainer
In the past 12 months owner Jack Mitchell has won the July, the Queen’s Plate and the Met. Next Saturday Futura lines up in his familiar black and white silks as topweight in the Vodacom Durban July
The two most important elements that influence the outcome of a race are weight and pace. Of course, other things matter – like going, tactics, draw, jockeyship – but the first two usually outweigh the rest. I could be wrong about Futura – it wouldn’t be the first time I brassed a July winner assuming he wouldn’t stay…
“I do however feel the handicapper has done everything he can to stop Futura from winning this race – as the saying goes – weight stops trains.” – Justin Snaith
Snaith, who won this race in 2008 with Dancer’s Daughter, masked the obvious underlying tension recently, telling the racing media that the Gold Challenge was set to be one of the ‘biggest races we have seen in a long time’
“Come on Justin – they can’t both be champions!” says SA horseracing’s very own Larry King, James Goodman, as he interrogates the South African champion trainer in the countdown to Saturday
Futura and Legislate will meet for the first time since the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate in the Rising Sun Gold Challenge at Greyville
Any ideas for likely riders? Have your say
