Horse of the Year – Variety Club’s connections: breeder Anton Shepherd, owner Markus Jooste, trainer Joey Ramsden
In another first for sensational Avontuur stallion Var, the brilliant miler Variety Club was named the 2012 Horse of the Year at the Equus Awards banquet held at Emperors Palace in Johannesburg on Wednesday evening.
Trained by Cape Champion trainer Joey Ramsden, the all-conquering 3yo colt of last season scooped all before at the awards as he did on the track, and was also named Champion 3yo Colt as well as Champion Middle Distance horse. Variety Club won six Group races, including two Gr1’s and recorded seconds in the Gr1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate and the Gr1 Investec Cape Derby. There can be few arguments over the merit of the award.
While Mike De Kock was crowned Champion Trainer and the brilliant Dubai-bound Igugu scooped the Older Female award, the equine acknowledgements were largely dominated by his Western Cape- based counterparts with Glen Kotzen, Dean Kannemeyer, Vaughan Marshall and Mike Bass training the rest of the winners.
Even on such proud and auspicious occasions, the wheels of media relations grind very slowly in this industry and we still await the officially published full set of award winners from the organisers. The equine category winners, with Owner(O), Breeder (B) and Trainer(T) are:
The category winners are:
Champion 2YO colt
Soft Falling Rain:
O: Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum; B: Highlands; T: Mike de Kock
Champion 2YO Filly
All is Secret:
O: M J Jooste, G M Miller; B: BBP Syndicate; T: V H Marshall
Champion 3YO colt
Variety Club:
O: MJ and I Jooste; B: Beaumont Stud; T: Joey Ramsden
Champion 3YO Filly
Princess Victoria:
O: Mr P G de Beyer, Mrs G A Jaffee, Ms MH, RC and LH Jaffee, Dr W A and Mrs N Jacobs; B: Maine Chance; T: G Kotzen
Champion older male
What a Winter:
O: M W Bass, Bryn Ressell, G N Shirtliff and N M Shirtliff; B: Daytona Stud; T: M W Bass
Champion Older filly/ mare
Igugu:
O: Mr and Mrs A Macdonald, Sheik Mohammed Bin Khalifa al Maktoum; B: bred in Australia; T: M F de Kock
Champion sprinter
What a Winter:
O: M W Bass, Bryn Ressell, G N Shirtliff & N M Shirtliff; B: Daytona Stud; T: M W Bass
Champion middle distance
Variety Club:
O: MJ and Mrs I Jooste; B: Beaumont Stud; T: J Ramsden
Champion stayer
In Writing:
O: Fieldspring Racing (J Newsome); B: bred in Argentina; T: D Kannemeyer
Horse of the year
Variety Club:
O: MJ and I Jooste; B: Beaumont Stud; T: Joey Ramsden
Special Achievement Award – Diane de Kock
Champion Stallion – Jet Master
Champion Broodmare – Golden Apple
Champion Breeder – Summerhill Stud
Breeder Award – Exceptional International Achievement – Maine Chance
Breeder of the year Award – Maine Chance
Workrider Award – Abram Makhobo
Media Awards – Print – David Thiselton
Television – Andrew Bon
Apprentice of the Year – Nooresh Juglall
Champion Jockey – Anton Marcus
Champion Trainer – Michael de Kock
Owners of the Year – Ingrid and Markus Jooste
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