Highveld feature races get a boost
World Sports Betting (WSB), who support feature races around the country, has agreed to sponsor this year’s SA Triple Crown, a series of races long billed as South Africa’s ultimate test for three-year-olds.
Phumelela is delighted to announce that the total prize money for the 37 feature races, which comprise the 2021 Highveld Summer-Autumn Feature Season, has been increased by 43 per cent.
The season kicks off with the first legs of the World Sports Betting SA Triple Crown and the Wilgerbosdrift SA Triple Tiara on February 6 and continues until May 1 when Champions Day will bring down the curtain on three months of quality racing at Turffontein Racecourse.
Racehorse breeder, owner and horseracing benefactor Mary Slack will this season again sponsor the SA Triple Tiara under the banner of her Wilgerbosdrift Stud in Piketberg on the west coast in the Western Cape.
Wilgerbosdrift has sponsored the SA Triple Tiara since 2015. The series is a mirror image of the SA Triple Crown, except it is restricted to three-year-old fillies.
The full Wilgerbosdrift sponsorship has been set aside to boost the prize money of the series, which is the richest for three-year-old fillies in Africa and comprises three legs over distances ranging from 1 600m to 2 450m.
Phumelela Horseracing executive Patrick Davis said, “On behalf of Phumelela and the entire horseracing industry I would like to express my sincere thanks to Mary Slack and her Wilgerbosdrift Stud for sponsoring the Triple Tiara for the seventh year in a row. This in turn has enabled Phumelela to increase the prize money of the three races at Turffontein, which is a welcome boost for owners, trainers, jockeys and grooms in these trying times.”
As with the Triple Crown, there are alternate first legs, the World Sports Betting Cape Fillies Guineas over 1 600m at Kenilworth in Cape Town and the Gauteng Fillies Guineas over 1 600m at Turffontein. The Cape leg of the current series was run in December and was won by Captain’s Ransom.
The second leg is the Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic over 1 800m with the Wilgerbosdrift SA Oaks over 2 450m completing the series.
There’s a R1-million bonus for winning all three legs, which has been accomplished by three fillies to date. Igugu was the first to succeed in 2011 followed by Cherry On The Top in 2013 and Summer Pudding last year.
Interestingly, Summer Pudding’s dam, Cherry On The Cake, is a half-sister of Cherry On The Top.
Full details of the three Johannesburg legs of the 2021 Wilgerbosdrift SA Triple Tiara are:
Leg 1: R300 000 Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas (Grade 2) 1 600m Turffontein: February 6.
Leg 2: R700 000 Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic (Grade 1) 1 800m Turffontein: March 6.
Leg 3: R375 000 Wilgerbosdrift SA Oaks (Grade 2) 2 450m Turffontein: April 3.
Sponsorship boosts prize money
World Sports Betting (WSB), who support feature races around the country, has agreed to sponsor this year’s SA Triple Crown, a series of races long billed as South Africa’s ultimate test for three-year-olds.
The full sponsorship amount paid by WSB has been utilised to boost the prize money of the series, which is the richest in Africa and comprises three legs over distances ranging from 1 600m to 2 450m in the space of two months.
“World Sports Betting stepped up to the plate at short notice to sponsor the Gauteng Summer Cup last November and on behalf of Phumelela and horseracing, I would like to express my gratitude to them for doing so again with the SA Triple Crown,” said Phumelela horseracing executive Patrick Davis.
“The money generated by their sponsorship has been used to increase the stakes of the three Johannesburg Triple Crown races,” he said.
Ryno du Plessis of World Sports Betting said, “We are delighted for WSB to be associated with the SA Triple Crown for the first time. Sponsoring a series that comprises a Grade 2 and two Grade 1 races has further enhanced the stable of major races that WSB has backed. We are also pleased to be supporting all stakeholders in the sport during these challenging times by having our entire sponsorship utilised by Phumelela to bolster the stakes of the three races.”
There’s a R2-million bonus awaiting the horse who has the speed, stamina and courage to triumph in all three legs.
Three horses have won the Triple Crown. The mighty Horse Chestnut, who many rank the best horse in South African racing history, won the inaugural event in 1999. Louis The King banked the bonus in 2014 and Abashiri repeated the feat in 2016.
