Princess Calla takes the Equus crown

An alien visitor to the Equus Awards in Joburg on Wednesday evening might have thought South African racing was a one-man band, with Gaynor Rupert and her Drakenstein Stud in the Western Cape banging the drum.

That’s not the full truth of course, though they did make a lot of noise at the annual awards – except when it came to the climax of the evening, the announcement of Horse of the Year.

That was the remarkable mare Princess Calla, who was bred at Maine Chance Farms, is owned by Mario Ferreira and is trained on the Highveld by Sean Tarry.

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Princess Calla’s commendation read: “[By Flower Alley out of Princess Royal, she] travelled the length and breadth of the country in the 2022/23 season, achieving six wins from eight starts.

“During the Cape Summer Season, she won the Gr2 wsb.co.za Southern Cross Stakes and Gr2 Cartier Sceptre Stakes; her Highveld campaign comprised wins in the Gr3 Senor Santa Stakes and Gr1 SA Fillies Sprint brought to you by The Witness; and in Durban, she was victorious in the Gr1 Ridgemont Garden Province Stakes and closed her 5yo campaign with victory at WFA in open company in the Gr1 HKJC Champions Cup.

“She now has a total of 11 wins from 23 starts to date, has won from 1000- 1800m and has accumulated stakes earnings of R2,826,875.

“She is the second Maine Chance Farms Horse Of The Year after Free My Heart in 2001/02.”

Although some pundits were backing wonder three-year-old Charles Dickens for the top award, Princess Calla headed the new Equus points table and clearly got support from the public vote and within the judging panel. And, really, it’s hard to argue with six elite race wins and a smashing victory in open company in the Champions Cup.

Raking in accolades

Rupert exclaimed at some point in the winter season that she was having “the season from heaven!” and that was emphatically underlined by the Equus choices.

Her Drakenstein Stud took the Champion Breeder and Outstanding Breeder statuettes – two awards that are almost never doubled up – while the farm’s Demanding Lady was Champion Broodmare.

Drakenstein (with Rupert as nominee) was Champion Owner. Among the category winners, all of Charles Dickens (twice), Trip Of Fortune, Winchester Mansion and Future Pearl were bred at Drakenstein.

The first three of those horses, plus multiple nominee Jet Dark, were fathered by Rupert’s grand old man Trippi, who carried off the Outstanding Stallion gong. In all, he sired nine stakes winners of 18 stakes races in the season.

It’s unlikely that any breeder or owner has dominated the Equus bash to the extent Drakenstein did in 2022/23.

2022/23 Equus Awards

Horse of the Year

Princess Calla

Special award (groom)

Mzwandile Julias Siqila

Two-year-old Male (Distance Immaterial)

Sandringham Summit

Two-year-old Female (Distance Immaterial)

Mrs Geriatrix

Three-year-old Male (Distance Immaterial)

Charles Dickens

Three-year-old Female (Distance Immaterial)

Bless My Stars

Older Male (Distance Immaterial)

Trip Of Fortune

Older Female (Distance Immaterial)

Princess Calla

Sprinter (1000-1200 Metres, Age/gender Immaterial)

Isivunguvungu

Miler (1400-1600 Metres, Age/gender Immaterial)

Charles Dickens

Middle Distance Horse (1800-2200 Metres, Age/gender Immaterial)

Winchester Mansion

Stayer (2400 Metres upwards, Age/gender Immaterial)

Future Pearl

Human Categories

Apprentice: Rachel Venniker

Jockey: Keagan de Melo

Trainer: Justin Snaith

Owner: Drakenstein Stud (Nom: Mrs G A Rupert)

Breeder Awards

Broodmare: Demanding Lady

Stallion: Gimmethegreenlight

Breeder: Drakenstein Stud (Nom: Mrs G A Rupert)

Stallion: Trippi

Breeder: Drakenstein Stud (Nom: Mrs G A Rupert)

Media Awards

Print: Gary Lemke – Expectations, Reality and Greatness

Broadcast: Rouvaun Smit – L’Ormarins King’s Plate Race Day

Still Photography – Chase Liebenberg – Great Expectations