Rainbow Bridge named SA’s Horse of the Year

Seven-year-old Rainbow Bridge has been named the 2021 Equus Horse of the Year.

Trained in Cape Town by Eric Sands and owned by Mike and Norma Rattray, Rainbow Bridge won two Grade 1 contests at six in the recently concluded South African racing season, the Cape Town Met at Kenilworth and the Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge at Greyville, and a Grade 2, the Drill Hall Stakes at Greyville.

Vodacom Durban July champion Kommetdieding was runner-up – even though the judging panel did not consider him good enough for any of the individual Equus categories.

Also losing out on the big prize was Triple Tiara hero War Of Athena, a runaway favourite for the title in a poll conducted by Sporting Post newspaper. Another horse in the judges’ reckoning was Jet Dark, winner of the L’Ormarins Queens Plate and the Champions Cup.

War Of Athena was named Champion Three-Year-Old Filly, while Jet Dark got two Equus statuettes for his owner, as Champion Two-Year-Old Male and Champion Miler.

Rainbow Bridge took the Champion Older Male and Champion Middle-Distance titles. Last year’s Horse of the Year, Summer Pudding, won Champion Older Filly/Mare for her two Grade 1 wins during the season.

The Equus judges were administrator Graeme Hawkins, commentator Alistair Cohen, journalists Andrew Harrison and Jack Milner and TV presenter Stan Elley.

Many categories, such as Champion Trainer and Jockey – Justin Snaith and Lyle Hewitson, respectively – were already known, having been decided by statistics at the end of the season.

The awards ceremony was held “virtually” and live on the Tellytrack DStv channel on Tuesday evening, with presenters Jessica Motaung and Neil Andrews conducting proceeding in a television studio.

Among the breeding awards, the Outstanding Breeder honour went to Oldlands Stud and an International Achievement recognition to Varsfontein Stud for the win of Yulong Prince in Australia’s Grade 1 Cantala Stakes.

Another highlight on the night was a Special Achievement Award to Hawkins for his long career in racing – as a commentator, journalist, auctioneer and administrator.

Media awards were reintroduced after a few years absence, with the honours going to Candiese Lenferna (photography), Tawanda Taruvinga (broadcast) and David Thiselton (print).

The full Equus honour roll

EQUINE

Champion 2yo Colt

• Good Traveller

Champion 2yo Filly

• Rain In Holland

Champion 3yo Colt

• Jet Dark

 Champion 3yo Filly

• War Of Athena

Champion Older Male

• Rainbow Bridge

Champion Older Filly/Mare

• Summer Pudding

Champion Sprinter

• Rio Querari

Champion Miler

• Jet Dark

Champion Middle Distance (1800m-2200m)

• Rainbow Bridge

Champion Stayer (2400m upwards)

• Nebraas

BREEDING

Champion Broodmare

• Halfway To Heaven

Champion Stallion

• Gimmethegreenlight

 Champion Breeder

• Klawervlei Stud

Outstanding Breeder

• Oldlands Stud

 International Achievement

• Varsfontein Stud (for Yulong Prince winning Gr1 Cantala Stakes in Australia)

MEDIA

Broadcast

• Tawanda Taruvinga       

Still Photography

• Candiese Lenferna

Print

• David Thiselton

HUMAN 

Champion Apprentice

• Kyle Strydom

Champion Jockey

• Lyle Hewitson

Champion Trainer

• Justin Snaith

Champion Owner

• Suzette Viljoen

Special Achievement Award

• Graeme Hawkins

HORSE OF THE YEAR

• Rainbow Bridge

Special Award to Groom of Horse of the year

• Dumasani Bonani