Khumalo races to fame
2015/2016 Equus Awards for efforts of trainers, owners, horses and jockeys.
RACING to fame and once again snapping up the coveted Jockey of the Year award is S’manga Khumalo.
The annual prestigious Equus awards were held on Tuesday, August 16, at Emperors Palace, when the national awards for horseracing took place.
Khumalo, who is based at Turffontein Racecourse, raked in his second Jockey of the Year award after he successfully gathered enough points over the past season to be named as the best jockey in South Africa for 2015/2016. He won the first award in 2014
Champion Older Male Legal Eagle and Champion Older Filly Smart Call were two of the stars during the season.
Smart Call, who won this year’s J&B Met, also won the award for Champion Middle Distance Horse for the past 2015/2016 Season.
Legal Eagle, winner of one of the country’s richest horse races, the Premier’s Champions Challenge in April, was also recognised for the best overall performance over 1 400 -1 600m. Owners Mrs I and Mr M J Jooste and trainer Sean Tarry was awarded Legal Eagle’s Equus Award for South African Horse of the Year. They were also named as Owner of the Year. Tarry wins this award for the second season in a row with the Jooste’s achieving this accolade for an extraordinary ninth consecutive year.
The Award for Apprentice of the Year went to 19-year-old Callan Murray who joined the South African Jockey Academy at Summerveld four years ago and has achieved so much in his relatively short career – an incredible talent with a bright future.
Summerhill Stud and Lammerskraal Stud walked away with Champion Breeder and Outstanding Breeder respectively.
