HSH Princess Charlene from Monaco graces racecourse

HER Serene Highness Princess Charlene of Monaco and a royal entourage from the Palais de Princier de Monaco recently received the kind of warm welcome that only the Southern Suburbs and Turffontein racecourse have to offer.

The Princess Charlene of Monaco Ladies Day at Turffontein hosted the R1-million Her Serene Highness Princess Charlene Empress Club Stakes at Turffontein on Saturday April 22.

Glamour was the order of the day as HSH Princess Charlene made her way to the Winners Circle via the track and was welcomed by children of Gugulesizwe Primary School, whereafter she was presented with flowers by the school’s head girl and head boy.

HOSTS OF THE DAY: Racing Association Board member and Tellytrack CEO Rob Scott welcomed HSH Princess Charlene to Turffontein, together with Racing Association CEO, Larry Wainstein.
Photo: Annette van Schalkwyk

HSH Princess Charlene, who hails from Benoni, and often visits Turffontein racecourse, was accompanied by her parents, Mike and Lyn Wittstock. When Charlene wasn’t training to become a member of South Africa’s Olympic swimming team to Sydney in 2000, the Wittstock daughter sometimes accompanied them to the races.

Beneficiaries for the race day were The Highveld Horse Care Unit, the Red Cross and Gugulesizwe Primary School, all projects dear to the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation. In a tight day of racing Nother Russia won the HSH Princess Charlene of Monaco Empress Club Stakes, a Grade One race worth R1-million with jockey Craig Zackey steering her well clear from the rest of the field. Nother Russia,from the Mike de Kock stable, won by 1.40 lengths over Bella Sonata in the field of fillies and mares over 1 600m.

FLOWERS ON RACE DAY: HER Serene Highness Princess Charlene of Monaco was impressed by the flowers she received from the Gugulesizwe Primary School head girl and head boy.
Photo: Annette van Schalkwyk

It was also befitting for Mary Slack from the Oppenheimer family to receive the trophy from Princess Charlene of Monaco.

The HSH Princess Charlene of Monaco Maiden Plate over 1 400m was claimed by Cascapedia.

The next race day will be Champions Day at Turffontein on May 6 – often referred to as Intercontinental Village Day and including the third leg of the Triple Crown.

ROYALTY AT TURFFONTEIN: HER Serene Highness Princess Charlene of Monaco, accompanied by Racing Association CEO Larry Weinstein, was welcomed by the children of Gugulesizwe Primary School.
Photo: Annette van Schalkwyk

A number of high profile guests made their way to the Johannesburg track with newly crowned Miss South Africa, Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters, also in attendance along with household sporting names including swimmer Terence Parkin and Gordon Igesund, coach of Premier Soccer League outfit Highlands Park.

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