“WE are going for 6 000 wins,” said Piere Strydom shortly after rewriting the horseracing history books when he and Louis The King won the grand prize of R2-million SANSUI Summer Cup and the Triple Crown in one year.Strydom, who achieved over 5 000 wins during the week prior to the Summer Cup, had to sustain a run to overcome a flat spot late to win by 0,25 lengths in a time of 126,33 secs. The trio has won the 2014 SASCOC Triple Crown earlier this year, thus making history to win both the Triple Crown and Summer Cup in one year.
“This was a good win from all of us and I salute Louis The King, who came in on the right time,” said Strydom.
This prestigious event on the annual racing calendar was held on Saturday November 29 at Turffontein Racecourse, where the racing fraternity gathered to watch the most spectacular win in decades.
Hosting some of the best racing on the Highveld, Turffontein Racecourse were a beehive of activities, having 11 car giveaways and thousands of spectators dressing up to the occasion.
But it was the feature race that stole the show. The trio of jockey, Piere “Striker” Strydom from Alberton, Geoff Woodruff, trainer and of course the king of racing, Louis The King, were once again spot-on.
With only a few lengths to go, it looked as if stable mate, Killua Castle, will snatch the win, but Louis The King with Strydom on his back got the better of him, winning at the post with almost a breath. And what a truly magnificent ride, coming from behind to storm past the field, providing the excitement for all those present.
“With 127 years of rich heritage The Summer Cup has an iconic history of horse racing indulgence. The event and the venue have become the heart of racing for the Golden Region,” said Mike Varney, National Marketing Manager from Phumelela Gaming and Racing. It’s a Rush. “This year’s Gauteng SANSUI Summer Cup took this legacy into a new era with an outstanding event, which will no doubt mark the course in years to come and raise the bar in racing circles.”
Over and above the 12 horse races there were two speciality racing highlights. Twenty of SA’s hottest celebrities took to the race track in their sporty kit with charitable competitiveness for the Racing. It’s a Rush Celebrity Charity Dash. The winning celebrity, Stacey Holland, had the credit of not only being the quickest celeb on the track, but also the honour to hand over a whopping R475 000 to this year’s charity partner, SOS Children’s Villages.
Movember SA was also a charity partner this year, supported by the Mo-Kini Sprint, which for some ladies was the highlight of the evening as it saw a handful of SA’s hottest men swap their kit for ‘mankinis’ to complete a cheeky 200m dash to raise awareness for testicular cancer.
