Master of all trades, Lerena, scoops biggest win of career

WITH the master on his back, why wouldn’t he show his class and winning ways at the Summer Cup?

The 2015 Summer Cup fulfilled in all expectations when the final field of 20 racing horses jumped the barriers to run the Grade 1 Gauteng Summer Cup over 2 000m at the Turffontein Racecourse on Saturday, November 28.

The in form Master Sabina won the premier R2 million Gauteng Summer Cup 2015 Grade 1 race with Champion jockey of the Year, Gavin Lerena. The duo snatched up the win with the proverbial whisk when they edged out stable mate Deo Juvente.

The result was delayed for a few minutes after an objective was launched by Deo Juvente. But the judging came out that Lerena steered Master Sabina to a perfect finish.

The result completed one of the finest training feats in South African history as trainer Geoff Woodruff repeated his first and second finish of last year, having had the first three past the post in 2013. Both Master Sabina and Deo Juvente held off the favourite, the Sean Tarry-trained top weight, French Navy.

As much a celebration of big hats and fashion as the competing horses, Master Sabina, who finished second two years ago, finished the 2 000m race in a time of 122,55 seconds to earn a staggering first cheque of R1,2 million. Deo Juvente came in at 0,2 lengths behind the winner and French Navy was only 0,6 lengths off the winner in third. Last year’s third-placed horse Judicial finished fourth and the fancied Mac De Lago finished fifth.

The Summer Cup is South Africa’s longest surviving horseracing event and was first run as the Johannesburg Handicap in 1887. Over the years, the race has evolved and grown in stature to become one of South Africa’s premier thoroughbred stakes races.

Celebrities also strutted their stuff, with 20 celebrities taking part in the Rush Celebrity Charity Dash that raised a staggering R844 151,25, which is more than double the amount collected in 2014, for the SOS Children’s Villages South Africa.