Caption: Her Serene Highness Princess Charlene of Monaco greets learners from the Gugulesizwe Primary School at Turffontein Racecourse on Saturday. The Princess Charlene of Monaco Ladies Day helped raise funds for a number of charities with the Highveld Horse Care Unit and the Red Cross also benefitting. Picture: Racing. It’s A Rush
The Princess Charlene of Monaco Ladies Day at Turffontein Racecourse shone the spotlight on the Sport of Kings with the main aim of the day to raise funds for charity. The Highveld Horse Care Unit, Red Cross and Gugulesizwe Primary School, all projects dear to the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation.
Her Serene Highness, who opted for a glamorous black and white dress for the afternoon, was welcomed on course by the children of the Gugulesizwe Primary School and before being presented with flowers by the school’s Head Girl and Head Boy.
And it proved to be a delightful afternoon for jockey Craig Zackey as he reunited with Nother Russia, a horse close to his heart, to win the HSH Princess Charlene of Monaco Empress Club Stakes, a Grade One race worth R1-million for the Mike De Kock stable.
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.
Igesund had reason to smile on the day as Starpath, a horse he owns in partnership with a number of individuals including sports agent Mike Makaab, was a winner in one of the HSH Princess Charlene of Monaco Maiden Plates run earlier in the day.
The HSH Princess Charlene of Monaco Maiden Plate over 1400m was claimed by Cascapedia.
“Thank you all for supporting this day and congratulations to everyone,” Her Serene Highness Princess Charlene of Monaco said of the afternoon’s festivities which saw a healthy sum of R300 000 handed over to charity.
“The sporting values of discipline, respect for oneself and others, teamwork and determination are ones that I am always keen to promote and ones that I know the racing industry here in South Africa is equally committed to.”
With the theme of the day encouraging gents to wear top hats and tails and the ladies to compliment their outfits with a fascinator the fashion stakes was hotly contested. There were four R10 000 prizes for Best Dressed couple on the day with Mrs South Africa semifinalist Nicole Clopper among them.
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