Equus Awards 2016

Why 3 categories for Broodmares .....broodmare of the year ,outstanding broodmare and exceptional broodmare ......................I would have thought the broodmare of the year might qualify for all 3 ?
Perhaps they should have made life easier for themselves and had the same 3 categories for 3 yr olds?.......... :woohoo:

Once again very subjective....

Cannot believe that the Triple Crown holds such little weight or that winning two Grade 1's counts less than winning one..... why have it then? I personally am sick of horses been chosen on potential rather than actual performance.

The 2yr old filly to me is wrong, the JHB race should not be a Grade 1 anyway. Where were the horses from that race the rest of the graded race season? The DBN races include some of the best two year olds from KZN, CPT, JHB and PE.

The owners of Gunner must be confused, contested more graded events than the winner but alas......same old story, the winner was unbeaten, very easy when you don't race....
The 2 year old category should simply be a points system.

Enaad, our champion stayer??? Which grade 1 did this horse win?

Tigershark wrote: Once again very subjective....

Cannot believe that the Triple Crown holds such little weight or that winning two Grade 1's counts less than winning one..... why have it then? I personally am sick of horses been chosen on potential rather than actual performance.

The 2yr old filly to me is wrong, the JHB race should not be a Grade 1 anyway. Where were the horses from that race the rest of the graded race season? The DBN races include some of the best two year olds from KZN, CPT, JHB and PE.

The owners of Gunner must be confused, contested more graded events than the winner but alas......same old story, the winner was unbeaten, very easy when you don't race....
The 2 year old category should simply be a points system.

Enaad, our champion stayer??? Which grade 1 did this horse win?

There is only a single Grade 1 event from 2400m to 3600m left on our calendar and that is the SA Derby. They are correct by taking the average merit rating of the runners in a Graded event to determine the Grade status but with so many of our top runners leaving our shores for greener pastures, we are having a problem.

My take is that our premier races should keep their Grade 1 Status like the Gold Cup because there is no way our horses are on par with International runners with the same merit rating. Its like the SA Championships 100m being compared to the Jamaican Championships 100m, because the times are not fast, we cant call it the SA Championships!!!!

Naresh, this is exactly the point I am trying to highlight and the fact that the program does not have a Grade 1 staying event. We have a sprint series but no staying series with decent prize money let alone enough staying races through the divisions. Either way we have a champion that is a grade 2 winner....

My 2c worth-
Abashiri was robbed.
Don't understand how the panel can pick Smart Call above Legal Eagle in the middle distance category, yet pick him over her for horse of the year. Smart Call's performance in the Met was more than enough to get her horse of the year.

You guys who say Abashiri 'beat' Marinaresco at level weights in the July really make me laugh. It's really grasping at straws. Go watch the replay and tell me where Abba was turning for home and where Marinaresco was ... how much more ground you want Marinaresco to make up on that short straight? That's the only reason he 'won' the July at level weights. If Marinaresco had a good draw and was placed handy, the field doesn't see him. GVN's says the same thing in the champions cup interview. Marinaresco has also won in the Cape and Durban. Two provinces. Would have arguably won the Cape Winter series treble which only one horse has done before. All excuses aside, he finished the best 3yo home in the country's biggest race. What more do you want? IMO the panel made the decision on these factors and on the basis Abba beat the same horses over and over in the JHB triple crown and barely beat Rocketball. Where's Rocketball again?

Correct decision IMO - and i'm not knocking Abba's achievement - I'm a fan of the horse as well. - just that he's the second best 3yo.

Thanks momf for pointing out Abashiri beat the same lot of Jhb 3 yr olds.

No consistency by the panel. If Joburg form is not strong enough for a title, please explain the decision to award Cloth of Cloud the 2yo fillies title.

You cannot swing one way when it suits you and swing the other when it doesnt.

winzip wrote: Thanks momf for pointing out Abashiri beat the same lot of Jhb 3 yr olds.

Easy to write them off but keep in mind the form of Brazuca in the Cape..if memory serves finished in front of Marineresco and black Arthur in the Cape Derby , and also very well in the guineas behind another Jhb horse.
Abashiri devastated the same horse in Gauteng on the road to winning the triple.

LEGAL EAGLE AND SMART CALL SHINE AT 2015/2016 EQUUS AWARDS www.africanbettingclan.com/index.php/ite...15-2016-equus-awards

drdom wrote:

winzip wrote: Thanks momf for pointing out Abashiri beat the same lot of Jhb 3 yr olds.

Easy to write them off but keep in mind the form of Brazuca in the Cape..if memory serves finished in front of Marineresco and black Arthur in the Cape Derby , and also very well in the guineas behind another Jhb horse.
Abashiri devastated the same horse in Gauteng on the road to winning the triple.

Cape guineas and derby is early in 3yr olds careers and some horses develop and strengthen up at different rates.If u truly believe that the horses who beat marinaresco as young 3yr olds will beat him now, then good luck to you.

We can't really say who is better until they face each other at level weights and i know where my money will be if they do meet.

Winzip. I actually do believe that Marineresco may be the best horse. He had my money on him his last 4 races. The point I was trying to make is that despite the last performances and the hype, and even my own belief that Marineresco may be a superstar, over the course of the season Abashiris status as triple crown winner, his overall form, and highest MR of the bunch should have prevailed at the awards .

Likewise . In the sprinter category, Talk To The Stars was the winner, the highest MR sprinter, won his G1 and performed numerous times at that level. A worthy winner for his achievements .
He was comprehensively beaten at WFA in 3G1's And would anyone really be surprised if he was regularly beaten by Red Ray or COA this season at wfa terms? My money says that will happen.
It wouldn't make him a less worthy winner of the award for last season.