TURFFONTEIN SUNDAY 12 APRIL 2026

HENNENMAN MEMORIAL RACE DAY 2026

Johannesburg, South Africa — Every year 4Racing commemorates the Henneman Air Disaster of 12 April 1988 and the 24 lives lost when a United Airways flight from Bloemfontein, carrying a number of prominent members of the racing community, crashed into a field near the town of Hennenman.

The lives lost were:

Jockeys:Warren Bailie, Keith Basel, Michael Coetzee, Bennie de Wet, Johannes “Rooies” Fourie, Greg Holme, Danny Lombard, John McMurtry, Mark Nel, Simon Rahilly, Lawrence Riley, Douglas Roper and Gordon Sterley.
Officials: Dave Bullock, Henry Havergal, Graham Kent, Ginger Masterton and Johannes van der Linden
Owners: Neville Blignaut and Jacobus Viljoen
Trainer: Hennie van Wyk
Air Crew: Jacob Kalt, Harold Whitehead and Jacqueline Henderson.

Gone, but never forgotten.

Headlining the day’s race card is the Betway Mythical Flight Sprint (NBT), named for the Sean Tarry-trained sprint champion.

Mythical Flight was a chestnut colt by Jet Master out of the Harry Hotspur matron, Mythical Bird and foaled at The Alchemy Stud in Robertson in 2003. Led through the ring of the 2005 Equimark Vintage Sale, he was knocked down for R340,000 and would race in the interests of Chris van Niekerk and Markus Jooste.

Mythical Flight debuted over 1000m at Clairwood Park on 10 June 2006, storming home by an emphatic 4.25 lengths under Brett Smith. He would string together 7 straight wins, including the Gr3 Lebelo Sprint at Newmarket and the Gr1 Cape Flying Championship, culminating with a command performance in the Gr1 Computaform Sprint at Turffontein, where he led from start to finish to shatter Cataloochee’s record, stopping the clock in a new South African track record time of 54.96 seconds.

Narrowly pipped out of the Gr1 Golden Horse Casino Sprint by Kildonan, Mythical Flight closed his 3yo campaign with a 0.9 length 3rd in the 2007 Gr1 Mercury Sprint and Equus Sprint Award honours.

At 4, he registered a second consecutive Lebelo Sprint win, was 2nd to O Caesour in the 2008 Cape Flying Championship and drew a blank in the 2008 Computaform Sprint before setting sail for abroad.

He was tried in the 2008 Gr1 Hong Kong Sprint, finishing just 2 lengths off Inspiration, then shipped to the UK for the 2009 Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes at York, but turned in lacklustre performances and returned to South Africa.

He managed a solid third to Noble Heir in the 2010 Computaform Sprint and earned a place cheque in a 1000m Pinnacle Stakes at Turffontein, but never quite regained his earlier brilliance and was retired in early 2011. He enjoyed a long and happy retirement as a yearling nanny at Klawervlei Stud, passing away in 2023.

Been 38 years already , geez time does fly 

If it was the old days bookies would be betting on how far heath house wins by in the 1st , at least punters could have an interest 

Dogs are barking Royal Tiara in the second but same old adage,  hard to beat a horse with racing experience 

Destiny's Dream in the 4th my strong bet of the day

Craig Pienaar wrote:

Dogs are barking Royal Tiara in the second but same old adage,  hard to beat a horse with racing experience 
 

USHOULDBEDANCING... Places

ARIZONA MAGIC...ew

Nice tipping today Piro, two big priced winners 

Great selections as usual Pirho 

Will have a few places spring tide in the next 

ERIK'S GIRL... Places