THE big races at the postponed Super Saturday meeting on August 1 at Greyville count towards the Equus Award decision making process for the current 2014/2015 season, despite the NHA  having confirmed that the accumulated statistics for all races on Super  Saturday would only be reflected in the 2015/2016 records and not the past season.

The reason this needs to be clarified is due to the official racing season  in South Africa running from August 1 until July 31, meaning the meeting,  postponed from July 25, now actually falls in the new 2015/2016 season.

The Equus Champion racehorses of various categories are decided by the  collective opinions of the Equus panellists.

The panellists considered  the performances of horses running in last Saturday’s Gr 1 Premier’s Champions  Stakes and Gr 1 Thekwini Stakes when deciding the 2014/2015 Equus Champion Two-year-old Award Winners, despite these horses officially turning three  years of age on the day of the meeting. The performances of horses in the  Gr 1 eLan Property Group Gold Cup over 3200m were also considered in the  decision making process for the 2014/2015 Equus Champion Stayer Award.

Likewise the performances of runners in the Gr 1 Champions Cup over 1800m  and the Gr 2 Gold Bracelet over 2000m were considered in the decision  making processes for such 2014/2015 Equus Awards as the Champion Older  Male, Champion Older Filly/Mare, Champion Middle Distance Horse and the  Horse Of The Year.

Some of the Equus Awards are based on statistics. The NHA statistics are  the official ones used and will decide such Equus titles as Champion  Trainer, Champion Jockey, Champion Apprentice, Champion Breeder, Champion  Stallion and Owner Of The Year.

Therefore, the Super Saturday races will not count towards these particular 2014/2015 Equus Awards.

However, the Super Saturday racing will count towards such opinion based 2014/2015 Equus Awards as Outstanding Breeder and Outstanding Stallion.

CHAMPION TWO YEAR OLD COLT (DISTANCE IMMATERIAL)

Arabian Beat ; Rabada ; Seventh Plain

 CHAMPION TWO YEAR FILLY (DISTANCE IMMATERIAL)

Chestnuts ‘n Pearls ; Entisaar (AUS) ; Lauderdale

 CHAMPION THREE YEAR OLD (DISTANCE IMMATERIAL)

Act Of War ; French Navy ; Legal Eagle

 CHAMPION THREE YEAR OLD FILLY (DISTANCE IMMATERIAL)

Alboran Sea (AUS) ; Carry On Alice ; Majmu (AUS) ; Same Jurisdiction

 CHAMPION OLDER MALE (DISTANCE IMMATERIAL)

Captain Of All ; Futura ; Legislate ; Wylie Hall (AUS)

 CHAMPION OLDER FILLY/MARE (DISTANCE IMMATERIAL)

Arcetri Pink (AUS) ; Fly By Night ; Hammie’s Hooker ; Jet Belle

 CHAMPION SPRINTER (1000-1200 METRES ; AGE/GENDER IMMATERIAL)

Alboran Sea (AUS) ; Captain Of All ; Carry On Alice

 CHAMPION MILER (1400-1600; AGE/GENDER IMMATERIAL)

Legislate ; Futura

 CHAMPION MIDDLE DISTANCE HORSE (1800-2200 METRES;AGE/GENDER IMMATERIAL)

French Navy ; Futura ; Wylie Hall (AUS)

 CHAMPION STAYER (2400 METRES UPWARDS; AGE/GENDER IMMATERIAL)

Heart Of A Lion ; Kingston Mines (GB) ; Legal Eagle ; Wild One

Headline photo: Alboran Sea, two nominations.