Three competitions, with prizes totaling R700 000, are being run
by Gold Circle and Phumelela over the coming season for owners and
trainers, jockeys and print media tipsters.
The Turfstar, Topstar and Tipstar competitions will be contested
over the 28 races that make up the qualifying events in the country’s
eight-series National Racing Championships.
The Turfstar and Tipstar competitions were run last season and
this season the Topstar competition for jockeys has been added.
The Turfstar last season was run only on graded races run under
the Gold Circle banner while the Tipstar competition was run on
graded races throughout the country.
The Turfstar competition is for horses earning the most points
during the season for winning or being placed in the qualifying
races on the basis of 10 points for a win, six for second and four
for third.
At the end of the season, the registered owner as at July 31, 2005
of the horse earning the most points, irrespective of the category
in which it competed – sprinting or staying – will receive a cheque
for R400 000 and the trainer will receive R100 000.
Last season Yard-Arm won the prize with R450 000 going to Mike
Rattray, Lammerskraal Stud, and R50 000 to trainer Geoff Woodruff.
In the Topstar competition, jockeys will earn points for finishing
first, second or third in the designated races and at the end of
the season the three riders earning the most points will receive
R60 000, R30 000 and R10 000 respectively.
The Tipstar competition will be run on the same conditions as the
Topstar competition with the tipsters earning points of 10, six
and four where their predictions match the result of the race. However,
two bonus points will be awarded where selected runners finish in
the first three but not in the exact order as predicted. The top
three finishing Tipstars will receive R60 000, R30 000 and R10 000
respectively.
All three competitions will commence on 27 November 2004, Gomma
Gomma Summer Cup Raceday, and end on 31 July 2005, All Stars Raceday,
with the official cheque handover on Canon Gold Cup raceday on 6
August 2005.
Following are the 28 races for the 2004/2005 season:
27 November 2004 - R2 000 000 - GommaGomma Summer Cup (Gr 1) 2000m
Turffontein
04 December 2004 - R500 000 Cape Times Fillies Guineas (Gr 1) 1600m
Kenilworth
01 January 2005 - R600 000 Queens Plate (Gr 1 ) 1600m Kenilworth
08 January 2005 - R750 000 Cape Argus Guineas (Gr 1) 1600m Kenilworth
22 January 2005 - R400 000 Graham Beck Wines Cape Flying Championship
(Gr 1) 1000m Kenilworth
29 January 2005 - R350 000 Fancourt Majorca Stakes (Gr 1) 1600m
Kenilworth
29 January 2005 - R1 500 000 - J&B Met (Gr 1) 2000m Kenilworth
19 March 2005 - R500 000 Computaform Sprint (Gr 1) 1000m Turffontein
15 March 2005 - R400 000 Empress Club Stakes (Gr 1) 1600m Newmarket
02 April 2005 - R1 000 000 SA Classic (Gr 1) 1800m Turffontein
02 April 2005 - R500 000 SA Fillies Classic (Gr 1) 1800m Turffontein
09 April 2005 - R600 000 Horse Chestnut Stakes (Gr 1) 1600m Turffontein
30 April 2005 - R500 000 SA Nursery (Gr 2) 1200m Turffontein
30 April 2005 - R350 000 SA Fillies Nursery (Gr 2) 1200m Turffontein
30 April 2005 - R500 000 Merchants (Gr 1) 1200m Turffontein
29 May 2005 - R500 000 Gold Medallion (Gr 1) 1200m Scottsville
29 May 2005 - R350 000 Allan Robertson Fillies Championship (Gr
1) 1200m Scottsville
29 May 2005 - R400 000 Golden Horse Sprint (Gr 1) 1200m Scottsville
05 June 2005 - R750 000 Daily News 2200 (Gr 1) 2200m Greyville
05 June 2005 - R500 000 Woolavington 2200 (Gr 1) 2200m Greyville
11 June 2005 - R600 000 Gold Challenge (Gr 1) 1600m Clairwood
02 July 2005 - R500 000 Golden Horseshoe (Gr 1) 1400m Greyville
02 July 2005 - R250 000 Golden Slipper (Gr 2) 1400m Greyville
02 July 2005 - R350 000 Garden Province Stakes (Gr 1) 1600m Greyville
02 July 2005 - R1 500 000 - Vodacom Durban July (Gr 1) 2200m Greyville
17 July 2005 - R400 000 Mercury Sprint (Gr 1) 1200m Clairwood
30 July 2005 - R500 000 Premier’s Champion Stakes (Gr 1) 1600m
Clairwood
30 July 2005 - R350 000 Thekwini Fillies Stakes (Gr 1) 1600m Clairwood