2 blockbuster feature seasons
Phumelela stages dozens of feature races annually, including several of the richest races on the continent, but most are concentrated in two feature-race seasons – the Spring-Summer Feature Race Season and the Summer-Autumn Feature Race Season.
Phumelela Spring-Summer Feature Race Season (September – November)
The big-race action in the new racing season annually kicks off on the Highveld with Africa’s richest race on sand, the R600,000 Emerald Cup over 1400m at the Vaal towards the end of September.
The Emerald Cup is the highlight of the Emerald Spring Festival, sponsored by the Emerald Casino-Resort.
The highlights of the season come at Turffontein Racecourse in November. The Charity Mile, sponsored by Peermont Emperors Palace since 2009, gets the month off to a flying start on the first Saturday of the month, when famous horses and famous faces join forces to make charity a big winner on an amazing afternoon’s racing.
And then on the last Saturday in November comes one of South Africa’s mega racing occasions, the R2-million Sansui Summer Cup and several other feature races including the Dingaans, the first real test of the season for three-year-olds.
Phumelela Summer-Autumn Feature Race Season (February – April)
Phumelela’s Triple Crown for all three-year-olds and Triple Tiara for three-year-old fillies are the highlights of three months of glorious racing and span the three major racedays of the season.
The Triple Crown carries an astounding R6.5 million in prize money, including a R2-million bonus for a horse winning all three legs. The Triple Tiara offers a R1-million bonus for capturing all three races in the series.
The final legs of the Triple Crown and Triple Tiara both take place on Champions Day on the last Saturday in April. This is the richest raceday on the continent and other mega events on the day include the R2-million Champions Challenge over 2000m.
Full details of the Triple Crown and Triple Tiara:
Guineas Day Turffontein Saturday 25 February 2012
Triple Crown Leg 1: The R1-million Gauteng Guineas 1600m
Triple Tiara Leg 1: The R500 000 Gauteng Fillies Guineas 1600m
Classic Day Turffontein Saturday 31 March 2012
Triple Crown Leg 2: The R2-million SA Classic 1800m
Triple Tiara Leg 2: The R1-million SA Fillies’ Classic 1800m
Champions Day Turffontein Saturday 28 April 2012
Triple Crown Leg 3: The R1.5-million SA Derby 2450m
Triple Tiara Leg 3: The R750 000 SA Oaks 2450m
PHUMELELA'S BIG-RACE CALENDAR FOR 2011-12
|
| 24 September Vaal |
R600,000 Emerald Cup (Grade 2) 1450m |
| 8 October Turffontein |
R200,000 Joburg Spring Challenge (Grade 3) 1400m
R165,000 Joburg Spring Fillies & Mares Challenge (Grade 3) 1400m |
| 23 October Fairview |
R350,000 Betting World Algoa Cup (Grade 3) 2000m |
| 25 October Turffontein |
R165,000 Yellowwood Handicap (Grade 3) 1800m |
| 5 November Turffontein |
R600,000 Peermont Emperors Palace Charity Mile (Grade 2) 1600m
R200,000 Graham Beck Stakes (Grade 3) 1400m
R165,000 Starling Stakes (Grade 3) 1400m
R1.5-m Emperors Palace Ready To Run Cup 1400m |
| 11 November Turffontein |
R300,000 Victory Moon Stakes (Grade 2) 1800m
JOCKEYS' INTERNATIONAL (Day 1) |
| 13 November Kenilworth |
JOCKEYS' INTERNATIONAL (Day 2) |
| 26 November Turffontein |
R2-m Sansui Summer Cup (Grade 1) 2000m
R500,000 Dingaans (Grade 2) 1600m
R450,000 Merchants (Grade 2) 1200m
R275,000 Fillies Mile (Grade 3) 1600m
R225,000 Racing Association Handicap (Grade 3) 3200m |
| 4 December Turffontein |
R300,000 Ipi Tombe Challenge (Grade 2) 1600m
R165,000 Magnolia Handicap (Grade 3) 1200m |
| 3 January Turffontein |
R200,000 Lebelo Sprint (Grade 3) 1000m |
| 8 January Turffontein |
R200,000 London News Stakes (Grade 3) 1800m |
| 4 February Turffontein |
R200,000 Tony Ruffel Stakes (Grade 3) 1400m
R165,000 Three Troikas Stakes (Grade 3) 1400m
|
| 14 February Turffontein |
R200,000 Tommy Hotspur Handicap (Grade 3) 1000m |
| 25 February Turffontein |
R1-m Gauteng Guineas (Grade 2) 1600m
R500,000 Gauteng Fillies Guineas (Grade 2) 1600m
R300,000 Hawaii Stakes (Grade 2) 1400m
R165,000 Acacia Handicap (Grade 3) 1600m |
| 31 March Turffontein |
R2-m SA Classic (Grade 1) 1800m
R1-m SA Fillies Classic (Grade 1) 1800m
R1-m HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes (Grade 1) 1600m
R200,000 Caradoc Gold Cup (Grade 3) 2800m
R200,000 Man O' War Sprint (Grade 3) 1100m
R200,000 Protea Stakes (Grade 3) 1100m
R165,000 Pretty Polly Stakes (Grade 3) 1100m
R165,000 Jacaranda Handicap (Grade 3) 1800m |
| 7 April Turffontein |
R300,000 Senor Santa Handicap (Grade 2) 1200m
R300,000 Colorado King Stakes (Grade 2) 2000m
R165,000 Sycamore Sprint (Grade 3) 165,000 |
| 17 April Turffontein |
R1-m L Jaffee Empress Club Stakes (Grade 1) 1600m |
| 28 April Turffontein |
R2-m President's Champions Challenge (Grade 1) 2000m
R1.5-m Samsung Business SA Derby (Grade 1) 2450m
R1-m Computaform Sprint (Grade 1) 1000m
R750,000 SA Oaks (Grade 2) 2450m
R500,000 Gold Bowl (Grade 2) 3200m
R500,000 SA Nursery (Grade 2) 1160m
R400,000 SA Fillies Nursery (Grade 2) 1160m
R300,000 Gerald Rosenberg (Grade 2) 2000m
R200,000 Camellia Stakes (Grade 2) 1160m |
| 13 May Arlington |
R350,000 East Cape Derby powered by Recall Security (Grade 3) 2400m |
| 10 June Turffontein |
R200,000 Betting World Jubilee Handicap (Grade 3) 1800m |
| 8 July Fairview |
R200,000 Champion Juvenile Cup (Grade 3) 1400m |