Last week saw the rare accomplishment of a Triple Crown winner in the racing sector of the South African equine industry – the beautiful Abashiri, trained by Michael Azzie, won the third and final leg at Turffontein, taking home the two million rand bonus.

The SA Triple Crown for three-year-olds is billed as horseracing’s ultimate test and with good cause. The series comprises four top-level races, because the first legs alternate -either the R1m Grand Parade Cape Guineas over 1600m (at Kenilworth, Cape Town) or the R1m Gauteng Guineas over 1600m (Turffontein). The second leg is the R2m SA Classic over 1800m, and the final leg is the R2m SA Derby over 2450m, both at Turffontein.

For the rare brilliance that it takes to win the triple crown, there is a two million rand pot, but this requires a horse who can embody the rare blend of speed, stamina, courage, and determination… only three horses have accomplished this so far.

Firstly, the mighty Horse Chestnut in the inaugural 1999 event, stealing the public’s imagination with his lengthy wins that left jockey Weichong Marwing looking back over his shoulder! Then Louis The King snatched it up in 2014, a fabulous win for owner Fred Van Der Vyver, who purchased the colt for just R55 000.
Finally Abashiri, who was bred by Lammerskraal Stud of Ceres in the Western Cape (by the USA imported stallion, Go Deputy, out of an Elliodor daughter) repeated the feat just last week for owners Rika and Adriaan Van Vuuren, who own the beautiful equestrian estate Misty Meadows in PTA
Turffontein was awash in the owners’ colours of orange and black, the atmosphere was electric according to Rika with the crowd chanting “Go Abba Go!” from his entrance into the parade ring. The tension reached a climax as he hit the front 300m from home, anxiety gripping every onlooker as Rocketball closed up alongside him, resulting in them pulling up to the finish line nose-to-nose. The crowd sat, uncertain, with their hearts in their mouths as they waited for the slow motion relay to come back with a result… The pressure was finally released via a massive cheer as Abashiri was announced to have won by the narrowest of margins!