Johannesburg - Turffontein racecourse was awash in orange and black on Saturday as people flocked to support three-year-old racehorse Abashiri in his bid to win the SA Triple Crown title.
They weren't disappointed. Abashiri and jockey Karl Zechner won the 2 450m race in nail-biting style by a small margin, making Abashiri only the third horse ever to win the three-leg Triple Crown.
The race win plus the Triple Crown title earned him a whopping R4 million in winnings.
The excited crowd, many dressed in Abashiri’s colours of orange and black, waved flags and shouted “Go Aba go” from the moment the horse entered the ring.
Owner Adriaan van Vuuren said his heart almost stopped when, in the last stretch, Abashiri and second-place winner Rocketball were neck-and-neck. “It felt like the longest few seconds and the finish line just didn’t want to come closer,” he told The Star.
“When we did reach the finish line, from where we were looking, I couldn’t see exactly what happened and the crowd below us fell silent.
“For those few seconds my heart stopped beating.” He said he’d never shouted so loud in his life. “Part of it was the spirit of the crowd which carried Abashiri for the last part. I want to thank the public. Without them, champs like this wouldn’t be able to perform the way they do.”
An emotional Michael Azzie, Abashiri’s trainer, came up with a clever rhyme during the post-race interviews. “First was the Guineas and they said he couldn’t win the mile, and he did that with grace and style. Then came the Classic, and what he did there was absolutely jurassic. Today was the Derby, where I thought he would leave wobbly. Now for the July, where he is going to fly,” he said.
Azzie said Abashiri’s narrow win had to do with jockey error, but it didn't stop the bubbly flowing.
@Gabi_Falanga
The Star