See It Again is Horse of the Year
· Citizen
Victories in two Grade 1 events – the WSB Cape Town Met and the HKJC World Pool Premier’s Champions Challenge – saw seven-year-old gelding See It Again named South Africa’s 2026 Horse of the Year.
Other highlights at the awards function in Johannesburg on Tuesday night were Special Achievement recognition for veteran Western Cape trainer Vaughan Marshall and long-retired jockey Raymond Rhodes.
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The Equus Awards honoured outstanding achievements of the 2025/26 racing season across the country’s racing, breeding and media communities.
See It Again’s feats in different corners of the country – at sea level and on the Highveld – convinced the judging panel of his superiority over all other racehorses in the country.
In addition to the two wins mentioned above, See It Again was runner-up in the Grade 2 HKJC Champions Cup at Greyville and the Grade 1 Wilgerbosdrift HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes at Turfontein – not to mention third-place finishes in the Grade 1 L’Ormarins King’s Plate and the Grade 2 Ridgemont Green Point Stakes.
See It Again also picked up statuettes for owner Nick Jonsson’s mantelpiece in the Champion Middle-Distance Horse and Champion Older Horse categories.
For much of the season, See It Again was trained by Justin Snaith, helping the Cape Town conditioner to his seventh national champion title (and fourth in a row).
Other Snaith charges celebrated were Wish List (Champion Three-year-old Filly) and Double Grand Slam (Champion Older Female).
See It Again’s handler Sokhe Mwelase was named Groom of the Year.
The surprise of the evening was Rhodes being remembered for his illustrious career in the saddle in the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s. Rhodes, now in his 80s, has not been involved in racing for decades, but racing old timers will reckon this acknowledgement is long overdue as the polished rider was a fixture at the top of the South African game for many a long year.
His big-race wins included two Durban Julys and two Queen’s Plates and he was Champion Jockey in the 1970/71 season. He was associated with great horses such as Hawaii, In Full Flight and Numeral and rode for leading trainers such Henry Eatwell, David Payne, Cookie Coetzee, Syd Laird and Bert Sage.
Marshall, still active in the front rank in his 45th year in racing, was acknowledged for reaching the milestone of saddling 32 Grade 1 winners – which have included six Cape Guineas, two Cape Town Mets and a L’Ormarins King’s Plate – and building a reputation as a “stallion maker” with the likes of Captain Al and his sons in particular.
Equus winners:
• Champion Jockey: Craig Zackey
• Champion Trainer: Justin Snaith
• Champion Apprentice: Blaine Marx-Jacobson
• Horse of the Year: See It Again
• Groom of the Year: Sokhe Mwelase
• Champion Owner: Hollywood Racing (Nom: Mr A Delpech)
- Special Achievement: Vaughan Marshall
- Special Achievement: Raymond Rhodes
• Champion Two-Year-Old Filly: Palace of Arvernia
• Champion Two-Year-Old Colt/Gelding: Haute Couture
• Champion Three-Year-Old Filly: Wish List
• Champion Three-Year-Old Colt/Gelding: Star Major
• Champion Older Female: Double Grand Slam
• Champion Older Male: See It Again
• Champion Sprinter: Buffalo Storm Cody
• Champion Miler: Questioning
• Champion Middle Distance Horse: See It Again
• Champion Stayer: Holding Thumbs
• Champion Broodmare: Palace Of Dreams
• Champion Stallion: Vercingetorix
• Champion Breeder: Wilgerbosdrift & Mauritzfontein
• Print media: Charl Pretorius
• Still Photography: Chase Liebenberg
• Videography: Chad Karstens