World Sports Betting Championships Season Comes to an Epic End

4Racing Media Release
Johannesburg, 29 April 2023

The World Sports Betting Championships Finale brought the Johannesburg horseracing season to a phenomenal close, with Puerto Manzano snatching the R2 000 000 WSB Premier’s Champions Challenge in thrilling fashion for trainer Johan Janse van Vuuren.

Durban raider Isivunguvungu claimed the title of the fastest runner in the land by winning the R1 000 000 Jonsson Workwear ComputaForm Sprint in emphatic manner, after a brilliant ride by a red-hot Richard Fourie for trainer Peter Muscutt.

The day, however, belonged to Puerto Manzano, as Keagan De Melo completed a stunning Highveld Grade 1 double by following up his Betway Summer Cup win with victory in today’s main race for trainer van Vuuren and elated owner Laurence Wernars.

It was a fantastic end to The World Sports Betting Championships season, hosted by horse racing operator 4Racing in partnership with World Sports Betting.

Today’s R R4.895 million WSB Championships Season Finale was the highlight of the phenomenal five-part World Sports Betting (WSB) Championships season at Turffontein Racecourse on a day of world-class electrifying Graded races.

The good crowd on course were brought to their feet by the brilliant racing on one of the massive showpiece events of the Johannesburg season.
“The World Sports Betting Championships are a celebration of the champions of horseracing and the sheer joy and thrill of the sport. A huge thank you to Warren Tannous and the World Sports Betting team for working tirelessly with us at 4Racing to make this season a huge success. I'm thrilled with the results on what was a fantastic WSB Championships Finale and we look forward to taking the WSB Championships season to even greater heights,” said Fundi Sithebe, CEO of 4Racing.

The live 4Racing TV broadcast of the WSB Championships Finale saw the implementation of three new features, jockey interviews at the start, the addition of augmented reality imagery to display the real-time live jockey line up in their racing silks and the launch of the new Stars initiative with their QR codes.

The 4Racing TV Broadcast team continues to strive for technological improvements and industry firsts to enhance the horseracing viewing experience.

The excitement continued off the track as adrenaline met entertainment with a stellar line-up of artists, including Lee Cole, Marco da Costa, Ebb & Mayo, and Austin Cassim.

Here’s a full list of the winners of the WSB Championships Season Finale races:

Race 1: WORLD SPORTS BETTING WELCOMES YOU TO CHAMPIONS DAY MAIDEN JUVENILE PLATE 1160m
Horse: Red Bomber
Jockey: Gavin Lerena

Race 2 - CITIZEN JUVENILE PLATE 1600m
Horse: Max the Magician
Jockey: Muzi Yeni

Race 3 - WORLD SPORTS BETTING GROOMS INITIATIVE
Horse: Mo the Man
Jockey: Keagan De Melo

Race 4 - WORLD SPORTS BETTING SA FILLIES NURSERY
Horse: Mrs Geriatrix
Jockey: Richard Fourie

Race 5 - WORLD SPORTS BETTING SA NURSERY ( GRADE 2) 1160m
Horse: Lucky Lad
Jockey: Richard Fourie

Race 6 - JONSSON WORKWEAR COMPUTAFORM SPRINT
Horse: Isivunguvungu
Jockey: Richard Fourie

Race 7 - WORLD SPORTS BETTING PREMIER'S CHAMPIONS CHALLENGE
Horse: Puerto Manzano
Jockey: Keagan De Melo

Race 8 - WORLD SPORTS BETTING CAMELLIA STAKES ( GRADE 2) 1160m
Horse: Cold Fact
Jockey: Denis Schwarz

Race 9 - WORLD SPORTS BETTING GERALD ROSENBERG STAKES (GRADE 2) 2000m
Horse: Gilded Butterfly
Jockey: Keagan De Melo

Race10 - WORLD SPORTS BETTING GOLD BOWL (GRADE 3) 3200m
Race abandoned due to lightning storm, will be rescheduled for Sunday 7 May 2023

All the bling and razzmatazz is great - but until 'they' realize that keeping their customers in the dark during 'weather interruptions' there is still a lot to do .....

Back to the racing ..... imo Puerto Manzano was not 100% (and I never heard any comment from the trainer on his well-being) - if he was, he would have won easier; seems it could be the end of the road for the July hopefuls Golden Ducat and Red Saxon after poor runs - I wonder why the decision was made to move GD up here - because he surely seems to have lost his enthusiasm to race - as for RS, in my humble opinion the connections should have gone the KZN route - at least the July is a handicap where he would get weight. Aragosta ran a fair race - so he may yet go for the July where he would be competitive at the weights imo

Big question is still how the handicapper will rate them

I agree, Golden Ducat appears to have lost his zest for racing.