Louis The King (SAF), trained by Geoff Woodruff (pictured) and ridden by Robbie Fradd, who flew back from Australia for the occasion, has made racing history by becoming only the second horse in South Africa to win the SASCOC Triple Crown. The champion dug deep under pressure to hold off the gallant As You Like (SAF) with Earl Of Derby (SAF) and Gone Baby Gone (SAF) in the minor placings.

The Derby Trial winner Ilitshe went out to make the early running from As You Like, Supertube, Fort Bellini, Leeuloop Jet and Atomic Rush. Louis The King sat on the rails in midfield, about ten lengths off the pace, with Earl Of Derby alongside and Bouclette Top and Gone Baby Gone next best.

Ilitshe brought the field in for home but was quickly tackled by As You Like who made his bid down the inside. Fradd had moved Louis The King off the rails as they turned for home and he moved in for the kill wider out.

The tension was palpable as Louis The King hit the front 500m out and the race to the finish line must have seen an eternity for his connections and fans. As You Like refused to throw in the towel and made sure that Louis The King would have to work for victory, but the favourite was equal to the task and kept finding to win by a length and complete a fairytale series for Woodruff, Fradd and owner Tiaan van der Vyver, who had named the winner after his son Louis.

"These things come along once in a lifetime as far as jockeys, trainers and owners are concerned, with horses like this,"said Fradd. "You have to grab them with both hands. He's just excelled....everytime we've asked for a little bit extra and he just gives it to you and you've got to thank Geoff Woodruff and his team for that. I probably let him go a bit earlier than I wanted to - probably a bit of nerves coming into play there! But like I said, he had the maestro there conditioning him and the rest is all history, isn't it? "

Fradd also thanked van der Vyver for keeping him on board, even though he had relocated to Australia a few days after winning the second leg of the Triple Crown, the SA Classic. "After winning the second leg, Tiaan didn't even have to ask me. I'd swim back [for the ride]."

A visibly relieved Woodruff, a multiple championship-winning trainer who has won just about every big race in the country, many of them more than once, admitted that winning the Triple Crown had not yet sunk in. "My nerves were pretty frayed this morning, I must be honest."  Asked about his charge possibly having hit the front a bit early, he replied, "That makes it even more special. It just means he won fair and square!"

Woodruff revealed after the race that he had watched it on a TV screen in a little gazebo at the back of the course with his grooms and a few friends and they had shouted home the winner once he got to the front. "I couldn't wait for the winning post to arrive, to be honest!"

An emotional van der Vyver, who was accompanied by his son Louis on the winner's rostrum, also paid tribute to Woodruff's training feat. Speaking of the pressure during the build-up to the race, he said, "It was nerve-wracking this morning. We didn't know what to do, what to expect. Obviously, there was Louis who did not know what was happening, so that helped us, that was a bit of an inspiration!"

Louis The King famously cost his owners only R60,000. In addition to picking up the R1.25-million first prize for winning the Derby, he also banked a whopping R2-million bonus for winning all three legs of the Triple Crown. His sire Black Minnaloushe could boast an impressive classic double on the day following Ash Cloud's easy victory in the SA Oaks just over an hour earlier.

It remains to be seen whether Louis The King will be back in action this season following his remarkable achievements in the space of the last two months. Woodruff had mentioned prior to the Derby that the Vodacom Durban July was an unlikely target due to the weight he would have to carry there, but that the Daily News 2000 was a possibility. He will be a major drawcard if he does make his way to KwaZulu-Natal this winter and racing fans in that part of the world will be hoping to see him in action there.

Trainer Alec Laird's horses have dominated the placings behind Louis The King in all three legs of the Triple Crown and this proved to be the case once again as his charges filled second and third. As You Like, third in the previous two legs, ran another game race and made sure that Louis was in a proper contest all the way to the line. He's come out of this series with his reputation enhanced and is due a victory of his own.

The aptly-named Earl Of Derby and Gone Baby Gone could not threaten the first two home but they both produced creditable performances in the minor placings. They will find much easier opportunities than this to get back on the winning trail.

3 b c Black Minnaloushe (USA) - Pamushana by Rich Man's Gold (USA)
Owner: Mr L J van der Vyver
Bred by The Alchemy
Winning trainer: Geoff Woodruff