Lanfranco "Frankie" Dettori, is an Italian jockey who was based in England for a career spanning over 35 years. He was British flat racing Champion Jockey three times and rode the winners of 287 Group 1 races including 23 winners of the British Classic Races. His most celebrated achievement was riding all seven winners on British Festival of Racing Day at Ascot Racecourse on 28 September 1996.
The South Africa men's national soccer team represents South Africa in men's international soccer and it is run by the South African Football Association, the governing body for Soccer in South Africa. The team's nickname is Bafana Bafana, and South Africa's home ground is FNB Stadium, which is located in Johannesburg. The team's greatest result was winning the Africa Cup of Nations at home in 1996. The team is a member of both FIFA and Confederation of African Football (CAF). The team remains one of the best teams on the continent.
Johan "Rassie" Erasmus is a South African rugby union coach and former player. He was the head coach of the South African national team from 2018 to the end of their 2019 World Cup campaign, doubling up on his duties as the first ever SARU Director of Rugby, to which he was appointed towards the end of 2017. He led South Africa to win the 2019 Rugby World Cup, and he subsequently won the 2019 World Rugby Coach of the Year award.
Sport has a significant role in South African culture. The three most popular mainstream sports in the country — cricket, football and rugby — reflect the country's early British colonial influence. South Africa was absent from international sport for much of the apartheid era due to sanctions, but started competing globally after the end of apartheid. South Africa is among a very few countries which have participated in world cups of all three major sports — cricket, soccer, and rugby union. England, Ireland, Scotland, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia are among other such nations. South Africa has hosted the 1995 Rugby World Cup, 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup and 2007 ICC World Twenty20, and 2010 FIFA World Cup.
David E. Ferraris is a Thoroughbred racehorse trainer in Hong Kong.
The Hollywoodbets Durban July Handicap is a South African Thoroughbred horse race held annually on the first Saturday of July since 1897 at Greyville Racecourse in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. Raced on turf, the Durban July Handicap is open to horses of all ages. It is South Africa's premier horse racing event and currently offers a purse of R5 million.
Ipi Tombe is a champion Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. She was bred by Peter J. Moor, chairman of the board of directors of the Thoroughbred Breeders Association of Zimbabwe. With that country in a state of turmoil and near economic collapse following implementation of the government's land reform law that resulted in confiscation and redistribution of horse farms, the granddaughter of Mr. Prospector was sold at the annual Zim Nation yearling auction in Harare for the equivalent of US$30. Purchased by a four-man partnership, she was given the name Ipi Tombe which in the Xhosa language translates as "Where is the girl?"
Asiatic Boy is a Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred by Haras Arroyo de Luna SA, he was out of the mare S. S. Asiatic and sired by Argentinian Group One winner Not For Sale. Asiatic Boy's damsire was Kentucky-bred Polish Navy, the sire of 1993 Kentucky Derby winner Sea Hero. Polish Navy was a son of North American Champion sire Danzig.
Patrick Anthony Howard 'Paddy' Upton is a South African born cricket coach specialising as head coach in professional Twenty20 cricket, mental coach to professional athletes, sports scientist executive coach and professor of practice at Deakin University. He attained his master's degree in sports science at University of Cape Town.
Duke of Marmalade was an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He is best known for winning five consecutive Group One races in 2008, for which he was named European Champion Older Horse. Upon retirement at the end of the 2008 racing season he stood as a stallion for Coolmore Stud, being moved between stud farms in Ireland and Australia. In July 2014 he was sold and relocated to Drakenstein Stud in South Africa.
Cameron van der Burgh OIS is a retired South African competitive swimmer and hedge fund analyst. He is Africa's first home-trained world record holder and individual male Olympic champion. He is married to longtime partner Nefeli Valakelis.
Chad C. Brown is an American Thoroughbred horse racing trainer known for his expertise with turf horses and with fillies and mares. He has trained ten Eclipse Award winners including Stacelita, Big Blue Kitten, Lady Eli, Flintshire, and Horse of the Year Bricks and Mortar. After receiving the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer of 2016, he won his first Triple Crown race with Cloud Computing in the 2017 Preakness Stakes. He also won the Eclipse Award in 2017, 2018, and 2019. He also won his first race outside of the United States when he won the 2024 edition of the Sandy Lane Resort Barbados Gold Cup in Barbados as an assistant trainer for the Gay Smith owned Edward Walcott Junior trained Portfolio Company
Shackleford is a chestnut Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2011 Preakness Stakes. He also finished second in the 2011 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and won the Metropolitan Handicap and Clark Handicap in 2012.
Quinton de Kock is a South African cricketer and former captain of the Proteas in all three formats. He currently plays for South Africa in T20 International, Titans at the domestic level, and Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League. He was named the Cricketer of the Year at Cricket South Africa's 2017 Annual Awards. Considered as one of the best wicket keeper batsmen of his generation. An opening batsman and wicket-keeper, de Kock made his domestic debut for the Highveld Lions during the 2012/2013 season. He quickly caught the national selectors' eye when he starred in a match-winning partnership with Neil McKenzie in the Champions League T20 against the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL)..He also finished fourth on the first-class rankings, despite playing only six of the 10 matches that summer.
Variety Club is a South African Thoroughbred racehorse. Racing in his native country, the horse won numerous major races including the Cape Guineas, the Queen's Plate and two editions of the Rising Sun Gold Challenge. He was voted South African Horse of the Year in both 2012 and 2013. After a complicated and protracted quarantine procedure he was allowed to compete internationally and established himself as one of the best horses in the world in 2014 with wins in the Godolphin Mile in Dubai and the Champions Mile in Hong Kong. He was retired from racing in autumn 2014 to become a breeding stallion in South Africa.
Hear The Drums was a South African bred racehorse. He has the highest number of verified wins (34) for any South Africa bred or raced horse. He was foaled in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa at the Summerhill Stud. He was trained by Des McLachlan and owned by Peter Fabricius throughout his racing career. He died in 2016.
Muzi Yeni is a South African thoroughbred horse racing jockey. To date he has won Numerous Grade 1 races, with 1788 career wins.
Terrance Millard was a South African horse racing trainer. He trained over 2,500 winners, including 117 Grade 1 victories, 44 Grade 2 races, and 37 Grade 3 races. He held the record for the most Grade 1 wins at 117, until that was surpassed by Mike de Kock in 2018.
Kevin Shea is a former South African horse racing jockey. He was a former stable jockey for trainer Mike de Kock, and rode 26 Grade 1 winners for the trainer.
Mpumelelo Mhlongo is a South African sprint and long jump athlete and Paralympic Games record holder. Mhlongo won silver and bronze at the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships in the T44 men's 100 metres and long jump events.
