JANINA REXRODT DRIVES AWAY WITH THE TOYOTA STARLET CROSS

Tears fell at the Toyota SA Dressage Championships gala dinner on Saturday night when Janina Rexrodt heard her name called as the winner of a brand-new Toyota Starlet Cross.

The Championships ran from 8 to 12 September at KPC, closing with a Greatest Showman-themed gala dinner on the final evening. It was there, with MC Aidan Lithgow drawing the winning name out of his top hat, that Janina heard she had won the car. Surrounded by friends and family she had invited along to share the night, she was completely overwhelmed as her name was announced.

Janina had earned her place in the draw that evening not once but twice. Over the course of the Championships, she took two titles, winning the Prix St Georges aboard Rosalie and the Intermediate I aboard Vincent Vegas. The second of those was a particularly sweet result, as Vincent Vegas has not always been the easiest ride and a win of this kind, demanding consistency of performance, is a clear indication that this partnership is really flourishing.

In terms of how the draw itself worked, each Championship winner of Prix St Georges, Inter I, Medium Tour and Big Tour at the show earned a place in the draw, and Janina’s two victories put her name in twice. That gave her two of the four entries in the hat, alongside Candice Hobday, who won the Medium Tour on ARCO360 Rocinante XVII, and Dawn Newman, who took the Big Tour Victor Ludorum on Winx Insurance’s Callaho Lincoln.

There was a neat symmetry to the moment, too. The car giveaway was introduced only last year, when Candice Hobday drove away with the inaugural prize. Janina’s name was in the hat that night as well back in 2025.

Congratulating her on behalf of Toyota was Glenn Crompton, Vice President of Marketing at Toyota SA, who wondered aloud whether a busy student juggling two horses would find much time to drive. Janina left no doubt that she would make the time for a car like this! In fact, within minutes she’d given the car the name Stella…

In an emotional thank you, Janina paid tribute to her two horses, Rosalie, whom she has ridden since the mare was six, and Vincent Vegas. She also thanked Toyota SA, whose support, she said, has lifted the sport to a level South African dressage has never seen before.

Toyota SA’s sponsorship of the Championships, and of the Starlet Cross that now belongs to Janina, continues to raise the profile of the discipline and gives dressage riders something to really celebrate!