For the second consecutive year, pint-sized pacer CHICAGO BULL NZ has taken out the Western Australian Harness Horse of the Year, announced at the 2018 Harness Horse of the Year Awards function held at Optus Stadium on Sunday, 21 October.
Trained by Gary Hall Snr, the impressive Bettors Delight USA gelding earned WA harness racing’s top honour after completing the 2017/18 racing season with 15 wins and 7 places from 23 starts and accruing over $660,000 in stakes money.
SOHO INTERCEPTOR was awarded 2YO Filly of the Year with Group One wins in the Fillies WestBred Classic and the Fillies Sales Classic Final.
Impressive dual Group One wins for FRANCO EDWARD NZ helped him to beat out other contenders to claim honours as the 2YO Colt or Gelding of the Year having won the Golden Slipper and the Pearl Classic Final.
OUR MAJOR MAMA NZ was crowned 3YO Filly of the Year after winning the Group One WA Oaks, while KING OF SWING NZ was awarded 3YO Colt or Gelding of the Year after five wins from 10 starts including the Group One SKY Racing WA Derby.
Gary Hall Snr was awarded Trainer of the Year (566 races for 153 wins and $2.7m stakes), Shannon Suvaljko took home Driver of the Year (1,249 races for 179 wins and $1.8m in stakes), while Aged Mare of the Year went to IDEAL ALICE NZ and the Trotters Cup winner ITSGETTINGCALDER was crowned Trotter of the Year.
Kyle Harper won the Young Achiever of the Year award after recently notching up his 500th win. Kyle has trained and driven three Group One winners, amassing over $5m in stakes on horses he has driven and a further $1.3m on horses he has trained.
The RWWA Service to Industry Award was presented to Craig Murphy for his outstanding contribution to the harness racing industry demonstrated by his incredible efforts at the Byford Training Club as a respected and valued club man, volunteer, Committee member and President.
Media Personality of the Year went to Gareth Hall, a talented sports journalist with some of the nation’s leading media outlets, Gareth has increased the coverage of WA Harness Racing in the media since moving to Perth a few years ago.
Scott Hamilton Media won Best Feature Story with ‘Junior Achiever’, an engaging story on the winner of the RWWA Junior Achiever Award for the 2017 season. Scott Hamilton ventured down to the Boyanup stables of Justin Prentice to film this documentary style video.
Full list of award winners:
• Young Achiever of the Year – Kyle Harper
• RWWA Service to Industry Award – Craig Murphy
• Trainer of the Year – Gary Hall Snr
• Driver of the Year – Shannon Suvaljko
• Best Harness Racing Feature Story – Scott Hamilton Media for ‘Junior Achiever’
• Best Harness Racing Media Personality – Gareth Hall
• 2YO Filly of the Year – Soho Interceptor
• 2YO Colt or Gelding of the Year – Franco Edward NZ
• 3YO Filly of the Year – Our Major Mama NZ
• 3YO Colt or Gelding of the Year – King of Swing NZ
• Aged Mare of the Year – Ideal Alice NZ
• Trotter of the Year – Itsgettingcalder
• WA Harness Horse of the Year – Chicago Bull NZ
RWWA