The Southern Harness 2016/17 season's achievements were celebrated tonight (Sunday) at Ascot Park Hotel with the Southern Harness INC Southland Harness Awards taking centre stage.
The major winners at the Awards were broodmares Chicago Blues and Sly Shard, trotting mare Dark Horse and Northern Southland Trainer Robert Wilson.
The Southland Broodmare of the Year title went to Chicago Blues, which is owned by Katrina, Roger and Helen Price of Winton.
John and Katrina Price with Tracey Norman from Bryleigh Stud and John Stiven from the Southland Standardbred Breeders – Photo Bruce Stewart
She's the dam of Chicago Bull, which won ten of his fifteen starts this season including the Group One West Australian Pacing Cup and the Freemantle Cup. He took away $674,769 this season and looks destined to become the province's next millionaire pacer.
This is not the first time the Price family have had their achievements recognized at the regional awards night, with Presidential Reign winning Horse of the Year in 2007 and Champagne Party named Broodmare of the Year in 2014.
Also in the broodmare category Sly Shard, owned by Debbie and Mark Smith, joined Bella Regazza, Dreamy Atom and Beaudiene Babe who have been previously honoured, as a Southland Elite Broodmare.
Debbie and Mark Smith with John Stiven – Photo Bruce Stewart
The prestigious Southland Horse of the Year Award went to Dark Horse – the first trotting mare to win the Award in the past 30 years.
She had a stellar season, breaking two track and Southland records. In April she recorded 3-26.7 for the 2700 metre stand at Ascot Park. This was a new mares record for Southland and Ascot Park.
The following month at Winton she ran 2-58.9 for the 2400 metre mobile. This time she set a new mares track, Southland and all-comers record for the province. Her time has only ever been bettered by Habibti Ivy which holds the New Zealand Record of 2-58.5.
She also ran third in the Group One McMillan Feeds Four Year Old Ruby on Harness Jewels Day at Ashburton.
Dark Horse ended her season in style in winning the listed Uncut Gems Trotters Classic at Addington by four lengths. In all, she banked $57,200 for the season.
Northern Southland Trotting Club member and licensed trainer Robert Wilson was the recipient of the Southland Acheivement of the Year Award, which replaces what was previously called The Person of the Year Award.
The Award reflected Robert's success in training 13 winners this season, along with his ongoing and long standing involvement in harness racing administration.
Keiran McNaught was another winner, receiving an Award of Excellence for being named New Zealand Harness Racing's Cadet of the Year in Christchurch recently.
The three recipients of the Contribution Awards were George Youngman of Gore, Doug Stewart of Wyndham and Peter Drummond of Winton. This award reflects their service to their own individual clubs over many years.
Other awards were:
Southland Standardbred Breeders:
Two Year Old Filly of the Year: Repartee – FJ Price, KV Price, TG and VI Bell
Three Year Old Filly of the Year: Seaswift Joy – MI Shinn, JR,GS,DC,AG and Mrs PR Redmond
Age Race Mare of the Year: Dark Horse – Griffin and Seafield Trotting Syndicate
Group Certificates:
Bettor Joy (CJ Barron)
Mach Shard (DE and CM Smith)
SBSR/Shard Farm Fastest Winning Mile Rate Mares/Fillies:
Betta Go Fernco 28/01/2017 1-54.9 Invercargill – Owners: BW and Mrs EJ Ferns and MJ and AD Swain
Southland Harness Awards
Two Year Old Colt/Gelding of the Year: Simply Dreaming – M Saunders, P and G and Miss J Breen, G Anderson and A Gow
Robin Dundee Club Awards:
Three Year Old Filly of the Year: Venice Beach – LJ Smith
Three Year Old Colt/Gelding of the Year: Young Conqueror – RF and Mrs SF Symon
Caduceus Club and Southland Awards:
Caduceus Club Trotter of the Year: Spotlight The Valley – RE Wilson
Members Award: Perrin Smith – All Settled Down
Southland Trainer and Drivers Association Awards:
Leading Southland Trainer: Brett Gray (36)
Leading Southland Driver: Nathan Williamson (44)
Leading Southland Junior Driver: Sheree Tomlinson (24)
Leading UDR Driver: Gordon Lee
Leading UDR Trainer: Tony Stratford
Licensed To Trainer: Robert Wilson
Breeders Awards:
1:58 pins (trotters two minutes) for horses raced by members of the Standardbred Breeders Association
- Betta Go Fernco (MJ Swain)
- English Rose (SWR Gillan)
- Luciano (M and B McLellan)
- Paramount King (B and K Calder)
- Pay Master (A and G Paisley)
- Rakarolla (BJ Fahy)
- Sheezacullengirl (MJ Little)
- Sweet Loress (P O'Brien)
- Delight My Soul (SR Baucke)
- Kayteeoh Denario (MP and PM O'Connor)
- Nerve Of Steel (MDJ Saunders)
- Pat's Delight (P Kubala)
- Pegasus Merrily (MDJ Saunders)
- Share The Road (MJ and WM Swain)
- Somejoy (CJ Barron)
- The High Roller (R and B Ludemann)
Burce Stewart
Southland Harness Racing