And now here are the nomineees for the Horse of the Year Awards! With my predictions...
2012 Broodmare Of The Year
Sheila Cheval - Dam of Mufhasa
Sunday Joy (Aus) - Dam of More Joyous
Triassic - Dam of So You Think and Now You Know
Probably
Sheila Cheval (I'm thinking this will be a big night for Mufhasa and everyone connected with him!) She's also the dam of retired G1 winner Keepa Cruisin.
2012 Stallion Awards
These are just decided by number of wins, number of winners, prize money won, etc. The winners in these various categories are already known: Zabeel, O'Reilly, Pins.
2012 Breeder Of The Year
The Oaks Stud (Dick Karreman) - Artistic, Single Minded, Zurella, Smoulder.
Wentwood Grange (Hawkins Family) - Little Bridge & At The Heads
Piper Farm Ltd (Alex & Cecile Smith) - So You Think & Now You Know
Colin and John Thompson - Mufhasa
I have to go with
The Oaks here. AMAZING season for them, highlighted by the 1-2 in the Oaks with Artistic and Zurella.
Jumps Jockey Of The Year
Richard Cully - Joint Premiership Winner & Most Stakes Won
Richard Eynon - Joint Premiership Winner
Matthew Gillies - Most Prestige Jumping Races Won
No idea. I don't really follow jumps racing that closely. Maybe
Gillies.
Jockey Of The Year
Lisa Allpress - Premiership Winner
Matthew Cameron - Premiership Runner-up (VERY close)
James McDonald - Most Group & Listed Races Won, Most Stakes Won
Probably
James.
Dunstan Trainer Of The Year
Jason Bridgman - Joint Most Group & Listed Races Won
Lisa Latta - Joint Most Group & Listed Races Won
Stephen McKee - Joint Most Group & Listed Races Won
John Sargent - Premiership Winner, Most Stakes Won
Allan Sharrock - NZTA Nominee
Sargent. With 111 wins this season, he broke Mark Walker's all-time season record of 107.
Owner Of The Year
A A Baeyertz, J P Goodin, G A Macdonald, G H Phillips & R W Sharrock - (37 Points) Shez Sinsational
A J & Mrs I M Barker - (35 Points) Veyron
D L, Ms N N & S C Archer & Mrs D J Wright - (46 Points) Mufhasa & Eight Schillings
The Oaks Stud - (62 Points) Artistic, Zurella, Single Minded, Smoulder
It looks like this is done on points? I didn't know that. Either way, though,
The Oaks Stud dominate here. But honourable mention to the Archers and Wright, who only have a small number of horses - a champion and another stakes-winner this season is a great effort!
Champion Jumper
Counter Punch
Ima Heroine
Morpheus
Southern Countess
Tobouggie Nights
Again, I don't know much about jumpers!
Ima Heroine won the main jumping race, so maybe her.
Champion Two Year Old
Choice Bro
P.ussy Willow (
)
Rollout The Carpet
Warhorse
Now we're talking! Oooh, close one. Probably
Warhorse, just. I think PW is the most talented of this group, but because of injury she probably didn't do enough to get this award - just a maiden win and a G2 win in her 2 starts.
Champion Three Year Old
Planet Rock
Quintessential
Rock ‘N’ Pop
Silent Achiever
What an amazing group! And others that didn't even get nominated - Artistic, Ocean Park, Knight's Tour, Antonio Lombardo, Burgundy... Wow. We were lucky to have so many good 3yos! But you've gotta give this one to
Silent Achiever, the first filly to win the NZ Derby in 19 years.
Champion Sprinter (-1500m)
Guiseppina
Mufhasa
Veyron
Nice to see Veyron starting to get nominated for these things! But
Mufhasa just edges him here. Guiseppina had one incredible win in the Telegraph, but didn't do enough for the rest of the season. It'll be interesting to see how she goes in 2012-13.
Champion Middle Distance Horse (1501m-2100m)
Jimmy Choux
Mufhasa
Shez Sinsational
Veyron
Ooh, tough one. Jimmy Choux had 2 G1 wins in this category (and a Cox Plate placing in Australia), Mufhasa had 3 (two of them in Australia), Veyron 2 and Shez Sinsational 2. They all did so well! I'll say
Jimmy Choux, just.
Champion Stayer (2101+)
Shez Sinsational
Single Minded
Six O’Clock News
Spiro
Shez Sinsational's superb G1 Auckland Cup win is enough to win her this one, I think. Single Minded was great in his two G2s, and I think he'll be even better as a 5yo. And old Six O'Clock News had a great win in the G2 Wellington Cup, but he wasn't at his best most of the time.
Horse Of The Year
Choice Bro
Counter Punch
Guiseppina
Ima Heroine
Jimmy Choux
Morpheus
Mufhasa
Planet Rock
***** Willow
Quintessential
Rock ‘N’ Pop
Rollout The Carpet
Shez Sinsational
Silent Achiever
Single Minded
Six O’Clock News
Southern Countess
Spiro
Tobouggie Nights
Veyron
Warhorse
Big list - every horse nominated in one of the categories is automatically nominated for this. I'm gonna say
Mufhasa.
