Waller and Nature Strip headline NSWROA’s Racing’s Night of Champions
The winners of the New South Wales Racehorse Owners Association’s Racing’s Night of Champions Awards were announced yesterday at the Royal Randwick Ballroom for the first time since Covid restrictions were lifted.
While international performances were not taken into consideration for the points tallying, the list of finalists included recent Royal Ascot performers Home Affairs (I Am Invincible) and Nature Strip (Nicconi), the latter taking out Champion Sprinter and Horse of the Year.
In addition, Champion Middle Distance Horse and Champion Provincial Horse winner Think It Over is a son of Royal Ascot victor, So You Think (High Chaparral) while Champion Miler and Champion Stayer winner Verry Elleegant (Zed) is currently being trained in France.
The Champion Two-Year-Old win of Laurel Oak’s Fireburn (Rebel Dane) was a popular announcement, with exciting colt Anamoe (Street Boss) being crowned Champion Three-Year-Old for Godolphin.
Hinged (Worthy Cause) took out Queen of the Autumn for her win in the Surround Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) and her placings in the Coolmore Classic (Gr 1, 1500m) and Vinery Stud Stakes (Gr 1, 1850m) – all races restricted to the fairer sex.
Tough campaigner Shelby Sixtysix (Toronado) took out Champion Country Horse, while his trainer, Danny Williams, was presented with the Caryl Williamson NSW Racing Writers’ Personality of the Year Award.
Racing NSW also presented their annual awards on the night, with Chris Waller taking out the coveted Bart Cummings Medal for the twelfth successive time.
Chris Waller also picked up his 12th successive T J Smith Award for Sydney’s Premiership Trainer.
Other awards presented included the George Moore Award, taken by James McDonald. It was the sixth time ‘J-Mac’ has been honoured with the Champion Jockey award. The Theo Green Award for Champion Apprentice was won by Tyler Schiller, who is apprenticed to Mark Newnham.
The BOBS Horse of the Year Award went to Mazu (Maurice) and the Sydney Strapper of the Year was Ian (Ginger) Smith from the Annabel Neasham stable.
Racing NSW introduced a new award, Behind the Scenes Hero, which was presented to Michael Callanan, Chairman of the Racing Industry Consultation Group and Vice-Chair of the NSW Trainers’ Association.