breednet.com.au

NZ Horse of the Year Finalists Announced

Media Release - Friday July 23

The stellar racing season experienced by the Te Akau Racing team is reflected in the first group of finalists for the New Zealand Thoroughbred Horse of the Year Awards.

Eight horses prepared at Matamata by Te Akau trainer Jamie Richards are among the 17 individual flat racing finalists, with Richards represented in each of the five categories.

Melody Belle

The Te Akau contenders include reigning Horse of the Year Melody Belle, who is a finalist in two categories and in contention for a third Horse of the Year title.

Melody Belle and stablemate Avantage, who between them won nine Group one races in the 2020-21 season, are finalists for both the sprinter-miler and middle distance awards.

The sprinter-miler section looks particularly strong, with the other finalists being Callsign Mav, who was a Group One winner and three times Group One-placed, and Te Akau mare Probabeel, who won four Group races in Australia, including two at Group One level.

Sword Of State and On The Bubbles will represent Te Akau in the two-year-old section and their stablemates Amarelinha and Need I Say More are finalists for champion three-year-old.

Savy Yong Blonk, who won the City of Auckland Cup for Richards, is a finalist for champion stayer, a section that also includes Melbourne and Caulfield Cups placegetter The Chosen One, Auckland and Waikato Cups winner Ocean Billy and Wellington Cup winner Waisake.

Finalists for champion jumper, trainer, jockey, jumps jockey and owner will be confirmed at the end of the season. The 2021 Horse of the Year Awards dinner, in association with major partner SENZ, will be held in Hamilton on 12 September.

Advertisement

The finalists in the flat racing categories are:

Champion Two-Year-Old: Bonny Lass, On The Bubbles, Sword of State.

Champion Three-Year-Old: Aegon, Amarelinha, Need I Say More, Rocket Spade.

Champion Sprinter-Miler (up to and including 1600m): Avantage, Callsign Mav, Melody Belle, Probabeel.

Champion Middle Distance (1601-2200m):  Avantage, Beauden, Concert Hall, Melody Belle, Royal Performer.

Champion Stayer (2201m and further): Ocean Billy, The Chosen One, Savy Yong Blonk, Waisake.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit loveracing.nz/awards

Advertisment
More Reading...
Little Avondale Announce Fees - Little Brose New
Little Avondale Stud created a slice of New Zealand racing history when they successfully brokered a deal to stand Little Brose at their Wairarapa farm.
1.4mil Gns Record at Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up - St Mark's Basilica 750,000 Gns
A colt by Acclamation eclipsed the record price for a lot at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up Sale when selling to Godolphin for 1,400,000 guineas on the opening day of the sale with a St Mark’s Basilica colt second highest at 750,000 guineas.
Cool Aza Beel's Cool Archie Impressive in First Win
Cool Aza Beel’s promising son Cool Archie was already stakes placed but threw off the maiden tag emphatically at Doomben on Wednesday with better races beckoning over the winter.
Who Do You Pick? Star Mares of Tomorrow
In chatting with our guest Jim Clarke this week on our Tara Talks Racing podcast we discussed a topic that will no doubt spark plenty of interest from our audience, if you could have one three year-old filly to take forward and race next season at four, who would it be?
Arrowfield Announce 2025 Fees
In the wake of his third Golden Slipper winner and his career-best yearling sale results, multiple Champion Sire Snitzel heads the 2025 Arrowfield stallion roster at an unchanged fee of $247,500, while Castelvecchio has earned a deserved fee increase.
Yes Yes Yes It’s Been a Big Week for Kate Nivison!
This time last week passionate owner breeder Kate Nivison was basking in the success of having bred and sold a $1.7million Extreme Choice colt at Inglis Easter and today she was enjoying a different sort of success as a winning owner at Kembla.
FBAA Professional Development Day- Food for Thought
The Federation of Bloodstock Agents Australia’s third Continued Professional Development Day was again held at Randwick Racecourse on Tuesday 8th April 2025 and was hosted by MC Vin Cox.
Pedigree Watch – Euro 3YO - Classic Potential
Interesting racing overnight at Newmarket with a couple of Classic key lead up stakes races for three year-olds and the winners were both first time stakes-winners, one from the family of Sydney autumn carnival staying star Alalcance and the other a homebred Dubawi filly for Juddmonte.
Winner 9 For Ole Kirk With Aerodrome on Debut
Ole Kirk went clear again at the top of First Season Winners list on Wednesday when the Michael Freedman trained Aerodrome made a tough winning debut at Warwick Farm.
Bloodstock Brains Behind the Big Stables
The modern world of big business horse training sees all the major players having trusted bloodstock agents as an integral part of their team and in the case of Bjorn Baker that person is Jim Clarke of Clarke Bloodstock.