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Queensland Horse of the Year – St
Basil
Sponsored by Queensland Racing and Brisbane Turf
Club
One of Queensland’s most popular racehorses
of recent years, the Bevan Laming trained St Basil
deservedly joined the Group 1 winners’ club
when he won this year’s Stradbroke Handicap
at Eagle Farm.
Raced by Jenny Laming, George Horrocks and New Guinea
based owners Geoff McLaughlin and Sir Michael Bromley,
St Basil had been considered very unlucky by many
when he blew the start in the 2004 Stradbroke, before
running home strongly to finish third in the race.
During the last season, St Basil also ran third
in the Group 1 Salinger Stakes at Flemington on Victoria
Derby Day and second in the Group 2 BTC Cup at Doomben,
which were both over 1200m and probably a bit short
of the gelding’s best distance.
St Basil proved a clear-cut winner in the eyes of
the voting panel of around 30, which is made up of
the media and industry stakeholders.
A bargain buy as a yearling in New Zealand, St Basil
has now won nearly $1.16 million and looks certain
to earn more before he is retired.
St Basil is among the nominations for this spring’s
Cox Plate.
Jim Atkins Trainer Achievement Award – Bruce
McLachlan
Sponsored by Magic Millions
Inaugural Queensland Racing Hall Of Fame inductee
Bruce McLachlan certainly didn’t rest on his
laurels in the 2004/05 racing season.
Virage de Fortune won five of her six starts as
a two-year-old including the Group 1 QTC Sires Produce
and the Group 3 Champagne Classic at Doomben and
looks likely to go on with the job in the spring
in Melbourne.
Cox Plate nominee Diamondsondinside won four times
in his two-year-old season including the Listed Doomben
Slipper while Natural Woman and Raw Instinct also
won Listed races from the trainer’s Caloundra
stables.
With two such promising young horses in the stable,
don’t be surprised if Big Bruce has another
great season in 2005/06.
George Moore Jockey Achievement Award – Scott
Seamer
Sponsored by City Pacific Finance
Scott takes out this award for the third year in
a row, adding another eight Black Type races to his
Resume in the 2004/05 season.
The season started off well for Scott, winning the
Group 1 Epsom Handicap in Sydney on the Gai Waterhouse
trained Desert War and wound up in equally impressive
fashion, winning the Group 1 TJ Smith on New Zealand
colt Darci Brahma.
Success also came in the Group 2 Queensland Guineas
and the Group 3 Doomben Classic on the Gerald Ryan
trained Saxon.
Scott also had Group 3 success in the Liverpool
City Cup in Sydney on Sam Sung A Song and also won
at Group 3 level in Brisbane aboard Tickle in the
Lord Mayor’s Cup.
Ken Russell Apprentice Achievement Award – Yoshi
Yamazaki
Sponsored by AON Risk Services Australia Limited
Yoshi Yamazaki shone against some of the best riders
in the country during the Brisbane Winter Carnival
with two wins and three placings in Black Type races
to take out the Ken Russell Achievement Award.
The highlight was the young rider’s Group
3 win in the Group 3 Carlton Draught Stakes at the
Tattersall’s meeting at Eagle Farm, beating
boom sprinter Takeover Target.
Few people at the track that day will forget Yoshi’s
acceptance speech, when he said, “How you say
here, I got the chocolates.”
The Bryan Guy trained Classic Karla also had great
success with Yoshi in the saddle, winning the Listed
Smith and Nephew Stakes at Eagle Farm, as well as
running second in the Group 3 Chairman’s Handicap
and third in the Group 3 Ipswich Cup.
As is often the case after a great run of success,
Yoshi literally came crashing back to earth, when
he broke his knee in a trackwork fall, just a couple
of days after his win on Poetic Papal.
Metropolitan Trainer of the Year – John Hawkes
Sponsored by XXXX Gold
Australian Hall of Fame trainer John Hawkes took
the honours for the Brisbane metropolitan trainers
premiership for the 2004/05 season with 58 winners
in town.
Under the guidance of the trainer’s son Michael,
Tenor Lodge regularly produces plenty of winners
each year.
The biggest win for the Hawkes stable in Brisbane
for the year came right at the end of the season,
when Terrace ridden by stable apprentice Todd Pannell
proved too good for his rivals in the Listed Tattersall’s
Mile.
Metropolitan Jockey of the Year – Stathi Katsidis
Sponsored by Sky Channel
Stathi wins this title for the second year in a
row, after winning the metropolitan jockeys premiership
with 75 city wins, holding off a determined challenge
by Jim Byrne on 73 wins.
In total, Katsidis had 614 rides in Queensland for
the year, for 120 wins, 93 seconds and 77 thirds.
Katsidis won two Listed races through the season
in the Bernborough Handicap at Doomben on the Bryan
Guy trained Deuxieme and the Weetwood Handicap at
Toowoomba on Tellem, as well as dead-heating for
second in the Group 2 Prime Minister’s Cup
at the Gold Coast on Regal Punch.
The Weetwood victory was the fourth time that Katsidis
had won the feature sprint in his old hometown.
Metropolitan Apprentice of the Year – Gavin
McKeon
Sponsored by Ambassador Travel
Former New South Wales apprentice Gavin McKeon took
the honours in the Metropolitan Apprentice of the
year, riding 25 wins for the season in Brisbane.
Along with his success in town, Gavin had tremendous
success travelling to provincial TAB meetings where
he quickly outrode his claim.
McKeon also rode three third placings in Listed
races through the season, on Western Brace in the
Recognition Stakes, Sovereign Express in the Dr John
Power Handicap and Star Of St Covet in the Sir Edward
Williams Handicap.
Provincial and Country Horse of the Year – Nessuno
Sponsored by The Magazine Publishing Company
Rockhampton gelding Nessuno was a clear winner for
this title in the votes received by our voting panel.
Obviously his gutsy win in the Listed Eye Liner
Stakes at Ipswich got him over the line from a quality
field of contenders trained at Country and Provincial
centres.
Connections, who bought Nessuno on trainer John
Wigginton’s recommendation, have had plenty
of fun with the gelding with the Eye Liner victory
being his 10th win, since coming to Queensland.
Nessuno had also notched up another feature race
win for Wigginton, when he was successful in the
Cleveland Bay Handicap in Townsville, in July 2004.
Provincial and Country Trainer of the Year – Roy
Chillemi
Sponsored by Radio TAB
Roy Chillemi, a past winner of this Award, scored
a runaway win in this year’s title with 75
winners for the season.
These wins came from just 247 starters, with stable
runners also running 40 seconds and 22 thirds.
Through the season Chillemi recorded six winning
trebles in Townsville and another one in Cairns for
good measure, as well as several doubles from his
Atherton stable.
Multiple winners like Undenied, River Hunter and
Galicano would certainly hold their own in Brisbane
if the astute trainer decided to venture south with
them.
Provincial and Country Jockey of the Year – David
Crossland
Sponsored by Tattersall’s Club
Atherton’s David Crossland takes out this
title for the third year in a row after winning on
a countback from Rockhampton rider Dale Evans.
During the 2004/05 season, Crossland had 332 rides
for 94 winners, 61 seconds and 32 thirds, which means
he finished in the first three for well over half
of his rides.
Crossland rode four winners at a meeting in Townsville
last November and also had 10 winning trebles through
the year.
Evans, who was out of action for part of the season
finished strongly to also finish on 94 wins, 55 seconds
and 43 thirds from his 419 rides for the year.
Provincial and Country Apprentice of the Year – Gavin
McKeon
Sponsored by Century Wines and Spirits
As well as winning the Metropolitan Apprentice of
the Year title with 25 winners, Gavin rode another
53 winners at provincial meetings through the last
season to take out the Provincial and Country Apprentice
title as well.
His regular visits north to TAB meetings at Rockhampton
and Mackay really increased McKeon’s profile
to a national Sky Channel audience and quickly saw
him outride his provincial claim.
On October 7 last year, McKeon rode five winners
at the meeting at Rockhampton, saluting on Cearnaigh,
Facial, Partings, Momentum and the appropriately
named Ididit My Way.
At two Mackay meetings in December, McKeon was at
it again, riding four winners at one meeting and
a treble at another, as well as the several doubles
that he rode throughout the year.
Champion QTIS Three-Year-Old – Our Sweet Moss
Sponsored by QTIS and Queensland Racing
The Gerald Ryan trained Our Sweet Moss (by Mossman)
was voted as the Champion QTIS Three-Year-Old following
two stakes race wins in 2004/05.
Starting her three-year-old season off in great
style, Our Sweet Moss won the Group 2 Silver Shadow
Stakes at Warwick Farm and also ran third in the
Group 3 Furious Stakes at Warwick Farm.
Returning to Ryan’s Gold Coast stables for
the Winter Carnival, Our Sweet Moss ran second to
Beautiful Gem in a QR/Sky Channel Gold Quality at
Eagle Farm before going on to win the Listed Dane
Ripper Quality, also at Eagle Farm.
Breeders Brian and Robin Purtle retained Our Sweet
Moss to race themselves.
Champion QTIS Two-Year-Old – Written Tycoon
Sponsored by QTIS and Queensland Racing
The Graeme Begg trained Written Tycoon (by Iglesia)
took the prize of Champion QTIS Two-Year-Old on the
strength of his win in the Group 2 Todman Stakes
at Rosehill in the lead up to the Golden Slipper.
Bred by Daandine Stud, Written Tycoon was sold at
the 2004 Magic Millions yearling sale for $50,000
to Begg, who trains the colt on behalf of the Written
Bloodstock Syndicate.
Resuming from a spell at Randwick on the first Saturday
in August, Written Tycoon certainly looks like he
will go on with the job as a three-year-old with
his good second to Media in the Group 3 San Domenico
Stakes.
QROA Best Four-Year-Old And Up – St Basil
Sponsored by QROA
While there were a lot of worthy contenders for
this title which is open to horses owned by members
of the Queensland Racehorse Owners Association, the
Bevan Laming trained St Basil got the judges verdict
with his impressive win in this year’s Stradbroke
Handicap.
Now an eight-year-old, St Basil struck instant success
for connections at his run in Queensland, winning
an Ipswich Maiden in May 2001, when he was ridden
by Michael Cahill, who also piloted him to his Stradbroke
victory, some four years later.
Along the way the popular grey has recorded 13 wins
and nine placings from his 42 starts with those placings
including two Group 1 thirds in the 2004 Stradbroke
and the 2004 Salinger Stakes at Flemington.
TBQA Champion Stallion and TBQA Champion Two-Year-Old
Stallion – Lion Hunter
Sponsored by TBQA
The ill fated Oakland Stud stallion Lion Hunter
has proved a great loss to the Queensland breeding
industry with his progeny excelling this season with
224 runners for 100 winners, his top season performers
include Upilio, Ferocity and Street Smart.
Upilio won the Listed Meynink Stakes and also ran
a good second to smart filly Virage de Fortune in
the Group 1 QTC Sires Produce and was also third
in the Listed Doomben Slipper.
Ferocity won two races including the Adelaide Magic
Millions and ran third in the Group 2 VRC Sires Produce,
as well as being placed twice at Listed level from
six starts as a two-year-old.
TBQA Champion Broodmare – Sparkling Bounty
Sponsored by TBQA
After being runner-up in this category in 2004,
behind Hallaya, the dam of Regimental Gal, Sparkling
Bounty was a clear winner in this category this year.
The mare is the dam of sprint sensation Spark Of
Life, which has captured Australian racegoers with
his continuous black type performances.
Spark of Life is the winner of the Group 1 Manikato
Stakes, Group 2 Premiere Stakes, Group 2 BTC Cup
and also had two Group 1 placings in The Galaxy and
Australia Stakes during the 2004/05 season.
TBQA First Season Stallion – Iglesia
Sponsored by TBQA
Another success story for Oaklands Stud was resident
freshman stallion Iglesia who continued his two-year-old
success throughout the year with 32 starters for
7 winners and $995,900 in stakes earnings.
Iglesia’s sired four individual Black Type
performers, in the shape of Foolish, Written Tycoon,
Diamondsondinside and Nova Star.
Written Tycoon was named as the Champion QTIS Two-Year-Old
for his win in the Group 2 Todman Stakes, while Foolish
won two Listed races and Diamondsondinside and Nova
Star were both Listed winners.
Best Radio/TV Coverage – Matthew Hill/Sky
Channel
Sponsored by Sunshine Coast Turf Club and La Promenade
Matthew Hill of Sky Channel travelled north to present
a colourful report on Burdekin Cup Day, which was
produced by Mark Levy and shown on Off The Beaten
Track on June 16.
The story captured the colour, excitement and characters
that make up a feature country race day and was presented
in an amusing style that appealed to both regular
racegoers and those that have probably never been
close to a horse.
Matthew, who is also a racecaller with Sky Channel,
is in good company, joining Marie Mohr and Brendan
Parnell as past winners of this Award.
Best Photograph – Ross Stevenson/Turf Monthly
Sponsored by Gold Coast Turf Club & Con Searle
Bookmaker
Ross Stevenson, the Turf Monthly photographer in
Brisbane took this unique shot of jockey Michael
Pelling in a fall from Rose Of Destiny in the Doomben
Roses.
Several of our leading photographers got photos
of the fall, which occurred just past the winning
post, the first time around in the race, but Ross
was the only one to catch Pelling in a position that
saw him horizontal with the Doomben track.
The photo was published in On And Off The Track
in the July issue of the Queensland Racing Magazine.
Best Print Story – Phil Purser/Just Racing
Sponsored by Magic Millions Leasing
Phil Purser from the website www.justracing.com.au won the award for best Print Story for his fascinating
story ‘Bill Smith was Australia’s First
Woman Jockey’ which was first run on the Ipswich
based website on February 16 2005.
The story was also reproduced in the April issue
of the Queensland Racing Magazine and has been referred
to in follow up articles in the Herald Sun in Melbourne
and The Cairns Post.
The headstone for the previously unmarked grave
of Wilhemena Smith was unveiled on August 14 in the
Herberton Cemetery after nearly $3,000 in donations
was made to an appeal conducted by the Herberton
Lion Club.
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