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MEDIA RELEASE
14 August 2008
Stars of the Queensland racing season announced
Gold Edition has made it another spectacular year finishing the 2007/08 racing season as the Queensland Horse of the Year.
The Toowoomba super mare picked up the accolade after also winning the coveted prize last year.
She had a great season winning Horse of the Month from September to November 2007 competing with other monthly winners including Rasmussen, Mitanni, Omnitrader, Daunting Lad, Heart of the Citi, Swiss Ace, Chinchilla Rose, Rockdale and Perfect Feeling.
Gold Edition has since retired to broodmare duties and owners Kevin and Tanith O’Brien celebrated the win at the Queensland Racing Industry Awards on Thursday, August 14 at the Sofitel Brisbane with a host of other industry stakeholders.
She finished off her career this season with wins in the Group 1 Manikato Stakes and Group 2 Schillaci Stakes as well as a seconds in the Group 1 Age Classic and Group 2 Schweppes Stakes, both times behind rival Miss Andretti.
Her trainer Ron Maund was also in the running for the Jim Atkins Trainer of the Year as was Liam Birchley, Mick Mair, Pat Duff, John Morrisey and Steele Ryan.
Liam Birchley was crowned the winner after claiming six feature races during the 2007/08 racing season with four different horses.
Glen Colless topped off a brilliant year that included nine stakes races plus places in a further seven by claiming the George Moore Queensland Jockey of the Year ahead of colleagues Scott Seamer, Ken Pope and the Brisbane Metropolitan Premiership winner Jim Byrne.
The Ken Russell Queensland Apprentice of the Year award headed to the Brisbane Metropolitan Apprentice Premiership winner Mandy Radecker. Battling it out with Michael Palmer throughout the season, Mandy picked up two Black Type races aboard Fabiarna and Cocktail Supreme.
The Queensland Racing Industry Award winners include:
- Queensland Horse of the Year – Gold Edition
Sponsored by Brisbane Turf Club & City Pacific Finance
- Jim Atkins Trainer of the Year – Liam Birchley
Sponsored by Magic Millions
- George Moore Jockey of the Year – Glen Colless
Sponsored by UNiTAB
- Ken Russell Apprentice of the Year – Mandy Radecker
Sponsored by AON
- Stallion of the Year – Lion Hunter
Sponsored by Thoroughbred Breeders’ Queensland Association
- SEQ Metropolitan & Provincial Trainer of the Year – Barry Baldwin
Sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers
- SEQ Metropolitan & Provincial Jockey of the Year – Jim Byrne
Sponsored by Sky Channel
- SEQ Metropolitan & Provincial Apprentice of the Year – Mandy Radecker
Sponsored by Cooper Grace Ward
- Non-SEQ Provincial & Country Horse of the Year – Bazzooka
Sponsored by Magic Millions
- Non-SEQ Provincial & Country Trainer of the Year – Roy Chillemi
Sponsored by Equestrian Surfaces
- Non-SEQ Provincial & Country Jockey of the Year – Dale Missen
Sponsored by Contour Consulting Engineers
- Non-SEQ Provincial & Country Apprentice of the Year – Luke Dillon
Sponsored by Professional Advantage
- Champion QTIS 3YO of the Year – Heart of the Citi
Sponsored by Queensland Turf Club
- Champion QTIS 2YO of the Year – Saratoga
Sponsored by Sunshine Coast Turf Club
- Best 4YO & Up – Rampant Lion
Sponsored by Toowoomba Turf Club
- Champion Broodmare – Royal Diploma
Sponsored by Gold Coast Turf Club
- Champion First Season Stallion – Pure Theatre
Sponsored by Tattersall’s Club
- Champion 2YO Stallion – Falvelon
Sponsored by Ipswich Turf Club
- Women in Racing Award – Mary Henzell
Sponsored by Women in Racing Inc.
- Bookmakers’ Award for Longest Priced – Cachaca
Sponsored by Paddock Bookmakers Association
- “Highpoint” Farrier Award – Kristian Coats
Sponsored by Queensland Master Farriers’ Association
- Strapper of the Year – Luke Pannell
Sponsored by Queensland Racehorse Owners’ Association
- Best Media Award – Off the Beaten Track (Sky Channel)
Sponsored by XXXX Gold
Queensland Racing Hall of Fame
Two of the State’s champions were also inducted into the Queensland Racing Hall of Fame during the Queensland Racing Industry Awards on August 14. They include Spear Chief and Bill Briscoe:
Spear Chief
The Bill Tucker-trained Spear Chief is best remembered for a bit of Australian turf history in Sydney but was undoubtedly one of the best stayers ever produced in Queensland.
By the Melbourne Cup winner Spearfelt out of the mare Serevale, Spear Chief won 14 races including two Brisbane Cups, the QTC Derby, QTC St Leger, QTC Guineas, QTC Sires, QTC Champagne Stakes, VRC Hotham Hcp, QTC King's Plate, Cumberland Plate, and Caulfield Stakes. However, he is best remembered for the biggest upset in Australian turf history when as a 33-1 shot he beat Ajax (40-1 on) in the 1939 Rawson Stakes in Sydney.
For many years he held the Australian record for two miles (3200m). His winning jockeys were Bronco Conquest, Jack Booshand and Maurice McCarten.
Bill Briscoe
In many history books Bill Briscoe is remembered simply as the jockey when Bernborough broke down in the 1946 McKinnon Stakes. However, he was much more than that and holds a rightful place among Queensland and Australia's greatest jockeys. While there are no accurate records, Briscoe is estimated to have ridden at least 2000 winners. Briscoe started his career riding at Kedron and Coorparoo courses and when they closed he dominated "official" racing in Brisbane.
He rode 750 winners in Brisbane before moving to Sydney in 1946. Briscoe's best wins were 1948 Caulfield Cup (Red Fury), 1947 Cantala Stakes (Money Moon), 1939 Stradbroke (Bahwing),1940 Queensland Derby (Fearless Fox), 1947 Caulfield Guineas (Hororata) 1947 Sydney Cup (Proctor), 1949 AJC Sires (Field Boy), 1947 One Thousand Guineas (Sweet Chimes), 1940 AJC Champagne Stakes (John), 1947 VATC Debutante Stakes (Harella), 1946 QTC Sires (Gay Stand) 1947 QTC Sires (Rayland), 1947 QTC St Leger (Hay Stand) 1947 Kings Cup (Falcon Knight), 1938 Queensland Cup (Willwear), 1939 Hopeful Stakes (Sea Bird), and 1949 Moreton Hcp (Filipino).
Briscoe showed he was a real professional winning the 1946 VRC Derby on Prince Standard only an hour after Bernborough broke down. He won eight Brisbane premierships, second only to Russell Maddock. Briscoe set a Brisbane jockeys premiership record in the 1936-37 season at 89 winners which stood until bettered by Mick Dittman's 97 in 1977-78.
In 1945-46, the first premiership after World War II, Bill Briscoe won with 71 1/2 winners in 54 meetings. If he had the same strike rate in 2008 he would have ridden about 160 winners. As a trainer his best horses were Blue Roc (1966 QTC Oaks), Sun and Sand (1970 Meynink Stakes), Amatai (1968 Koomeela Stakes, 1968 Gayndah Centenary Derby), Kashmir (1952 QTC Guineas) and Malkuri (Ipswich Cup). He is one of only three post war Queenslanders to train and ride a Group 1 winner.
Ends.
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