Kiwis Prepare for Horse of Year Awards

Tuesday, 13 August 2002 00:00

It's New Zealand thoroughbred racing's turn for a night of glitz and glamour this Friday night.

The annual Mercedes Racing Awards will be staged at Ellerslie Racecourse's Convention Centre on Friday night before a packed audience as the time comes to recognise the achievements of the New Zealand thoroughbred industry participants - horse and human- during the 2001-2002 season.

The Sunline (NZ) camp is sure to again be to the fore just as they were at the Australian Horse Of The Year awards earlier this month.

Sunline has been New Zealand's Champion Horse Of The Year for the past three seasons and she is certainly a big chance to make it four in a row with the stiffest competition coming from the Caulfield-Melbourne Cups winner Ethereal (NZ).

The two queens of the turf also face each other in the weight-for-age category while their respective dams Romanee Conti (Ethereal) and Songline (Sunline) are among three finalists for the Mercedes Broodmare Of The Year title.

Sunline is also a finalist in the sprinter-miler section while her breeders, Michael Martin and Susan Archer, are again finalists in the Breeder category.

Sunline's trainers Trevor and Stephen McKee are contenders for the Trainer title while her owners are also in line for the Owner-Of-The-Year trophy.

Ethereal is the hot favourite to take out the Champion Stayers' award while her trainer, Sheila Laxon, has a nomination for Trainer Of The Year.

Ethereal's owner-breeders, Peter and Philip Vela, are also among the finalists for the Owner Of The Year and Breeder Of The Year categories.

The Vela-bred Vapour Trail (NZ) will also be honoured on the night as the New Zealand Bloodstock Filly Of The Year title winner and she is a finalist in the Three-Year-Old section.

MERCEDES THOROUGHBRED RACING AWARDS 2002 FINALISTS

DEWAR STALLION

ZABEEL

MERCEDES BROOD MARE

HONEYMOON EXPRESS dam of Carnegie Express
ROMANEE CONTI dam of Ethereal
SONGLINE dam of Sunline

MERCEDES JOURNALIST

DAVE BRADFORD
MIKE DILLON
BARRY LICHTER
PHILLIP QUAY

MERCEDES BROADCASTER

ADRIAN CLARK
TONY LEE
ANDRE NEILL
LUKE RADICH

DUNSTAN TRAINER

PAUL HARRIS
SHEILA LAXON
BRUCE MARSH
STEPHEN McKEE & TREVOR McKEE ONZM
GRAEME ROGERSON & STEPHEN AUTRIDGE
ALLAN SHARROCK
JOHN WHEELER

MERCEDES CHAMPION JUMPER

CHIBULI
CRAFTY DANCER
GOLDEN FLARE
ST STEVEN

MERCEDES CHAMPION SPRINTER/MILER

HONOR BOUND
SOUND THE ALARM
SUNLINE
VINAKA

MERCEDES CHAMPION STAYER

CYCLADES
ETHEREAL
PRIZED GEM

NEW ZEALAND BLOODSTOCK FILLY OF THE YEAR

VAPOUR TRAIL

McBEATH APPRENTICE JOCKEY

MICHAEL WALKER

GROSVENOR STALLION

VOLKSRAAD

MERCEDES BREEDER

SUSAN ARCHER & MICHAEL MARTIN
GARRY CHITTICK
PETER VELA ONZM & PHILIP VELA
TOM WILLIAMS

MERCEDES CHAMPION WEIGHT-FOR-AGE PERFORMER

CINDER BELLA
ETHEREAL
LA BELLA DAMA
SUNLINE

MERCEDES CHAMPION TWO YEAR OLD

DANCEINTHESUN
DANROAD
GROUT
LADY DEHERE

MERCEDES CHAMPION THREE YEAR OLD

FINAL DESTINATION
LEICA GUV
SIXTY SECONDS
VAPOUR TRAIL
VINAKA

MERCEDES JOCKEY OF THE YEAR

LANCE O'SULLIVAN
SCOTT SEAMER
MICHAEL WALKER

MERCEDES JUMPS JOCKEY

CLAYTON CHIPPERFIELD
JONATHAN RIDDELL
CRAIG THORNTON

MERCEDES AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION IN RACING EXCELLENCE

NO FINALISTS

MERCEDES OWNER

RAY COUPLAND
THAYNE GREEN, HELEN LUSTY & TREVOR McKEE ONZM
DON PYE & WENDY PYE MBE
NOEL & RON STANLEY
PETER VELA ONZM & PHILIP VELA

MERCEDES HORSE OF THE YEAR

NO FINALISTS

NEW ZEALAND HORSE OF THE YEAR (1990-2001)

2001 Sunline (NZ)
2000 Sunline (NZ)
1999 Sunline (NZ)
1998 Tycoon Lil (Aus)
1997 O’Reilly (NZ)
1996 Our Maizcay (Aus)
1995 Rough Habit (NZ)
1994 The Phantom (NZ)
1993 Vendercross (NZ)
1992 Rough Habit (NZ)
1991 Surfers Paradise (NZ)
1990 Horlicks (NZ)

PICS - Quentin Lang.

Media Release - NZTM