Mongolian Khan impresses again
‘‘Forsman and cotrainer Murray Baker also received awards as leading trainers on racedays and the Bruce McDonald Memorial Leading Trainer of the Year award.’’
Superstar Cambridge thoroughbreds battled it out off the track for prestigious prizes at the recent 2015-16 Cambridge Jockey Club Awards.
Connections of two horses in particular Turn me Loose (Iffraaj) and Mongolian Khan’s (Holy Roman Emporer) were overloaded with awards by the end of the evening.
But Inner Mongolia Rider Horse Group and Windsor Park Stud-owned Mongolian Khan won the Horse of the Year Award.
The highlight of Mongolian Khan’s final racing season was his hollow victory against Australian and international opposition in the Group I Caulfield Cup.
That performance also secured him the Champion Stayer Award.
Trained throughout his career by Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman, Mongolian Khan retired as the winner of eight of his 17 starts with his Group I haul also including the New Zealand and Australian Derbys to earn more than $4.1 million
It was a busy night for Forsman who fronted to receive nine other awards for the connections of both Mongolian Khan and Turn Me Loose.
Forsman and co-trainer Murray Baker also received awards as leading trainers on racedays and the Bruce McDonald Memorial Leading Trainer of the Year award.
Popular recipient of the Alan Bremner Memorial Contribution to Cambridge Racing Award went to Lee Somervell whose along with other owners of Addictive Habit also picked up the weightfor-age awards and the Northern Raceway Services Group One Award.
Bloodstock breeder of the most Cambridge Trained Winners Award was Gerry Harvey whose award was received by Westbury Stud Group representative Russell Warwick.
Other winners on the night were leading jumping rider Michael Mitchell, apprentice jockey Viktoria Gatu, senior jockey Danielle Johnson , jumping trainer Mark Brooks and obliging track rider Aleisha Legg.
Connections of Sacred Elixir, Rangipo, Jack Romanov, El Soldado, Tavago, Sofia Rosa, Luna Rossa and Provocative also received awards.
The awards event also included The Waikato Apprentice Jockeys’ School Prizegiving.
Shaun McKay was named Premier Apprentice Jockey.
Ryan Elliott and Zy Nor Azman were named as co-winners of the Most Improved Apprentice jockeys with Nor Azman being named as Best Presented at the scales.
Anna Jones was named as Outstanding Female Apprentice.