Monbet wins three top harness awards
MONBET has joined an illustrious list of trotters to win the New Zealand Harness Horse of the Year Award.
The champion squaregaiter won the prestigious title at the 2016 Harness Racing Awards in Christchurch on Saturday night.
Twenty seven judges of the pacing and trotting awards returned voting forms. They represented the media, Harness Racing NZ’s racing department and racing managers of Alexandra Park and Addington.
Monbet received 15 votes for the top award, while Auckland Cup winner Have Faith In Me got 12.
The North Canterbury-trained Monbet was also named Trotter of the Year and Four-Year-Old Trotting Entire or Gelding of the Year.
The other six trotters to have won Horse of the Year were I Can Doosit (2011-12), Take A Moment (2002-03), Lyell Creek (1999-00), Merinai (1997-98), Sir Castleton (joint winner with Steel Jaw, 1983-84) and No Response (1978-79).
Monbet, raced on lease by Woodend Beach trainers Greg and Nina Hope and Morrie Molloy, of Christchurch, had a stellar season winning 13 of 15 starts.
He won nine Group races, with his seven Group I victories posted in the Four-Year-Old Ruby (Harness Jewels), Rowe Cup, Anzac Cup, NZ Trotting Championship, National Trot, NZ Trotting Free-For-All and Australasian Trotting Championship Final (Melbourne).
The Love You gelding scored a grass track win at Methven in December.
He was competing in a fouryear-old and older free-for-all and ran the mobile mile in 2:0.1. Stent finished second.
Monbet was driven throughout the season by his regular reinsman Ricky May, of Methven.
Have Faith In Me got all 27 votes for Four-Year-Old Pacing Entire or Gelding of the Year.
All but one judge chose him as Pacer of the Year.
The Rolleston training partnership of Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen raced Have Faith In Me nine times this season for six wins.
His last four starts were at Menangle, Sydney, and resulted in wins, including Group I success in the Miracle Mile and Chariots of Fire.
Rasmussen drove Have Faith In Me to a slick time of 1min 47.5sec in the Miracle Mile. The combination clocked 1:48.8 in the Chariots of Fire.