Delight’s the best on track
OUTSTANDING Tasmanianowned three-year-old Max Delight has been crowned Tasmanian Horse of the Year for season 2018-19.
The Mick Maxfield-owned colt won the Group 1 NSW Derby in Sydney and the Group 1 Breeders Crown final for three-year-old colts or geldings as well as returning home to take out the Tasmanian Derby.
Max Delight was also awarded the top 3YO colts and geldings title at the annual awards event at Ladbrokes Park, Elwick, on Saturday night where all of last season’s top performers were awarded for their efforts.
Max Delight was purchased at the Sydney Yearling Sale in 2017 for a record $245,000 but after winning the Breeders Crown final his prizemoney ballooned to $324,000 from just 24 starts. Maxfield has been investing in standardbreds for decades, but this colt was by far the most expensive.
Exciting youngster Colby Sanz was named the best twoyear-old colt or gelding with three impressive wins from seven starts and Blame it on Me was voted the standout two-year-old filly, winning five from seven starts.
The Kent Rattray-trained Colby Sanz won the Dandy Patch (sires stakes) heat and final in Hobart as well as the Crystal Mile in Devonport.
Blame it on Me won the Sweepstakes heat and final and a heat of the Evicus Stakes before failing to finish in the final. Still Hungover (Sutter Hanover-Crystal Still) was best three-year-old filly. She won at her first three starts as a three-year-old, including the 3YO Fillies’ Championship, and ended her season with a win in the $50,000 Bandbox final in Launceston.
Ignatius was voted best 4YO and older and Twenty Two Karat was named mare of the year with the broodmare of the year title going to Our Zellweger, courtesy of the feats of her progeny Izaha, Harjeet and Jigamaroo.
All of the industry participant awards were handed out at the function, with Ben Yole receiving his trophy as top trainer for the fourth consecutive season and he also was awarded the Halwes Medal which is the result of votes submitted on a 3-2-1 basis by seven judges each week.
Yole prepared a record 182 winners in Tasmania from a record 2660 starters.
Bianca Heenan prepared 50 winners to finish second, but her tally easily won her the leading female trainer title, which was a record.
Mark Yole won his second drivers’ premiership with 88 wins while Samantha Gangel was the state’s leading female driver with 29 wins and Conor Crook drove 31 winners to be the state’s most successful novice driver.
This year’s Edgar Tatlow Medal was awarded to Dr Stephen King, who has been the attending vet at harness meetings for more than 40 years.
King moved to Tasmania from NSW to open a veterinary practice in the early 1960s and soon after he and his business partner, Dr Barry Gillo, purchased their first standardbred broodmare, Reena Raid.
Ten years later King teamed with Doug McKillop, Viv Hately and Gerald Gee to buy Tasman Lodge and that led to a trip to the US where they purchased Atashy, which was an instant success as a sire, particularly of two-year-olds, producing 22 winners from his first crop.
Dr King’s passion has always been harness racing, but as a vet he has been involved with all three codes in Tasmania, and he is still regarded as one of the best in his profession.