Five finalists revealed for the Victorian Racehorse of the Year award
The battle to be crowned the 2024 Victorian Racehorse of the Year has come down to five elite equines, with Imperatriz, Mr Brightside, Pride Of Jenni, Romantic Warrior and Without A Fight all in the running to take out the prestigious title at the Victorian Racing Awards this coming Saturday, 10 August.
In one of the most hotly-contested categories for many years, any one of the quintet – who between them registered 14 wins at Group 1 level in the state last season – could justifiably claim to be the pre-eminent racehorse on Victorian tracks across the 2023-24 campaign.
The winner will be revealed on Saturday night, when the annual ceremony – which is proudly supported by Evans & Partners and will be streamed live on the Racing.com digital platforms – is held in Melbourne.
Purely in terms of victories at racing’s highest level, Imperatriz led the way last season as Mark Walker’s speed machine won five of the six Group 1s she contested in Victoria.
Her only defeat in her adopted home state last season came when finishing a courageous second carrying the topweight of 58kg in the time-honoured Yulong Newmarket Handicap (1200m) at Flemington; but she more than made amends at The Valley a fortnight later when she claimed the 10th – and final – Group 1 of her career in the 3 Point Motors William Reid Stakes (1200m).
The head-to-head battle between Mr Brightside and Pride Of Jenni was one of the defining rivalries of the season, and it was Ciaron Maher’s mighty mare who ultimately edged their private duel.
Having given her rivals a galloping lesson in the Group 1 TAB Empire Rose Stakes (1600m) on the opening day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival, Pride Of Jenni pitched up at Flemington seven days later and promptly produced another devastating display of sustained speed and stamina to take out the Kennedy Champions Mile (1600m) at the expense of runner-up Mr Brightside.
Lindsay Park’s banner horse gained a measure of revenge in the autumn when he defeated Pride Of Jenni in the Sportsbet C.F. Orr Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield, before adding the Lamaro’s Hotel Futurity Stakes (1400m) title two weeks later to take his tally of Group 1 wins for the season to four.
But Pride Of Jenni turned the tables in the Sharp EIT All-Star Mile (1600m), denying Mr Brightside a second successive win in the $4 million showpiece with another stunning performance under her regular rider Declan Bates.
The two remaining contenders for the Victorian Racehorse of the Year prize both wrote their names into the record books last season, with Romantic Warrior becoming the first Hong Kong-trained horse to win the Ladbrokes Cox Plate (2040m) and Without A Fight becoming only the 12th horse in history – and the first since Ethereal in 2001 – to claim the coveted Cups double.
Romantic Warrior succeeded Anamoe, the 2023 Victorian Racehorse of the Year, as the winner of the Cox Plate after coming out on top in a titanic tussle with Australia’s middle-distance stars at The Valley.
Under a masterful ride by James McDonald, Danny Shum’s stable star showed huge determination to capture Australasia’s weight-for-age championship by the narrowest of margins from gallant runner-up Mr Brightside, with Alligator Blood a further neck away in third.
Either side of the Cox Plate, Without A Fight stamped his status as the country’s leading stayer with valiant victories in both the Carlton Draught Caulfield Cup (2400m) and the Lexus Melbourne Cup (3200m).
Having just pipped his former stablemate West Wind Blows to the prize in Caulfield’s marquee contest, Without A Fight defied the weight of history – and the burden of carrying 56.5kg – to add his name to the illustrious roll call of winners of Australia’s most iconic race.
Despite finding himself 15th at the 800-metre mark, Mark Zahra navigated a passage through the field at Flemington before Without A Fight unleashed his trademark late surge to deliver a sixth Melbourne Cup for Anthony Freedman and a first for his son and co-trainer, Sam.
The Victorian Racehorse of the Year is voted on by a panel of industry officials and racing media and takes into account performances on Victorian racetracks only irrespective of where a horse is trained.
It will be one of number of awards presented on Saturday night, including the Scobie Breasley and Tommy Corrigan Medals for the premier flat and jumps jockey of the season respectively, and the Most Outstanding Training Performance which acknowledges excellence among Victoria’s training ranks.