Finalists named for Country Horse of the Year

Country Racing Victoria has announced three finalists for this season’s bet365 CRV Horse of the Year.

Multiple country cup winners Another Coldie, Barry The Baptist and Mahamedeis will vie for the coveted accolade, which will be presented at the annual CRV Awards Night on 24 August.

To qualify for the award, horses must have had at least three starts on country Victorian racetracks during the racing season. Horses are judged solely on their performances on country Victorian racetracks by CRV’s member clubs.

The three finalists, as well as their season highlights, are listed below:

Another Coldie: Trained by Darren Weir and then Symon Wilde, the son of Snitzel had 14 starts during the 2018/19 racing season, including seven on country tracks. Another Coldie’s highlights included dominant wins in the Gold Nugget at Ballarat, the Horsham Cup and the Kyneton Cup. He also finished third in the Werribee Cup and fourth in the Bairnsdale Cup.

Barry The Baptist: The pin-up horse for Stawell trainer Paul Jones, the son of Hard Spun raced 15 times during the 2018/19 racing season, including 10 starts in the country. Wins in the Sheep Hills Cup at Warrnacknabeal and the Apsley Cup at Edenhope came either side of a narrow victory in his hometown Stawell Cup. Barry The Baptist also finished runner-up in the Hamilton Cup, the Casterton Cup and the St Pats Cup at Geelong.

Mahamedeis: Despite being trained in the city, Mahamedeis lay claim to a lethal strike rate on country tracks during the 2018/19 racing season. From only three starts, he won the Traralgon Cup and the Werribee Cup. Nick Ryan’s stable star also ran fourth in the Listed Golden Mile at Bendigo.

Previous winners of the CRV Horse of the Year include Austy Coffey’s Vianden (2018), OTI Racing’s Tall Ship (2015), Forest Knight (2006 and 2007) and champion stayer Makybe Diva (2003).

Three finalists were also announced for the CrocMedia CRV Media Award including Racing.com’s Karl Kaldawi and Matt Tenace, who were recognised for their ‘On the Road: Australia Day Weekend‘ feature at Hanging Rock and Great Western.

Other awards presented on the night include Country Club of the Year, Community Club of the Year and Country Event of the Year.

 

Source: https://www.racing.com/news/2019-07-31/crv-horse-of-the-year