Y6 AWARDS PRESENTATION

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HORSE OF THE YEAR

SKYWARD All eyes were on the latest Hall of Fame inductee at the end of this year, as she crowned herself queen of the turf and set two new records. Four year old mare Skyward of Flat Creek Racing has had a brilliant year, with four Feature wins to her name (breaking the record stablemate Challenger set in his final year of racing), and an induction into the Hall of Fame. Skyward is the result of a cross between Y2 Sire of the Year Tambourine, and last year's Broodmare of the Year Devil's Food, and is living up to her outstanding pedigree. Her year began with a stellar performance in the Summer Turf Classic, her fourth Feature win in her career and first for the year. Though overshadowed by supermare Magneta for most of the year, Skyward was not detered, putting in several good efforts in non-Feature races. Her talents really showed in the Virtue Treble though, when she took out all three legs and became the first Treble champion ever.

CHAMPION TWO YEAR OLD

EASTERN EXPRESSION It was clear from the moment he stepped onto the track that King's Park Racing had something special in Eastern Expression, and the dark bay colt certainly lived up to his potential this year. Though finishing the year without result in four races, he began strongly with a streak of three wins and a fourth, racing almost exclusively in Features. He swept away the field in his maiden, and repeated the feat in the American Cup Juvenile, before moving to the turf to take on and beat the older horses in the American Turf Cup. The more seasoned racers proved to tough to crack in the Summer Turf Classic, with Eastern Expression running fourth, but he made up for it with a placing in the Summer Turf Juvenile. He was entered in all three legs of the Treble, but failed to show, and will be back for another try as a three year old.

CHAMPION THREE YEAR OLD

CONSTELLATION Y5 Horse of the Year Constellation is out to prove he is not just a two year old wonder, it seems, with another successful season bringing him within reach of GII status. Bred, owned and trained by King's Park Racing, Constellation had three wins this year, in the Animal Cops Stakes, Call Up Mile, and Open Feature, the American Cup. Also added to his impressive record in Feature races were a place in the GIII Green Isle Handicap, and a show in the Summer Stakes, of which he won the Juvenile version last year. Constellation will be heading out to the track for a four year old season next year, and will be aiming for GII status and an award as Champion Older Male.

CHAMPION OLDER MALE

SPIRITWAY Five year old stallion Spiritway had a fantastic season, with four wins, two places and two shows from eight starts and making it into GII territory along with Skyward. This boy from King's Park blasted away the competition at the start of the year with wins in the Maria Maria Stakes and Mirza Turf, before falling to third in the Zenyatta Stakes. He came back on form to win another two races, the well-known Variety Show Stakes, a race he has previously had little luck in, and the Featured GII Run For The Roses, before finishing the year with stellar performances in another three races, achieving a show in the Summer Turf Sprint and placing in the Open Raphael Stakes and Tragedy Turf.

CHAMPION OLDER FEMALE

MAGNETA All attention was on supermare Magneta of Ferndale Farms this year, as she properly began her racing career after a late start as a four year old. Running her five year old season this year, Magneta proved herself as being one of the best horses seen this year, following in stablemate Hoist the Colours' footsteps by winning all of her first four starts before finally being defeated in the Elder Stakes. Her brilliant performance on the track continued with a show and a fourth in the Desperation Stakes and Coby Memorial respectively, before the decision was made to step her up a notch. Though not run in Features as often as other horses, Magneta held her own against them in her bid for the Treble, with a fourth in the Honesty Stakes, and a place in both the Charity Derby and Hope Plate to finish off her year. Magneta will be returning in Y7 for a final season before being retired as a broodmare.

SIRE OF THE YEAR

ZYNCO With several superb racers on the track and plenty of potential in his foals and yearlings, it is no wonder that Zynco is taking Sire of the Year for Flat Creek Racing for the third time. Zynco has sired many quality racers, and several Feature winners, all horses who have run successfully over several seasons. Most notable of these are five year old Magneta of Ferndale Farms, unbeaten in her first four starts and this years Champion Older Female, and Y5 Horse of the Year and this year's Champion Three Year Old Constellation of King's Park Racing, a multiple Feature winner. Other notable offspring include Feature winners Open At The Close, Fiorion and Spring's Delight, and talented yearling Unsung Hero.

BROODMARE OF THE YEAR

BYEBYEBIRDY Though she never took to racing and so never set foot on the track, surprisingly ByeByeBirdy is a producer of nothing but champions for King's Park Racing. Her first foal, the talented three year old Constellation by Zynco, took to the track in Y5 and never looked back, taking out two Juveniles and Horse of the Year, before returning this year to claim Champion Three Year Old. Little sister Veridical (a King's Park homebred by Alphabetical) was not to be outdone this year though, running in the same grade for some races and taking out a Juvenile and the Summer Oaks, normally ruled by older horses. ByeByeBirdy also has a yearling and a foal on the ground, with another set to come next year; a colt by Tambourine named A Thrush's Song, with the potential to go as far as Constellation if not further who has been sold to Flat Creek Racing, and a Just Dun It colt named Flying Expectations who is aptly named, as fans of Constellation and Veridical eagerly await his debut.

STABLE OF THE YEAR

KING'S PARK RACING King's Park were led into Y6 with a truckload of two year old talent, with all four new arrivals making a name for themselves. In light of the recent retirement of champions Autumn Fun, Looking Glass and Syllable, the talent was welcomed by the stable as they once again took the world by storm. After an initial place in her first maiden, March to Glory (Fritzy x Princess Marie) went on a four race winning streak to match that of Magneta that included two turf Juveniles, and contested the Treble at the end of the year. Veridical followed in her big brother's footsteps, while Spring's Delight (Zynco x Coursette) took a more subtle approach to racing, taking only a Juvenile and running exclusively in sprints. Eastern Expression (Tambourine x Eastern Essence) was an instant hit with two Feature wins and a place, though he weakened slightly toward the end of the season. Constellation also returned for another season, bringing himself ever closer to GII, while five year olds Spiritway and Dreamtime made it there just in time for their final racing seasons. To round the year off, newcomer Fly By Knight, a filly from an unknown bloodline, put in several stellar performances that prove Autumn Fun is not the only talent King's Park have found in dirt sprinters.

BREEDER OF THE YEAR

FERNDALE FARMS With the retirement of Ferndale legends Hoist the Colours and Daemon came a new era of fame for the stable, in the form of a great step-up in their already fantastic breeding program. Proving that they know what they are doing is homebred Magneta, leading the way for champions this year and bringing the spotlight back on Ferndale, who have been absent from the racetrack for a while. This year saw many new foals born at Ferndale, including the eagerly awaited He's A Pirate, a colt that is the result of a cross between Hoist the Colours and Daemon, the first of no less than eight Daemon foals born this year. Other foals seen oozing potential include Deirdre, a filly by Pearl Hardborn (dam of Magneta) and out of Daemon, Glock, a Looking Glass x Pennip foal who is expected to be a quality money-bringer and Phantom Menace, a loudly-coloured Daemon filly out of unraced mare Gravestone.