Victorians have dominated the Australian Horse of the Year Awards.
From a possible 14 awards, nine were fully trained out of Victorian and another (Soho Americano) shared her time with trainer Mick Stanley between Victoria and NSW.
Champion trainer Emma Stewart snared two key pacing awards with the brilliant Loucasso (2YO colt/gelding of the Year) and Fox Dan (3YO colt/gelding).
Loucasso won seven of his nine starts last season, including the Group 1 Protostar and Group 1 Breeders Crown
Stablemate Fox Dan went close to becoming the first three-year-old to win the world’s richest harness race, the TAB Eureka, when second to older stablemate Bay Of Biscay.
Fox Dan’s 2025 record was 10 starts for seven wins and two seconds with his biggest win coming in the Group 1 Victoria Derby.
Soho Americano was the third pacing award winner aligned to Victoria. She had a long and amazing season with 22 starts for 11 wins, six seconds, two thirds and $346,475 in earnings.
Given Victoria’s dominant lead role in trotting ranks, it is no surprise all seven trotting award winners were Victorian based.
In a tight tussle, Arcee Phoenix just edged-out Keayang Zahara for the overall Australian Trotter of the Year title.
Arcee Phoenix’s wins in the Brisbane Inter Dominion final and TAB Trot at Cambridge gave him the edge over Keayang Zahara, who raced just seven times last year for six wins and a second.
Keayang Zahara did win the Aged Trotting Mare crown.
Mick Bellman’s dominant gelding Mecarno won the 3YO colt/gelding award.
He raced 12 times in 2025 for nine wins and a second. Three of the wins – Victoria Derby, Vicbred final and Breeders Crown final – were at Group 1 level.
Jess Tubbs’ brilliant filly Tracy The Jet was unchallenged in the 3YO filly category with nine wins and two seconds from 11 starts.
The highlight was her emotion-charged win in the $NZ500,000 Ascent at Addington on November 11.
The two-year-old trotting awards went to Keayang Bazlenka (colt or gelding) and Harperseven (filly).
Outside of Victoria, champion Queenslander Leap To Fame won the overall Australian Horse of the Year crown.
He became just the sixth horse to win it three times after a season where he raced 21 times for 16 wins, five seconds, a third and banked almost $1.8 million.
Star NSW mare Eye Keep Smiling won the Aged Pacing Mare of the Year. She raced 16 times last season for 12 wins, a second, a third and over $400,000 in prize money.
Brilliant WA filly Wishing Belle’s first season of nine starts for eight wins and a second earned her the Australian 2YO Filly of the Year title. She became the first WA filly to win the award since Arma Express back in 2012.
2025 AUSTRALIAN HORSE OF THE YEAR WINNERS
(Victorians in bold)
LAWN DERBY AWARDS – PACERS
Pacer of the Year: Leap To Fame
2YO filly: Wishing Belle
2YO colt/gelding: Loucasso
3YO filly: Soho Americano
3YO colt/gelding: Fox Dan
Aged horse/gelding: Leap To Fame
Aged mare: Eye Keep Smiling
VANCLEVE AWARDS – TROTTERS
Trotter of the Year: Arcee Phoenix
2YO filly: Harperseven
2YO colt/gelding: Keayang Bazlenka
3YO filly: Tracy The Jet
3YO colt/gelding: Mecarno
Aged horse/gelding: Arcee Phoenix
Aged mare: Keayang Zahara
