Jilliby Kung Fu is the 2017-18 Victorian harness horse of the year after the annual honours were bestowed upon the winners at last night’s Gordon Rothacker Medal event at Crown Palladium.

Over 450 people attended the industry’s night of nights, which also featured a lengthy list of honours, including legend I.R. Dick Lee receiving the prestigious Gordon Rothacker Medal.

In the Horse of the Year awards, Jilliby Kung Fu, trained by Marg Lee, secured top gong for a dual Group 1 winning four-year-old season (wins in the TAB 4YO Bonanza at Melton and the Chariots of Fire at Menangle), plus a runner-up effort beaten a head in the Grand Circuit open-age classic, the Miracle Mile, in 1:46.9.

Check out what the award recipients had to say about their equine stars

The Victorian Horse of the Year voting panel, comprising 10 judges, voted 4-2-1 for overall Horse of the Year, and Jilliby Kung Fu picked up 20 votes to finish five ahead of Lennytheshark, whose biggest win for the year was the Group 1 Victoria Cup.

Lennytheshark, who won the open-aged pacing entires and geldings’ horse of the year gong, also won an Inter Dominion heat and finished second in the Group 1 Ballarat Cup and fourth in the Group 1 Del-Re National A.G. Hunter Cup.

Filly Shez All Rock capped a dazzling three-year-old season by winning Victorian three-year-old filly of the year and was third in the overall Victorian Horse of the Year category with 12 votes.

Shez All Rock was judged on her performances when trained in Victoria by Emma Stewart and then Mark Pitt, with her major performances therefore being her Group 1 Alabar Victoria Oaks and New South Wales Oaks successes.

Trotter Sparkling Success was fourth overall for Victorian Horse of the Year (11 votes), the John Meade-trained star winning the open-age trotting entires and geldings’ section after winning two Group 1 races for the season – the Pryde’s EasiFeed Great Southern Star and the Aldebaran Park Maori Mile.

Soho Tribeca (six votes) finished in fifth place for the overall Victorian Horse of the Year award.

Importantly, judges could only take into account Soho Tribeca’s performances when trained by a Victorian-based trainer. Soho Tribeca won the Group 2 Jet Roofing Kilmore Pacing Cup, and placed in the Group 1 Del-Re National A.G. Hunter Cup, Group 1 Allied Express Sprint and Group 1 Miracle Mile.

Other horses to pick up votes in the overall Victorian Horse of the Year were trotting mare Maori Time (four votes), open-age pacing mare Ameretto and last season’s premier three-year-old male, Poster Boy (one vote each).

The judging panel consisted of Rob Auber, Jason Bonnington, Michael Guerin, Adam Hamilton, Michael Howard, Lachlan McIntosh, Dan Mielicki, Craig Rail, Blake Redden and Cody Winnell.

 

Victorian Horse of the Year 2017-18 results

2YO Pacing Colts and Geldings

Centenario: 32
Hurricane Harley: 28
Hardhitter: 8
Lochinvar Art: 2

2YO Pacing Fillies

Kualoa: 38
Soho Nolita: 20
Major Kiss: 6
Tangoingwithsierra: 4
Two Times Bettor: 2

3YO Pacing Colts and Geldings

Poster Boy: 40 (unanimous)
Ride High: 20
Major Times: 4
Konan: 3
Master Moonlite: 2
Duplicated: 1

3YO Pacing Fillies

Shez All Rock: 34
Speak No Evil:  26
Soho Burning Love: 10

4YO Pacing Entires and Geldings

Jilliby Kung Fu: 40 (unanimous)
Wrappers Delight: 20
Motu Meteor: 6
Stars Align: 3
Magical Marn:  1

4YO Pacing Mares

Carlas Pixel: 36
Tell Me Tales: 24
Flying Moth: 10

5YO+ Pacing Entires and Geldings

Lennytheshark: 34
Soho Tribeca: 23
Shadow Sax: 13

5YO+ Pacing Mares

Ameretto: 40 (unanimous)
Our Golden Goddess: 19
Berisari: 11

2YO Trotting Colts and Geldings

Always Ready: 40 (unanimous)
Kyvalley Clichy: 17
Moreton Bay:  13

2YO Trotting Fillies

Sleepee: 30
Emerald Stride: 26
Fear The Yankee: 13
Georgias Pride: 1

3YO Trotting Colts and Geldings

Wobelee: 30
Stress Factor: 29
Anywhere Hugo: 11

3YO Trotting Fillies

Moonshine Linda: 40 (unanimous)
Pretty Majestic:   20
Moonlite Dream: 10

4YO Trotting Entires and Geldings

Kheiron: 40 (unanimous)
Deltasun: 20
Claudys Prince: 5
Garshaway: 2
Carnera:  1
Hellbound:  1
Illawong Byron:  1

4YO Trotting Mares

Margaret Ruth:  33
Kinvara Sue: 23
Margaret Jean: 9
Myrtle Vale: 3
Andyou: 2

5YO+ Trotting Entires and Geldings

Sparkling Success: 38
Tornado Valley: 21
Kyvalley Blur: 11

5YO+ Trotting Mares

Maori Time: 32
Red Hot Tooth:  27
Regal Pepperell: 7
Hey Yo:  3
My Tribeca:  1

Overall Victorian Horse of the Year

Jilliby Kung Fu: 20
Lennytheshark: 15
Shez All Rock: 12
Sparkling Success: 11
Soho Tribeca: 6
Maori Time: 4
Ameretto: 1
Poster Boy: 1