The buzz time Australian harness racing is enjoying was underlined by champions Leap To Fame and Just Believe fighting-out 2023 Australian Harness Horse of the Year honours.

It was Queensland pacing sensation Leap To Fame who prevailed with almost 70 percent of votes ahead of globetrotting square-gaiter Just Believe with almost 22 percent.

Leap To Fame raced 16 times last season for 12 wins, three placings and earnings of over $1.25 million. His biggest win came in the Brisbane Inter Dominion final, but he also won at Group 1 level in the Rising Sun and Sunshine Sprint at Albion.

Additionally, Leap to Fame ran second in the inaugural TAB Eureka, the Group 1 Blacks A Fake and third in the Group 1 Victoria Cup.

Just Believe famously had a mid-year stint in Sweden where three starts there netted him two fantastic placings against some of the world’s best trotters.

At home, the son of Orlando Vici raced 11 times in Australia last season for eight wins, two seconds and a third with earnings of $483,300. He won three Group 1 races, including the Great Southern Star and Brisbane Inter Dominion trotting finals.

Naturally, Leap To Fame also won both the Australian Pacer of the Year and the Aged Pacing Gelding/Horse of the Year titles.

The South Australian owned-and-bred Encipher, who upstaged Leap To Fame to win the inaugural $2.1mil TAB Eureka last September, comfortably won the Australian Aged Pacing Mare of the Year crown with over 78 percent of votes.

It was Rickie Alchin’s brilliant Lux Aeterna who easily won the 2YO Pacing Filly of the Year title with over 78 percent of votes from Emma Stewart’s unbeaten Very Pretty (13 percent).

Lux Aeterna raced 12 times last season for nine wins, two seconds, a third and banked $359,823.

Despite the riches being spread in the 2YO Pacing Colts and Geldings features through the season, Emma Stewart’s Timmy Rictor dominated voting with almost 70 percent, ahead of stablemate Stormryder on 13 per cent.

Timmy Rictor, a son of Modern Art, won five of his six starts, including the Group 1 Breeders Crown final at Melton.

Stewart also dominated the three-year-old awards with Major Delight adding the 3YO Pacing Filly crown to the two-year-old title of the previous year, and Petracca scoring over 56 per cent of votes to upstaged brilliant WA youngster Never Ending (17.3 percent) in the 3YO Pacing Colts and Geldings category.

2023 HRA Vancleve Award Winners

Champion trotter Just Believe’s stunning CV just got bigger.

The Jess Tubbs-trained global sensation has snared the 2023 Australia Trotter of the Year title.

Just Believe was totally dominant last year with 11 starts in Australia netting eight wins, two seconds, a third and $483,300.

His wins included the Great Southern Star final, Brisbane Inter Dominion final and Australian Trotting Grand Prix – all at Group 1 level.

In addition, Just Believe drew international acclaim with three runs in Sweden, including a second and a third in elite company.

The only other trotter to receive top votes from any voting panel members in the premier category of the Vancleve Awards was the brilliant Queen Elida, who banked $372,950 last season through 13 wins, five seconds and two thirds.

Just Believe was also a unanimous winner in the Aged Trotting Horse/Gelding of the Year, while it was the same dominance for Queen Elida in the Aged Trotting Mare category. It was Queen Elida’s second successive win in the category.

The unbeaten Nathan Jack-trained Violet Stanford, who made it five wins from as many starts winning the Group 1 Vicbred final at Melton on September 16, landed 75 per cent of the votes to easily win the Australian 2YO Trotting Filly of the Year.

NSW youngsters dominated the 2YO Trotting Colt or Gelding of the Year division with a dead-heat between the NSW-based Valtino, who won six of his 11 starts, and Maximus Meridius (eight wins).

The David Miles-trained Rockinwithattitude added the 3YO Filly of the Year title to the 2YO crown she won the previous year with a whopping 90 per cent of votes. She raced 12 times last season for eight wins, two seconds and banked $203,940.

In a stirring battle, Queenslander Not As Promised upstaged NSW-based London To A Brick to win the 3YO Colt or Gelding crown.

The Graham Dwyer-trained Not As Promised landed 45 percent of votes, driven by his wins in the Victoria Trotters’ Derby and Breeders Crown finals.