Same Action, Same Award
For the second successive season, a two-year-old star has upstaged the older pacers to claim the title of 2007 South Australian Horse of the Year.
In accepting the award part-owner Jim Smith from
Smith and Billinger purchased the filly for the bargain price of $5,000 at the 2006 SA Standardbred Yearling Sales and named her Same Action in reference to that first sighting. Now she not only has the same action, but also has the same award as Hes A Corka, a former SA Horse of the Year.
Same Action may have been a surprise winner, having only won five races but the quality of those wins – plus four second placings - from just 10 starts was outstanding. Included in her haul was the $50,000 Southern Cross Final with a second placing in the $53,000 Graduate Pace also on her resume.
Same Action also won the SA Two-your-old of the Year award, while Vicbred winner Elysees Crest made it a fillies-double by taking out the SA Three-year-old of the Year title. Amazingly, both fillies where bred by former SAHRC President David Sharpe highlighting his impact on the local breeding industry.
The Trotter of the Year trophy was awarded to Kiwi-bred squaregaiter The Upper Crust who started last season with three straight victories and went on to win the Tooheys New Trot at Globe Derby Park on Inter Dominion Grand Final night and the Group 3 Hankook Tyres Plate at Moonee Valley on Hunter Cup day.
SA bred and owned, but Victorian-trained, trotter Sundons Pride took home the Juvenile Trotter of the Year, one of two new awards on the program, with The Juggernaut ‘claiming’ the other fresh award as the number one Claimer in the state.
The Penfield father and son team of Gary and Wayne Hill won the State Trainer of the Year and Young Driver of the Year titles respectively, with Joe Buttigieg winning the Metro Trainer, David Harding landing both driving titles by a big margin and Urjokin was awarded as the Leading State Horse throughout season 2006-2007.
Also at the awards day the Greg and Carol Lutze-owned Leica Franco was recognised as the Broodmare of the Year, and Malcolm Hann was honoured with the Nevada Smoke Achievement Award for his many decades of involvement in various aspects of the racing and transport industries.
Cavallaro’s First Win in Nearly Eight Years
Angle Vale trainer Neil Cavallaro could not understand the fuss people were making over his drive on Friday night aboard Diligent Moon, a three-year-old filly trained by his daughter Angela Chapman.
Despite Cavallaro being engaged for just his sixth drive in the past three seasons and Diligent Moon having her first ever race start the pair where sent out as odds-on favourites. A delayed start and false start could have unnerved the inexperienced filly, but she handle the experience like an veteran campaigner.
The fuss came about after Cavallaro and Diligent Moon won the race. A quick delve into the records showed a training-driving double with Rowan Knight and Blast Furnace at Strathalbyn in February 1999 was the last time Cavallaro had saluted the judge.
Angela Chapman revealed that Diligent Moon goes much better for her father than for her, so Neil Cavallaro better keep the colours handy for a little while longer.
HRSA Constitution Changes In Sight
After some healthy debate on key areas the meeting resolved to meet on November 25 at a Special General Meeting with a view to signing off on changes and addressing recommendations in the Bentley Report.
HRSA Chairman Grant Goodall said “Sunday’s meeting saw a unified industry ‘in principle’ agreement to significant changes to our constitution.”
“With some fine tuning over the next 10 days, it will allow us to get industry sign-off on November 25,” he added.
Super Southern Cross Month
Forced changes to the 2008 Alabar Southern Cross schedule for two-year-old’s has meant July 2008 will be a massive month for juvenile pacers in
The two-year-old program was previously set-down for May and early June, but will now be run in conjunction with the three-year-old series in July.
All two and three-year-old finals and consolations will now be contested on the same night, August 2, with heats and repechages on the three preceding Saturday nights.
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HRSA Ltd
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