The Victorian breeding industry has come together to celebrate an incredible year and honour its champions and rising stars at this year’s Victorian Breeding Awards.
For the ninth time Written Tycoon was declared the IRT Champion Victorian Sire after another impressive year from his juvenile progeny on the track.
Standing at Yulong Stud, this season Written Tycoon sired three new Group 1 winners including Golden Slipper champion Lady Of Camelot, Australian Guineas winner Southport Tycoon as well as exciting New-Zealand Group 1 winning two-year-old Velocious.
Two-year-old filly Hayasugi’s G1 Blue Diamond Stakes victory escalated the standings of her emerging sire Royal Meeting, with the stallion from Lovatsville named this year’s IRT Champion Victorian First Season Sire.
After a standout season from tough mare Bella Nipotina, where she added an additional two Group 1 victories to her career record, the iron horse was awarded this year’s TAB Champion Victorian Bred Racehorse.
Her performances on the track were so momentous this season that the six-year-old also elevated the deeds of her dam Bella Orfana in determining her to be awarded as this year’s Avenel Equine Hospital Champion Victorian Broodmare.
It was an incredibly emotional victory for connections Michael Christian and Siobhan Miller from Longwood Thoroughbred Farms and Saconi Thoroughbreds, who confirmed Bella Orfana had passed away earlier this year after battling cancer.
Almost ten years since he retired to stud, Toronado was again awarded the Racing Victoria VOBIS Sire of the Year.
Standing at Swettenham Stud, Toronado this season recorded his fifth Group 1-winning progeny, when the Danny Shum-trained Victor the Winner took out the G1 Centenary Sprint Cup at Sha Tin.
Classy Zoustar filly Miss Roumbini was awarded this year’s Racing Victoria VOBIS Horse of the Year.
Rosemont Stud was awarded the Racing Victoria VOBIS Nominator of the Year award.
This year their leading stallion Shamus Award sired his sixth individual Group One winner when the filly Quintessa defeated the boys in the Group One Levin Classic over a mile.
The Matt Laurie-trained Pierata colt, Coleman, was named the Inglis Champion Victorian Bred 2YO. Bred by Rhys and Chloe Smith from Kulani Park, Coleman burst onto the scene last October when he became his Yulong-based first-season sire Pierata’s first runner and winner in the Listed Debutant Stakes at Caulfield.
The Belmont Bloodstock Agency Champion Victorian Bred 3YO was awarded to colt Veight after the son of Grunt’s incredible three-year-old season that culminated in winning the G1 George Ryder Stakes at weight-for-age level, the first since Pierro in 2013 to achieve the feat.
Godolphin’s breeding operation is world-class but it was their Victorian base with stallions such as Brazen Beau and Street Boss that took out this season's TAB Champion Victorian Breeder.
Wins from the progeny of their Victorian-based stallions included mare Zapateo’s thrilling G1 Galaxy victory and Traffic Warden’s G2 VRC Sires Produce win.
Punching above their weight to take out this year’s Kentucky Equine Research & BARASTOC Leading Victorian Small Breeder award was Des Pope and family, represented on the night by Deanna Pope.
The Pope family’s broodmare band continues to breed successive generations of stakes winners, with the majority through the family of Rubiton mare Innovation Girl including speedy two-year-old filly Bold Bastille and well as the Moody-Coleman trained consistent mare She Dances.
Dr Angus McKinnon OAM received the prestigious Inglis Service to the Industry Award for his decades of ground-breaking work in advancing equine veterinary medicine not only in Australia but around the world.
Sophie Titter was recognised with the Stud Staff Support Line Rising Star Award for her tireless work and passion as the Assistant Manager at Two Bays Farm.
Congratulations to the winners!
A full list of winners below:
Racing Victoria VOBIS Nominator of the Year – Rosemont Stud
Racing Victoria VOBIS Sire of the Year – Toronado
Racing Victoria VOBIS Horse of the Year – Miss Roumbini
Inglis Champion Victorian Bred 2YO – Coleman
Belmont Bloodstock Agency Champion Victorian Bred 3YO – Veight
TAB Champion Victorian Bred Racehorse – Bella Nipotina
Kentucky Equine Research & BARASTOC Leading Victorian Small Breeder – Des Pope & family
TAB Champion Victorian Breeder – Godolphin
Avenel Equine Hospital Champion Victorian Broodmare - Bella Orfana
IRT Champion Victorian First Season Sire – Royal Meeting
IRT Champion Victorian Sire – Written Tycoon
Stud Staff Support Line Rising Star Award – Sophie Titter
Inglis Service to the Industry Award – Dr Angus McKinnon OAM
