SCENIC BLAST NAMED AUSTRALIAN RACEHORSE OF THE YEAR

Sprinting sensation Scenic Blast was crowned the 2008/09 Australian Racehorse of the Year presented by Luxbet.com at Palladium at Crown last night, and picked up another two awards to dominate the event.

Scenic Blast earned 55% of the overall votes to cap an outstanding season of racing. The Danny Morton-trained five-year-old won four of his eight starts including the Flemington sprint double, the $500,000 Group 1 Coolmore Lightning Stakes (1000m) and the $1 million Group 1 Crown Newmarket Handicap (1200m) during the Melbourne Festival of Racing.

Scenic Blast’s Newmarket Handicap win also earned him a rating of 122 placing him alongside Weekend Hussler as the highest ranked horse in Australia and New Zealand for the season.

The champion gelding went on to represent Australia with distinction at Royal Ascot in the United Kingdom in June, blitzing his foreign rivals in the Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes. His Lightning Stakes and King’s Stand Stakes wins placed him on top of the Global Sprint Challenge leader board, 17 points ahead of his closest competitor Fleeting Spirit.

In a memorable night for connections Scenic Blast was also named the IRT Champion Australian-Trained International and Inglis Bloodstock Champion Sprinter.

The full list of Australian Racehorse of the Year category award winners is:

Champion Group 1 Jockey - Nash Rawiller
Champion Group 1 Trainer - Gai Waterhouse
Carazzo Consulting CPAs Champion Sire - Encosta de Lago
Crown Towers Champion Jumper - Pentiffic
Aushorse Marketing Champion Australian-Bred International - Sacred Kingdom
IRT Champion Australian-Trained International - Scenic Blast
Yallambee Stud Champion Two Year Old - Phelan Ready
New Zealand Bloodstock Champion Three Year Old Filly - Samantha Miss
Staging Connections Champion Three Year Old Colt or Gelding - Whobegotyou
Inglis Thoroughbred Auctioneers Champion Sprinter - Scenic Blast
Mittys Middle Distance Champion - Theseo
New Zealand Thoroughbred Marketing Champion Stayer - Viewed
Australian Racehorse of the Year presented by Luxbet.com - Scenic Blast