Elvstroem gelding Hucklebuck, a star of last year's Melbourne Cup Carnival, has been crowned South Australia's Horse of the Year for the 2014-15 season.
Hucklebuck edged out Happy Trails to take the major award at the 2014/15 TRSA Industry Awards.
Both are graduates of the Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale. Hucklebuck, a $50,000 purchase, and Happy Trails ($11,000) both won G1 races at the 2014 Melbourne Cup Carnival, making the Adelaide MM Sale the only auction in the world to supply multiple G1 winners at the famous carnival last spring.Hucklebuck was purchased as a yearling by his trainer Phillip Stokes from the Squillani Park draft and is raced by Macau Jockey Club boss Thomas Li.
Li was on hand at the presentation to receive the award and praised Stokes for his handling of Hucklebuck, a winner of the G1 Emirates Stakes at Flemington last November.The Most Consistent performer award was shared by talented sprinter Swinging Arms and classy stayer Go Dreaming prepared by Scott Trenowden and Grant Kluske respectively.
A big winner on the night was Clare Lindop who won the prestigious John Letts Medal as well as the Johnson-Glennon Award as the Adelaide premiership winning rider and SA Jockey of the Year.Jake Toeroek swept both the Metropolitan Apprentice Jockey of the Year and the Leon Macdonald Award for SA Apprentice of the Year.
Phillip Stokes captured both the CS Hayes Award for SA Trainer of the Year as well as the Metropolitan Trainer the Year - winning the premiership after a three way battle with Leon Macdonald/Andrew Gluyas and Tony McEvoy.Steven Pateman and Eric Musgrove respectively won the Jumps Jockey and Jumps Trainer of the Year Awards while the Caitlin Forrest SA Provincial and Country Apprentice of the Year was won by Irish import Emily Finnegan.
The SA Provincial and Country Trainer and Jockey awards were captured by David Jolly and Matthew Neilson respectively.The Port Augusta Racing Club received the Most Outstanding Achievement by a Club award, while recently retired Ceduna trainer Trevor "Bushy" Trenowden was recognised with the Most Outstanding Achievement Award by an Individual for decades of dedication to the industry.
It was a big night for Trenowden after Swinging Arms, a horse he part owns, was an award winner.The SA Racing Hall of Fame welcomed two new members in champion mare Storm Queen and trainer Ab Macdonald.
