Millwood Nike was voted Queen of the New Zealand harness scene at the awards last evening night making four of her owners Kings for the Night.
The first filly in more than a decade to take the outright Horse of the Year award, Millwood Nike, unbeaten in 17 starts, swept all the categories for which she was eligible the Filly of the Year, Pacer of the Year and Horse of the Year.
Four of her owners, syndicate manager Steve Byrne, the father and son combo of Frank and Shane Endacott, and Steve Thompson, who have Bruce Irvine as a partner, were boosted further from their triumphal night by a belief the filly will be back racing later this year.
“All the signs are hopeful she could be back perhaps in th e spring.That is something we all look forward to but the horse comes first and even if she never raced again we would have not regrets.She has given us so much already” Steve Byrne said.
Millwood Nike is the 9th horse Mark Purdon has made Horse of the Year. To put icing on the cake he scored two category wins as an owner last night, with Oscar Bonavena as Aged Trotter of the Year (in partnership with Chris Ryder) and Akuta as Four Year old Pacer of the year (in partnership with the family of Ian Dobson)
His son Nathan shares the training honours with Millwood Nike and the other, Michael (pictured with partner Alison) trained Mystic Max winner of the Four Year Old Trotter of the Year.
Lynchpin owner,Jean Feiss, was again on the stage as owner of Aged Pacer of the Year,Self Assured.
Don’t Stop Dreaming must have gone close to winning Three Year Old pacer of the year,succumbing to the Derby star Merlin while Chase a Dream came out on top in the Two Year Old Division for Pacers and breeder Brian West and associates won awards with Start Dreaming as Broodmare of the Year while the Studholme enterprise also bred Chase a Dream
Icing on the cake or the stable was the estate of Ian Dobson winning the owner award largely because of the Don’t Stop Dreaming and Akuta which he co-owned along with top trotter Muscle Mountain
Main pic; Shane Endacott,Steve Thompson,Steve Byrne,Frank Endacott