Racing: Mainland Banner is tops

Mainland Banner, the first four-year-old mare to win the New Zealand Trotting Cup, has been named a unanimous winner of the Harness Horse of the Year title.

At an awards function in Christchurch on Saturday it was announced Mainland Banner had received all the votes from the 31 pollsters, who mainly comprised racing news media.

She also made a clean sweep of the pacer of the year title and the season's top four-year-old mare.

Mainland Banner, trained in Christchurch by Robert Dunn, won nine of 10 races for the season with her only defeat coming in the second of two Auckland Trotting Cups for the season. She finished second to Mi Muchacho.

Mainland Banner is owned by Ian Dobson of Christchurch in partnership with his son Stuart and daughter Lynne Umar. Ian Dobson is also the owner of super sire Christian Cullen, sire of Mainland Banner.

Christian Cullen also took out the stallion award.

Mainland Banner's win in the New Zealand Trotting Cup was one of four at group one level for the season. The other three were the New Zealand Breeders' Stakes, the Noel Taylor Mile and the NZ Messenger Championship.

Most of the awards were clear cut. Others to win all 31 votes were Gotta Go Cullen (two-year-old colt or gelding), One Dream (two-year-old filly), Western Dream (three-year-old filly), Sunnivue Son (two-year-old trotting colt or gelding) and Our Sunny Whiz (four-year-old trotting mare).

Another who was all but in the same category was Baileys Dream who was top pacing four-year-old stallion or gelding and received 30 votes.

- NZPA