Horse of the Year: Start Wondering wins campaign

Evan and J Rayner gallopers, Storytime (left) and illustrious stablemate Start Wondering were standouts at the Wanganui Jockey Club Racing Awards on Sunday.

The guess work was taken out of the equation once Start Wondering had finished his 2016-2017 summer campaign.

The Evan and JJ Rayner-trained galloper was named Horse of the Year at the Wanganui Jockey Club's Ray White annual racing awards. Owned by Stephen and Jo Gudsell, Start Wondering also scooped the Wanganui Sprinter of the Year and Weight-for-age Performer of the Year awards to add to his national Sprinter of the Year title. His feats also gave Ian Hadfield Breeder of the Year.

The accolades were awarded on the strength of his win the Listed 1200-metre Legacy Lodge Sprint at Te Rapa fresh up, quickly followed with his epic win in the Group 1 win in the Sistema Railway Stakes at Ellerslie, second in the Group 1 Telegraph at Trentham and victory in the Group 1 NRM Sprint over 1400m and second to Kawi in the 1600m Group 1 Haunui Farm Classic, both at weight-for-age at Otaki.

The Stuart Tasker Memorial Personality Award was appropriately given to Stephen Gudsell.

He has been a great servant of the local racing industry as an owner, breeder, sponsor, committeeman and fearless punter.

Racing has coursed through his veins from birth. He is, of course, from impeccable thoroughbred breeding himself with many of his forebears, including father, brother, uncles and cousins, entrenched in racing themselves.

A special award was also given out to Start Wondering's regular trackwork rider Coran Pemberton who has been with the Rayners for about 25 years.

Being named national Jumper of the Year was emulated when the Kevin Myers-trained 9-year-old Bahhare mare Kick Back claimed the Wanganui title. She won the Prestige Meadow Fresh Great Northern Steeplechase following her exciting victory in the The Tractor Centre Pakuranga Hunt Cup the start before.

Quite simply, the criteria will need to be changed dramatically if KT Myers is ever to be knocked off this Leading Trainer and Jumps Trainer perches. Myers finished second on the national trainer's premiership with 82 wins and again won the national Jumps Trainer title with 14 victories. He quite rightly claimed the Tom Corrigan Trophy for Leading Wanganui Jumps Trainer. His regular jumping rider Shaun Fannin won Leading Jumps Rider of the Year.

For the third successive season wonderful Hunterville galloper Benzini claimed the Stayer of the Year title.

The winner of 11 of his 45 raceday starts substantially added to his already impressive stakes tally without even winning a race in the 2016/2017 season.

He did, however, collect prizemoney for his 6th in the Group 1 Livamol Classic, 2nd in the Gr3 OMF Stakes, 2nd in the Gr1 Bonecrusher NZ Stakes and 3rd in the Gr3 Canterbury Gold Cup for the second year on end.

Aide Memoire won Miler of the Year. Fraser Auret produced the Remind six-year-old to win seven of her 16 raceday starts, including victory in the 2016/2017 1600-metre Group One Rydges Wellington Captain Cooks Stakes at Trentham.

Racing always throws up great yarns, so it was fitting the aptly-named Storytime won this year's version of the 3YO of the Year title.

The Evan and JJ Rayner-trained filly ran third to the extremely classy Volpe Veloce in the Group 3 Eulogy Stakes at Manawatu and then second to the same filly in the Group 3 Cambridge Stud Eight Carat Classic at Ellerslie on Boxing Day. Subsequently she also finished third in the Listed Bob Sharrock Memorial Oaks Prelude at New Plymouth.

Leading Jockey Johnathan Parkes proved he is a long, lean riding machine finishing fifth on the national premiership with 87 wins, 60 seconds and 47 thirds, but more importantly he hooked up with several class gallopers destined for big things. Horse of the Year Start Wondering, of course, gave Parkes some great group racing moments and no doubt will continue to do so, but there is also the extremely exciting mare Volpe Veloce who looks set to take black type racing by storm this season.