Tasmanian thoroughbreds’ showpiece event is quickly approaching, with the Annual Awards and Hall of Fame Dinner set to be held at Country Club Tasmania in Launceston on Friday night, 19 September.
Tasmania’s breeders, trainers, jockeys, and, of course, champion horses will be recognised on the night, along with three inductees into the Tasmanian Thoroughbred Hall of Fame.
The finalists for each Horse of the Year category were announced following the closure of voting, with panellists consisting of different parts of the industry.
Crack the Shutters, Sanniya and Zany Girl were the top vote getters for the leading two-year-old. Zany Girl (Elwick Stakes) and Sanniya (Gold Sovereign) shared the spoils in the state’s two $150,000 Listed races, while Crack the Shutters placed in both of those races.
Geegees Mistruth was crowned the top two-year-old in 2024, and she would be short odds to add the three-year-old title in 2025. The winner of the Group 3 Mystic Journey and Vamos Stakes is up against the Derby winner, Likeakalix and five-time winner, Silver Dagger in the 3yo category.
The performances of Geegees Mistruth also see her as one of the finalists for the Ladbrokes Horse of the Year, as she was last year. Once again, the overall crown will be hotly contested, and it’s likely to be debated long after the result is announced.
Distrustful Award (Launceston Cup) and Durazzo (Hellova Street Stakes) were both feature winners on the final day of the 24/25 Summer Racing Festival, and they round out the trio of finalists for the 2025 Horse of the Year title.
In a shift from the traditional “sit-down format,” this year’s event will be a cocktail-style evening with canapés served throughout, along with complimentary pre-dinner drinks.
The event will be compered by Tasracing’s Matt Reid and will be streamed on Tasracing Live from 19:00.
Tickets are $60 and can be purchased from Eventbrite.