The Harrovian secures Northern Crowns Bonus

Jumping as an odds-on favourite, the Stephen Massingham-trained gelding pocketed $87,000 for the win and a further $200,000 bonus after prevailing in the Townsville Cup and the Cairns Cup earlier in the campaign. Across the three meetings, the 6YO gelding - ridden by veteran Australian Racing Hall of Fame jockey Robert Thompson - has secured more than $460,000 for his connections while re-writing history in the process.

First introduced last year, the Northern Crowns Series offers bonuses to any horse that can secure three of the five staying or sprinting races held across Rockhampton, Mackay, Townsville, Cairns and FNQ Amateurs.

"It's the richest payday in Queensland country racing history. We've made it extremely attractive to campaign throughout the Northern Queensland Winter Racing Carnival including record prize money and $350,000 in bonuses," Racing Queensland CEO Brendan Parnell said.

"The Harrovian has been the star performer throughout our staying races and thoroughly deserves his success for trainer Stephen Massingham, co-owner Tom Hedley and the other connections," he said.

The Harrovian was one of five starters raced by Hedley syndicates with the Lauren Abbott trained Follow Suit (NZ) providing the quinella - a repetition of the Cairns Cup quinella on August 10. The Harrovian now has a perfect record of five starts for five wins at the Cairns track.

By Fastnet Rock from the winning Dehere (USA) mare Harrow, The Harrovian now has 10 wins and four placings from 23 starts. Runner-up Follow Suit is a New Zealand-bred son of top class Australia-bred racehorse and sire Show A Heart from the Bachelor Duke (USA) mare Royal Green (NZ) and sold for $28,000 at the 2015 New Zealand Select yearling sale.

A winner of two races as a 3YO in New Zealand before crossing the Tasman, he was then a four-time winner up to 2200m for Sydney-based Chris Waller before being on-sold to Tom Hedley in June who placed him with Brisbane trainer Lauren Abbott for his past six starts in North Queensland.

In the moments after The Harrovian's win, Massingham said the victory was a relief. "He's the best horse in North Queensland by panels I reckon. He can go to the paddock and we'll let the dust settle. We'll give him a good break and bring him back later on," he said.

THE Northern Crowns sprinters' bonus remains unclaimed.

During last year's inaugural series, Peacock won the Rockhampton and Cairns Newmarkets but was unable to secure the sprinters' bonus after failing in the final leg.

Similarly, Rockhampton gelding Mr Attitude was unsuccessful in his second and final attempt to secure the $150,000 sprinters' bonus after placing third in the Cairns Amateurs Open Sprint.

Having been penalised in the weights after his victories in the Mackay Newmarket and the Cleveland Bay Handicap in Townsville, the 6YO gelding was unable to repeat the dose in either the Cairns Newmarket and the Amateurs Open.

In fact both feature sprints races were won by 8YO sprinter Scherzoso trained at Mackay by former jockey Trinity Bannon who paid for $20,500 for the gelding in a 32 bids online auction in March this year. Four months later, at just his third start for his new trainer, Scherzoso doubled her outlay with the Cairns Newmarket worth $42,700 and the similar prize money for the Amateurs Sprint took his total prize money soaring past $400,000 to $439,180.

While Bannon freely admits Scherzoso is 'old', she bought the horse on behalf of Sarina grazier Kris Thomas because she believed his durability and versatility would suit North Queensland. Having begun his racing career with a first-up 2YO maiden win at Gawler, SA, in April 2014, Scherzoso has won or placed in five seasons of racing from 2YO to 8YO apart from missing his 6YO season through injury.

By Bianconi (USA) from the Encosta De Lago mare Café Del Mar, Scherzoso was considered a capable sprinter/stayer winning up to 2000m at Caulfield, Flemington and Morphettville when trained by Tony McEvoy and later Aaron Purcell for the OTI Racing syndicate. In fact, he placed at Flemington at 1800m during the 2016 Melbourne Cup Carnival and was also runner-up in the Listed Ballarat Cup, Traralgon Cup and Dunkeld Cup - the latter two races in November and December last year.

VITAMIN C - also known as ascorbic acid - is necessary for the growth, development and repair of all body tissues and oranges are regarded as an excellent source. Similarly, Far North Queensland racing remains in excellent health through the constant presence of orange colours worn by horses raced by Tom Hedley syndicates.

Indeed, over an eight weeks period from the Townsville Lightning raceday on Saturday, July 20 to the Cairns Amateurs Cup raceday on Saturday, September 14, there were 14 race meetings held at Townsville, Cairns, Ingham, Innisfail, Mareeba and Atherton.

Remarkably, the Hedley team had 113 starters in 61 of the 95 races. That included 27 at each of the two-day Cairns Amateurs carnival and Cairns Cup/Cairns Newmarket meetings, 19 at the Townsville Cup/Cleveland Bay meetings and 14 at the Townsville Amateurs.

While The Harrovian was the major flagbearer with his three Cup wins, other key contributors included Full Suit (second in Cairns Cup and Cairns Amateurs Cup), Love Is Blind (three wins), Cedarwood (two wins) and Chapel Road (two wins) while Crocodile Shoes, Dream I Can, Ready For Love, Kirabo, Oriental Girl, Soluminate and Fox Street all won races.

RACING Queensland has unveiled the finalists ahead of the 2019 TAB Queensland Thoroughbred Awards at the Sofitel Brisbane Central.

Staged on Sunday, September 22, the Thoroughbred Awards are one of the highlights on the racing calendar, with RQ set to acknowledge the best of the best over the past year, along with five inductees into the Hall of Fame. Horse of the Year trophies will be awarded across a number of categories including the TAB Queensland Thoroughbred of the Year Award.

The ultimate accolade is Horse of the Year selected from the 2YO, 3YO and four years and older categories while the QTIS Horse of the Year is decided on total bonus prize money won.

For the first time, RQ has introduced the Student of the Year Award to acknowledge the apprentice who demonstrates the most outstanding dedication in the Certificate IV in Racing (Jockey).

"The Thoroughbred Awards is a night not to miss. This year we will acknowledge some extraordinary equine and human heroes - along with five thoroughly deserving Hall of Fame recipients - and I would encourage everyone with an interest in racing to attend and to help celebrate the 2018/19 racing season." RQ CEO Brendan Parnell said.

Racing Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said the Palaszczuk government recognised the importance of the thoroughbred racing industry across the state.

"We've backed that by increasing prize money in the major markets and setting up the four-year, $70 million Country Racing Package, which has been fantastic for all our country meets," he said.

In the 2YO Horse of the Year, Garibaldi, Gem Of Scotland, The Odyssey and Vincere Volare have been short-listed as finalists.

The 3YO Horse of the Year category looks incredibly strong with the unbeaten Zoustyle vying with Winning Ways (Queensland's only Group 1 winner of the season), Boomsara (Magic Millions 3YO Guineas winner) and Baccarat Baby - a dominant last-start winner at the Group 3 Sunshine Coast Guineas.

Having won the Group 3 BRC Sprint and the Listed Goldmarket Handicap - as well as finishing second in the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap - Tyzone is among the finalists in the Four Years and Older category, alongside Houtzen (placed at Group level in Australia and the United Kingdom) and Winter Bride, who enjoyed black-type success at Caulfield and Randwick.

In the Trainer of the Year Award, Metropolitan Premiership winner Tony Gollan will contend with Toby Edmonds, David Vandyke and Chris Waller. Finally, recently retired jockey Jeff Lloyd will look to bow out with one final win after being named as a finalist alongside Michael Cahill, Matthew McGillivray and Justin Stanley in the Jockey of the Year Award.

Other categories are:

WITH the new racing season having begun last month on Thursday, August 1 and the Racing Queensland annual awards due to be announced on Sunday, Racing Queensland has announced measures to protect the sanctity of their awards - effective immediately - with the introduction of a number of eligibility conditions. They include:

1. A licensed or registered person is ineligible to win any RQ premiership, medal or award during a racing year if:

2. RQ retains full discretion to revoke any premiership, medal or award which has been won for any particular racing year if the winning person:

Having consulted with other Principal Racing Authorities on the subject, the eligibility criteria will be invoked for the 2018/19 season and future years.