Trotting honors its highest (and quiet) achievers

Victoria’s square-gaiting community honored its best, brightest and newest stars of 2021, and shone a light on some quiet achievers at the Victorian Square Trotters Association Annual Awards night on Saturday night.

The awards dinner at Tabcorp Park Melton was held in conjunction with the Colin Redwood Memorial VSTA Handicap Final, honoring one of the industry’s key contributors over more than 50 years.

More than 130 people attended the dinner, and in addition to the 2021 annual awards, recognised three outstanding achievers in its industry awards.

The Colin Redwood Award for Passion and Perseverance is annually one of the most anticipated industry awards, and was this year presented to modest Rockbank trainer Fred Spiteri.

Spiteri has been training for more than 40 years, but has come to prominence in four career-best seasons over the past four years, including nine wins already in the current season.

The Dick Lee Rising Star Award, presented by Dick Lee, went to 25-year-old Tayla French, who emerged as a gifted trotting reinswoman in a 2021 season highlighted by her partnership with star square-gaiter Parisian Artiste (also named at the awards as 3YO Male trotter of the year).

The prestigious Bob Conroy Excellence in Trotting Award went to Yabby Dam Farms principal Pat Driscoll, whose mission has been to introduce world class trotting bloodlines to take the trotting gait in Australia to a whole new level. In 2015 Driscoll established Haras des Trotteurs, predominantly to offer to Australasian breeders the best French stallions, alongside his breeding and racing arm Yabby Dam Farms at a state-of-the-art facility near Ballarat.

The full list of annual award winners is:

2YO MALE TROTTER OF THE YEAR (Sponsor: Maryborough Harness Racing Club)

Plymouth Chubb

2YO FEMALE TROTTER OF THE YEAR (Stawell Harness Racing Club)

Aldebaran Vera and Just A Bit Touchy

3YO MALE TROTTER OF THE YEAR (Cranbourne Harness Racing Club)

Parisian Artiste

3YO FEMALE TROTTER OF THE YEAR (Llowalong Farms)

Queen Elida NZ

CHRIS E HOWE COUNTRY TROTTER OF THE YEAR (Loddon Valley Stud)

Kalarney Heidi

TROTTER OF THE YEAR (Ballarat & District Trotting Club)

Kalarney Heidi

TROTTING RACEMARE OF THE YEAR (Bit Right Equine)

Kalarney Heidi

TROTTING SIRE OF THE YEAR (Alabar Farms)

Bacardi Lindy

TROTTING BROODMARE OF THE YEAR (Mildura Harness Racing Club

Elusive Charm

TROTTING DRIVER OF THE YEAR (EAS Australia)

Chris Alford

TROTTING TRAINER OF THE YEAR (P.J and B.J Rothacker Stockfeeds Bridgewater)

Brent Lilley

TROTTING BREEDER OF THE YEAR (Aldebaran Park)

Yabby Dam Farms Pty Ltd

By Terry Gange for Harnesslink