Scenic Blast has swept away the competition to be crowned this year’s Australian Racehorse of the Year.
The West Australian sprinter was also crowned the Champion Sprinter and with a unanimous vote from 69 judges, the Champion International Performer.
The Danny Morton trained chestnut is renowned for beating the best sprinters in both Australia and Europe and won the coveted prize with 55.1 per cent of votes.
The award makes Scenic Blast the first West Australian trained horse to win the esteemed prize since Northerly in 2002.
Along with Miss Andretti, Scenic Blast is the only sprinter to have been crowned the Australian Racehorse of the Year in the past 20 years.
The news comes after a great season where the champion won both the Group 1 Lightning Stakes and the Newmarket Handicap.
He also blitzed the competition at Royal Ascot to win the King’s Stand Stakes.
But Scenic Blast’s racing career hasn’t been the easiest with the horse requiring laser surgery after it was discovered that the horse at breathing problems during last spring’s Memsie Stakes.
Scenic Blast’s next challenge takes place on October 4 when the horse will travel to Nakayama in Japan for the $2.6 million 1200 metre Sprinter Stakes.
The other award recipients include:
- Champion 2yo – Phelan Ready
- Champion 3yo colt and gelding – Whobegotyou
- Champion 3yo – Samantha Miss
- Champion Middle Distance horse – Theseo
- Champion stayer – Viewed
- Champion Jumper – Pentiffic
- Champion Sire – Encosta De Lago
- Champion Group 1 jockey – Nash Rawiller
- Champion group one trainer – Gai Waterhouse
- Best International Performer Bred in Australia – Hong Kong Sprinter Sacred Kingdom
