Tricky choice afoot as awards draw near (From York Press)

Tricky choice afoot as awards draw near

10:39am Friday 2nd December 2011 in Turf Talk By Steve Carroll, Sports reporter

DECEMBER is not just about season’s greetings and opening presents round the Christmas tree. It’s also the time to give out awards, and horseracing is no different.

The title of Yorkshire Racehorse of the Year is the prestigious gong up for grabs at the annual Go Racing In Yorkshire Awards Lunch later this month and this year’s candidates are a star-studded list.

The winner is selected by a panel of the region’s racing journalists and the award is open to any horse who has made a significant impact on one of the county’s nine racecourses.

Twelve months ago, the Richard Fahey-trained Wootton Bassett took the gong, having won valuable races at York and Doncaster, as well as the Group 1 Prix de Jean-Luc Lagardere at Longchamp on Arc day.

Selecting the victor looks a particularly difficult task this year, given some of the standout performances we have seen during 2011.

This year’s nominations include:

• Hoof It: Trained at Sheriff Hutton by Mick Easterby, Hoof It continued his remarkable rise up the weights to become a group performer by the end of the year.

Winning the Sky Bet Dash at York and the Stewards’ Cup at Goodwood, he failed by only a whisker to land the Group 1 Betfred Sprint Cup at Haydock – eventually finishing third. Expect him to break that Group duck next year.

• Jukebox Jury: Trained at Middleham by Mark Johnston, Jukebox Jury has turned out to be a remarkable performer at the highest level. This year, he won the Group 2 Kergorlay Stakes at Deauville and dead-heated in the Irish St Leger. He disappointed in November in Australia in the Melbourne Cup but that should not be too much of a dampener on an otherwise superb campaign.

• Tangerine Trees: Bryan Smart’s six-year-old was a revelation in 2011. The Hambleton horse won the Beverley Bullet Sprint, but also claimed two contests at the very highest level – taking the Group 3 Palace House Stakes at Newmarket before winning the Group 1 Prix de l’Abbaye at Longchamp on Arc day.

• Moyenne Corniche: Saddled by Brian Ellison at Norton, Moyenne Corniche came with a late run to claim the signature race of the Welcome To Yorkshire Ebor Festival, the Betfred Ebor. Claiming Europe’s richest handicap gave him a shot at the Melbourne Cup. He failed in that task, but a third place on his Australian debut means he will continue to be trained down under.

• Twice Over: He might be trained at Newmarket by Sir Henry Cecil but Twice Over wormed his way into Yorkshire hearts with two stunning performances on Knavesmire in the summer. Firstly, he claimed the Group 2 Sky Bet York Stakes before finally giving his owner, Prince Khalid Abdullah, the victory he craved when winning the flagship Juddmonte International in August.

• Poker De Sivola: Representing the National Hunt sphere, Poker De Sivola, trained at West Witton by Ferdy Murphy, landed the prestigious bet365 Cold Cup at Sandown.

• Green Destiny: Might be trained at Newmarket but, when Green Destiny won the John Smith’s Cup at York in July, it was still a symbolic victory for the county. The horse is trained by William Haggas, born in Yorkshire, and the Group 3 Sky Bet Mobile Strensall Stakes also fell his way in a tremendous season.

• Bogart: The representative of Hambleton trainer Kevin Ryan, Bogart looks a real prospect to follow in 2012. The two-year-old backed two top prizes on the Yorkshire tracks – scooping the lucrative DBS Premier Yearling Stakes ay York in August before following up impressively in the Listed totepool Two-Year-Old Trophy • Inxile: Trained at Sessay by David Nicholls, Inxile proved to be a very willing, and successful, traveller during the season. The sprinter won Listed races in Ireland at Naas, Cork and Tipperary and won a Group 3 sprint at Longchamp, while also finishing in the podium places in a Group 2 sprint at Chantilly.

The award winner will be announced at the lunch, held at Doncaster Racecourse, on Wednesday, December 14.