The Australian Harness Horse of the Year is an honour that recognises the top harness racing horse in the Australia. The award is selected by industry people and media representatives.^[1]

The inaugural award was won in 1976 by Don't Retreat, a New South Wales pacer who won 14 of his 24 starts in the 1975-1976 season for a total of $122,415.^[2] The first and only trotter to win the award was Maori's Idol in 1978, a season in which he won 22 of his 24 starts.^[2] The first three-year-old to win the award was a year later in 1979, when Run Joe Run won the award, since then a three-year-old has won the award three times.^[2] The youngest horse to win the award was Lombo Pocket Watch who won as a two-year-old in 2006.^[2]

The horses that has won the most awards are Westburn Grant, who won the award in 1989 as a three-year-old and again in 1991 and 1992, Our Sir Vancelot, who won the 1997, 1998 and 1999 awards and four time Interdominion winner Blacks A Fake in 2007, 2008 and 2010. Smoken Up was the original winner of the 2011 award but became ineligible due to his disqualification from the Inter Dominion.^[2]

Past winners

Horses that have been crowned Australian Harness Horse of the Year^[3] are:

See also

• A G Hunter Cup
• Australian Pacing Championship
• Inter Dominion Pacing Championship
• Miracle Mile Pace
• New Zealand Trotting Cup
• Queensland Pacing Championship
• Victoria Cup
• Harness racing in Australia
• Harness racing in New Zealand

References