New Zealand Oaks winner Savvy Coup is the only South Island horse to be nominated for a major category at the 2018 New Zealand Thoroughbred Horse of the Year Awards.
The first nominees for this year’s awards were announced this week.
The Michael and Matthew Pitman-trained Savvy Coup is nominated for the 3yr-old of the year with five North Island horses - Age Of Fire, Dijon Bleu, Embellish, Scott Base and Vin De Dance.
Half of the 22 flat finalists for the six major horse awards are trained by either Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman or Stephen Autridge and Jamie Richards.
Baker and Forsman, who will have established a record tally in the trainers’ premiership by the end of the season, train all four finalists in the middle-distance category in Bonneval, Jon Snow, Lizzie L’Amour and Saint Emilion.
FINALISTS
2yr-old: Avantage, Melt, Spanish Whisper, Sword Of Osman.
3yr-old: Age Of Fire, Dijon Bleu, Embellish, Savvy Coup, Scott Base, Vin De Dance.
Sprinter-miler: CloseUp, Gingernuts, Kawi, Start Wondering.
Middle-distance: Bonneval, Jon Snow, Lizzie L’Amour, Saint Emilion.
Stayer: Charles Road, Five To Midnight, Ladies First, Zacada.
