Group One winner Yankee Rose has been named Queensland’s Horse of the Year giving trainer David Vandyke the award in his first year in the state.
Vandyke moved his operation from Sydney to the Sunshine Coast in 2016, taking the ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes winner with him.
Last season, she won the Group One Spring Champion Stakes in Sydney and was third in the Cox Plate in Melbourne.
Yankee Rose won the award from Group One winner Capital Gain, Magic Millions Classic winner Houtzen, summer Triple Crown winner Most Important and tough gelding Rudy.
‘To receive such a prestige award after the great Buffering last year helps me realise this is home and I am going no where. This is an amazing honour,” Vandyke said.
Yankee Rose took the mantle of Queensland’s best from five-time Horse of the Year, multiple Group One-winning sprinter Buffering who was inducted to the Queensland Hall of Fame.
He was joined in the Hall of Fame by the late jockey Ken Russell, trainer Peter Moody and administrator P J O’Shea.
Veteran jockey Jeff Lloyd, the Brisbane premiership winner, was named best jockey of the year, while Tiffani Brooker (apprentice) and Tony Gollan (trainer) won their divisions.
WINNERS:
Horse Of Year: Yankee Rose
2YO: Houtzen
3YO: Yankee Rose
4YO and older: Most Important
QTIS Horse: Paradis Imperial
Jockey: Jeff Lloyd
Apprentice: Tiffani Brooker
Trainer: Tony Gollan
Hall of Fame inductees: Buffering, Peter Moody, Ken Russell, Pat O’Shea.