Chatswood and Swettenham Studs were the big winners at the Victorian North East Breeders awards in Shepparton on Saturday night.
Chatswood Stud won the Super VOBIS award for ever-consistent gelding Beyond Pardon in 2009-10. He scored front-running victories at Caulfield and Moonee Valley and, from a total of 16 starts last season, finished out of a place just three times.
Beyond Pardon (4g Invincible Spirit – Unbridled Fire by Unbridled’s Song) was bred by Chatswood and was purchased for $48,000 from its Adelaide Magic Millions draft in 2008. He is trained by Robert Smerdon and has returned $264,881 for connections.
The Broodmare Award was won by Valda Klaric’s mare Our Centasea (Centaine). She is the dam of Littorio (Bellotto) who won the G1 STC BMW Stakes at Rosehill.
John Pittard shared the Breeder Award with Klaric. Pittard bred and part-owns Yosei who is also by Chatswood’s former shuttler Invincible Spirit. She was a G1 winner of the AJC Sires’ Produce Stakes at Randwick.
Yosei (3f Invincible Spirit – Fuji Fairy by Fuji Kiseki) won her maiden at Benalla in February and she garnered more black-type in stakes races at Morphettville and Flemington.
Swettenham Stud sire Keep The Faith was named Victoria’s champion first-season sire for 2009-10. His youngsters were headed by brilliant Lindsay Park colt In Faith who won his first two starts at Morphettville and Adelaide by a combined margin of mare than six lengths.
Keep The Faith’s unbeaten gelding Socks made headlines in Tasmania winning four from four. He capped perfect campaign in the Sires’ Produce Stakes in Launceston.
Keep The Faith (Sunday Silence) added another feature at the back end of the season when Sayahailmary won the Jack Maher Classic at Wodonga for her Perth based owner Rhonda Wyllie.
Independent Stallions studmaster Mike Becker was presented with the Industry Award for 2010 while Richard Carey and Jarrod Byers of Millford Thoroughbreds received the Over-Achiever Award.
Another highlight on Saturday night was the auction of a nomination to Darley Victoria’s G2 winning sire Domesday. WA breeder Bob Peters won an extremely spirited bidding duel with NETB president Bob Scarborough with a final bid of $41,000.