PHELAN READY TAKES TOP HONOUR

By Graham Potter | Monday, August 17, 2009

Phelan Ready is the 2008/2009 Queensland Horse Of The Year.

The More Than Ready colt’s achievement in landing the lucrative and prestigious Magic Millions 2yo Classic / Golden Slipper double elevated him into a position where his selection was difficult to oppose in spite of the strong claims of another Sunshine Coast based runner Swiss Ace, who loomed as Phelan Ready’s major rival.

At the time of his two major successes, Phelan Ready raced in the care of the Bruce McLachlan and Jason McLachlan training partnership. The untimely passing of multiple premiership winner Bruce McLachlan since then shocked and saddened the entire racing community in Australia and it is fitting that this final honour ensured that Bruce signed off from where he had been for much of his career - at the top of his profession.

Apart from taking out the Horse Of The Year title with Phelan Ready, Bruce and Jason McLachlan also took out the Jim Atkins Trainer Of The Year award.

Lorriane McLachlan accepted the awards.

Phelan Ready ran in the Group 2, Premiere Stakes at Rosehill on Saturday, the day the award was announced. He finished a luckless third behind dead-heaters Mentality and Kroner in his first outing of the new season. That result took Phelan Ready’s race record to two wins and three places from seven starts, for earnings of a little in excess of $3.2 million.