L-R Bendigo HRC President Dennis Bice, Award Sponsor Ron Emerson, Tanya Dyer and Adam Noyce
Grand campaigner Vintage Direct was awarded Bendigo's 2009/10 Horse Of The Year title on Saturday night but the 10-year-old couldn't capitalise on the achievement missing a place in the RL & LM Emerson Printing Horse Of The Year Pace raced at the same meeting. Driven by part-owner Tanya Dyer Vintage Direct finished sixth in the 2150 metre event won by the Daryl Douglas reined and Glenn Douglas trained star Stirling Charmer. Trained at Junortoun by Joe Cavallaro Vintage Direct won nine of 34 race starts last season and earned 20 points for its four Bendigo wins and three Bendigo minor placings, five more points than its nearest rival to win the Club award. A son of Exotic Earl and Hilarion Princess, Vintage Direct is raced by Dyer and Adam Noyce and has registered a total of 20 lifetime victories and 37 placings during his 144 start career. On Saturday night Vintage Direct was four back on the pegs in transit and didn't really finish the race off beating just one rival, the tardy King Caesar to the line. In other 2009/10 Awards presented by the Bendigo HRC committee on Saturday night, Yankee Princess and Alta Soleil dead-heated for the Conch Deville Trotter Of The Year Award. Both trotters accumulated 11 points during the season at Lords Raceway. Joan Shaw, Malcolm Shaw and Louise Pangrazio race Yankee Princess and Alta Soleil (NZ) is raced by Jonathon McIntosh. Glenn Douglas was Bendigo's Warehouse Sales leading trainer for the year with 93 points, Chris Alford won the Warehouse Sales drivers' award with 180 points and David Moran was the leading Concession driver taking out the Glenn Douglas Award.
