The unique strength of the current three-year-old crop has been reflected in the flat racing finalists for the 2023 New Zealand Thoroughbred Horse of the Year awards.

All five finalists in the three-year-old category – Legarto, Pennyweka, Pier, Prowess and Sharp ‘N’ Smart - were Group I winners in New Zealand and all bar Pier also claimed a Group I win in Australia.

It is the only instance, since the Group racing pattern was introduced in the late 1970s, of four New Zealand-trained three-year-olds from the same crop winning at Group I level in Australia.

It is rare for even a trio of New Zealand three-year-olds to win at the top level in Australia in the same season and it appears to be the only example of more than two from the same crop recording Group I wins at home and away.

Bonneval, Gingernuts and Jon Snow were Group I winners at the 2017 Sydney autumn carnival, but Jon Snow was not a Group I winner in New Zealand. Domino, a dual Oaks winner, Diego and Rough Habit were classic winners in Australia in the 1989-90 season, but Domino was the only one of the trio to record a Group I victory at home. 

The success of the current three-year-old crop has also meant that at least one three-year-old is a finalist in the sprinter-miler, middle distance and staying categories.

Legarto is a finalist in a strong sprinter-miler section, where she will be up against top mare Imperatriz, another who was a Group I winner on both sides of the Tasman. Prowess and Sharp ‘N’ Smart are finalists in the middle-distance section and Sharp ‘N’ Smart and Pennyweka are also contenders for champion stayer.

A new champion will be crowned this year, with Probabeel, the Horse of the Year title winner in the past two years, now at stud.

The Horse of the Year black-tie dinner will be held at Shed 10, Queen’s Wharf, in Auckland, on Sunday, September 10.

The finalists for the flat racing categories are:

Champion Two-Year-Old:

Pignan, Tokyo Tycoon, Ulanova, Zourion, Trobriand.

Champion Three-Year-Old:

Legarto, Pennyweka, Pier, Prowess, Sharp ‘N’ Smart.

Champion Sprinter-Miler (up to & including 1600m):

He’s A Doozy, Imperatriz, La Crique, Legarto, Levante, Prise de Fer.

Champion Middle Distance Horse (1601m-2200m):

Defibrillate, Mustang Valley, Prowess, Sharp ‘N’ Smart.

Champion Stayer (2201m and further):

Aquacade, Dionysus, Pennyweka, Platinum Invador, Sharp ‘N’ Smart.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit nztr.co.nz/awards