The 54th Barastoc Horse of the Year Show

By Equestrian Life

First staged at Melbourne’s Olympic Park dog track in 1970 as a “fill-in” event for the showjumping championships, Barastoc HOTY has since gone on to become one of the biggest shows in the country. While the event has seen many changes over the years, one thing has remained constant: the naming rights sponsor, Barastoc. The feed company is synonymous with the event and has been along for the ride from the get-go, with the sponsorship continuing for 54 years through five company ownership changes. A remarkable feat, and the longest running continuous sponsorship in the Australian equestrian industry!

The show’s 54th edition has just been celebrated over the weekend (10-12 February) at Werribee Park National Equestrian Centre, with riders of all ages and horses of all shapes and sizes putting their best foot forward in the hope of winning a prestigious HOTY title and gaining qualifications for the EA Australasian Show Horse and Rider Championships at SIEC in December.

Champions crowned for 2023

Ink (racing name Occy’s Gold), ridden by owner Christine Frost, claimed the coveted Open Large Hack title at this year’s Barastoc HOTY. The off-the-track (OTT) Thoroughbred had a very successful show, earlier winning the OTT Led Large Open Thoroughbred and Supreme Led OTT exhibit.

Ink, aged 12, has had a successful second career in the show ring with many other accolades to his name, but Christine says the Barastoc win is one of his best. “Winning the class is a dream. It’s just about the biggest class in Victoria and it was beautiful to be called out first,” she says, crediting Romsey Park’s Greg Mickan and Terry Van Heythuysen with helping her to train and produce the horse. “It’s all due to Terry and Greg; they produce them to look and work so beautifully,” she says, explaining it’s very much a team effort, with Greg hopping on to ride the horse’s workout in the Open Large Hack class.

As it turned out, Ink wasn’t the only success story for Romsey Park – they qualified eight horses across twelve classes for the Nationals in Sydney later this year. Among their achievements, Greg rode Stephanie Barrington’s Global PPS to win the Small Show Hunter Hack and Newcomer Small Show Hunter Hack, and also partnered with Linden Hearn’s Totality – also an OTT horse – to win the Newcomer Large Hack class. Another member of the Romsey Park team, Emily Murray, rode her own Riegal Manolete to win the Small Show Hunter Galloway class.

“Terry (Van Heythuysen) and I at Romsey Park were extremely happy with the way our team of horses worked and the results we came away with,” says Greg, who fittingly is a Barastoc Ambassador.

Greg Mickan riding Stephanie Barrington’s Global PPS.

© Angie Rickard Photography

In other open classes, the Champion Small Hack title went to Coronation III, ridden by Ali Berwick for owner Gregory Gerry. Ali also enjoyed wins with her own Ultimate PPH in the Large Show Hunter Hack and Newcomer Large Show Hunter Hack classes, while Gregory Gerry also had his name to the Champion Large Galloway, Royal Opera, who was ridden to victory by Brynie Lee. Ali also claimed the Newcomer Small Hack, OTT Newcomer Ridden Thoroughbred and Supreme Ridden OTT titles with Courtney McLeod-Flint’s OTT Ambitious, and rode Sarah Beaumont’s Panorama Black Jack to Champion Newcomer Large Show Hunter Galloway.

Coronation III, ridden by Ali Berwick for owner Gregory Gerry.

© Angie Rickard Photography

The Small Galloway Hack title went to Daisy Patch Soul Star for rider and owner Chanele Hunter, while Wideacre Harry Winston was named Large Pony Hack for owner and rider Sabrina Gilmour. Sabrina also enjoyed success in the Childs Small Show Hunter Hack class, held as part of the Children’s State Titles, with Brooke Wheeler’s Bloomfield Valtini.

The Medium Pony title went to Robbanie Truly Fair for rider Annabelle Richardson and owner Emma Richardson. Annabelle and Emma had a very successful show, also winning Small Pony Hack and Childs Small Pony Hack with Hibrie Coco Ribbon, and Newcomer Small Pony with Whitmere Popping Candy. In addition, Annabelle rode Alicia Cutugno’s Bordershow Charlemagne to Champion Small Show Hunter Pony and Childs Small Show Hunter Pony.

In other show hunter classes, Lynlea Print Design was named Champion Medium Show Hunter Pony with Holly Backman in the saddle for owner Paula Heffernan; Cimeron Poprock was named Champion Large Show Hunter Pony with Taylor Shute in the saddle for Rebecca Shute; and the Large Show Hunter Galloway title went to DP Royal Ascot for rider and owner Daizi Plumb.

The rider classes took place on the final day, and as always they were hotly contested. Steph Barrington notched another win for Romsey Park, taking out the Rider 26 Years & Over title with her own Global PPS. In the other senior rider class, Brynie Lee continued her success to win the Rider 18-25 Years with Hollands Bend Iona, while in the juniors, Amitey Thorpe was Champion Rider 5 & Under 9 riding Rosedale Popeye; Eliza Abrahams was Champion Rider 9 & Under 12 riding Cherrington Skylark; and Grace Baines was Champion Rider 12, 13 & 14 Years aboard Gentry Park Black Label, with the pair also winning the Childs Large Show Hunter Galloway title. Gentry Park Black Label proved what a top child’s mount he is by then partnering with Amelia Baines to win Champion Rider 15, 16 & 17 Years.

Grace Baines and Gentry Park Black Label.

© Angie Rickard Photography

Colvadale Odin was named Champion Ridden Shetland with Estelle Gore-Johnson in the saddle for owner Melanie Burns, while Barindale Silhouette won the Leading Rein Show Pony Hack title with Lexis Vanderput in the saddle, again for Melanie Burns.

Newcomers make an impression

The newcomers were out in force on the first day of competition at Werribee, showcasing some exciting future stars. The Newcomer Small Show Hunter Pony went to Imperial Black Tie, ridden by Daizi Plumb and owned by Whitney Counsell; the Newcomer Medium Show Hunter Pony went to Bells Mountain Paparazzi, ridden and owned by Paige Heffernan; and the Newcomer Large Show Hunter Pony was won by Canterbury Park Picadilly, ridden and owned by Carolyn Alker.

The Newcomer Medium Pony went to Elizabeth Farm Miss Midler, ridden and owned by Georgia Kinslow, and the Newcomer Large Pony was won by Arabella Secret Affair, ridden by Briony Randle and owned by Cherrie Tulloch.

The Newcomer Small Show Hunter Galloway saw Tamrie Park Primadonna sashed Champion, ridden by Clint Bilson and owned by Nicole McCartney; DP Gigi, owned and ridden by Lillie Foord, was named Champion Newcomer Small Galloway; and Sheregan Park Remembrance, ridden by Ellen Grant and owned by Grace Cunningham, was crowned Champion Newcomer Large Galloway.

Also on the first day of competition, the Peter Gahan Memorial Trophy was awarded to Zali Mills.

Thoroughbreds turn heads

The off-the-track (OTT) Thoroughbreds were also on show during the first day of Barastoc. While Ink and Ambitious were the stars off the show with their aforementioned wins, there were a number of other Thoroughbreds that caught the eye as they strutted their stuff across the Werribee turf.

In the led classes, Divinity (racing name Tide Up), led and owned by Hollie Hildebrandt, won the OTT Led Small Open Thoroughbred; and Westminster II (racing name The Arod), led and owned by Fiona McIntyre, won the OTT Led Show Hunter, with the pair also winning the OTT Newcomer Ridden Show Hunter and OTT Ridden Show Hunter classes.

The OTT Ridden Large Open Thoroughbred went to the well-credentialed St Andrews, ridden and owned by Natalie McKay; the OTT Child’s Ridden Thoroughbred was won by Madeleine Tabak’s Mt Flirt; and the OTT Newcomer Ridden Small Thoroughbred went to Nobu, ridden by Charlotte Clegg and owned by Alexandra Padey. Nobu and Charlotte also claimed the Childs Small Hack class, held as part of the Children’s State Titles.

Children’s State Titles run and won

Junior riders were out in force as always at Barastoc HOTY. The Childs Medium Show Hunter Pony went to Owendale Beesting, ridden by Sienna Wright and owned by Samantha Mullan; the Childs Large Show Hunter Pony went to Koora Lyn Marley, ridden by Evangeline Parsons and owned by Nelana Heinrich; and Jessica Sharp rode her own Kingsfield Arlington to win the Childs Small Show Hunter Galloway.

The Childs Large Show Hunter Hack title went to Dreamtime Lomaxx, ridden by Sophie Falckh for the Marin Family, with the rider/owner combination also winning the Childs Large Hack title with Dreamtime Royalty.

Junior riders were out in force as always at Barastoc HOTY.

© LMG Photography/Lisa Gordon

The Childs Medium Pony Hack title went to Artsworth Park Love Story, ridden and owned by Lauren Williams; the Childs Large Pony Hack title went to Pemberly Whisper, ridden by Amelia Petrie for owner Bree Petrie; Mia Heinrich rode her won Wynara Illusion to claim the Childs Small Galloway Hack title; and Stella Horspole rode her own Argyl Fine Art to win the Childs Large Galloway Hack title.

Owner rider classes were also popular at the 54th edition of Barastoc HOTY, with the following champions crowned:

Owner Rider Small Pony Hack: Brayside Miss Divine and Annique Smith

Owner Rider Medium Pony Hack: Secret Angel Of Kvl and Venita Bacchetto

Owner Rider Large Pony Hack: Langtree Desert Storm and Suanne Vale

Owner Rider Small Galloway Hack: Melody Park Royal Silouette and Georgina Matheson

Owner Rider Large Galloway Hack: Panorama Perfect Picture and Macey Postill

Owner Rider Small Hack: Furst Dance and Sarah Allsopp

Owner Rider Large Hack: EBL Empower and Alexa Ward

Owner Rider Small Show Hunter Pony: Eagle Park Crystal Roulette and Milla Romeo

Owner Rider Medium Show Hunter Pony: Karlana Spring Chatter and Gracie Humphreys

Owner Rider Large Show Hunter Pony: Rivington Sunday Secret and Charlee Latham

Owner Rider Small Show Hunter Galloway: Beauparc Prince Harry and Elizabeth Greshner