SUPER EASY (Darci Brahma - Parfore by Gold Brose) may have been retired to stud less than a year ago, but his racing deeds on the track in the 2013 season are still earning the highest acclaim when he was voted Singapore’s Horse of the Year for the second year in a row at the Singapore Racing Awards night held here last night.

Formerly prepared by trainer Michael Freedman and raced by the Joy N Happiness Stable, SUPER EASY was the only horse who claimed two Group 1 successes last year with wins in the Lion City Cup (1200m) and the Patron’s Bowl (1600m), which also happened to be his farewell race. The first Singapore-based runner in the International Group 1 KrisFlyer International Sprint (1200m) when third to LUCKY NINE, the entire was also named Champion Sprinter.

SUPER EASY’s dual titles were two of 17 awards handed out to celebrate the various winners who marked the 2013 Singapore racing season, with the identity of 11 of them (nine in the equine category and two Racing Media awards) only unveiled at the gala night.

No surprises emerged in the two-year-old and three-year-old category with the standouts WAR AFFAIR (O’Reilly - Kristique by Kris S) and STEPITUP (Hussonet - Ain’t Seen Nothin’ by Nothin’ Leica Dane) making a clean sweep of the two juvenile features and Singapore Three-Year-Old Challenge respectively.

WAR AFFAIR was the dominant two-year-old with victories in the Group 2 Aushorse Golden Horseshoe (1200m) and the Group 3 Magic Millions Juvenile Championship (1200m) while STEPITUP kept up the same trend established by BETTER THAN EVER, GINGERBREAD MAN and SUPER EASY – winning all three Legs of the 3YO series culminating with the Group 1 Singapore Guineas (1600m).

The battle was a little closer in the four-year-old age group, but retired mare BETTER LIFE (Smarty Jones - Quiet Life by Sunday Silence) got the nod, mainly on the strength of her slashing win in the third Leg of the Singapore Four-Year-Old Challenge, the Group 1 Emirates Singapore Derby (2000m). BETTER LIFE also won the Group 1 Panasonic Kranji Mile (1600m) and Group 1 Longines Singapore Gold Cup (2200m) as a four-year-old.

Her Group 2 Queen Elizabeth II Cup (2000m) success also stood her in good stead for another accolade, the Champion Stayer title while Group 1 Raffles Cup (1800m) winner SUPER NINETYSEVEN (Show A Heart - Yabeel by Zabeel) took the honours in the Miler category for another fillip for Freedman and the Joy N Happiness Stable.

Trainer Patrick Shaw saw two of his horses go home with awards, DAVIDE (Orpen - Delambre by Rainbow Corner) landing the Champion Polytrack Horse title, courtesy of his three wins on the alternative track while the ever-consistent LIZARRE (Jet Master - Leading Dame by Jallad) was named the Champion Older Horse. The Bruce Marsh-trained STREET LEGAL (Street Cry - Brief Girl by Brief Truce) , who rose from Class 4 level to becoming one of the leading hopes in last year’s Longines Singapore Gold Cup, was the recipient of the Most Improved Horse award, which is given to the horse who made the highest ratings leap through the year.

While the horses’ awards were voted by a panel comprising the Singapore Turf Club Handicapping Department, members of the media (English and Chinese press) and the TV broadcasting teams (English and Chinese), the premiership recipients were already known by virtue of their season’s statistics.

Last season’s leading owner by stakes won, the Joy N Happiness Stable, leading owner by number of wins (a new award) Fred Crabbia, champion trainer Laurie Laxon, champion jockey Joao Moreira and champion apprentice jockey A’Isisuhairi Kasim were also presented with a trophy for their respective titles.

The two Racing Media Awards decided upon by the Association of Racehorse Trainers Singapore went to journalists Gary Crispe (Racing And Sports) and Kuah Siew Hong (Associate Racing Editor in the Integrated Newsroom at Singapore Press Holdings) for their coverage of racing and contribution to the industry in the English and Chinese press respectively.

List of Winners: