Beninjurd Broodmare of the Year
The Art Major mare Beninjurd, who was bred and is owned by Benstud Standardbrds, has won the Winona Award for Australian Pacing Broodmare of the Year in 2021. She left three winners for the season in the top flight filly Tough Tilly, who won six races including the Group 1 $350,000 APG 3YO Final and the $30,000 Victoria Gold Chalice and $210,493 in stakes, the Group 1 $125,000 APG Gold Bullion 2YO winner Lightning Dan ($91,590) and Somedan (four wins and $40,679). Beninjurd is also the dam of the brilliant but ill-fated Centenario ($332,520), the winner of eight two-year-old races and the 2YO Colt of the Year in 2018. Beninjurd is safely in foal to Bettor’s Delight.
Beninjurd will be represented by an American Ideal colt (Lot 40) at the Nutrien Equine Sydney sale on February 20, while Art Start has a Bettor’s Delight colt (Lot 126) nominated for the Nutrien sale in Melbourne on April 3.
Coppagoodone NZ, owned by Benstud with Peter and Zilla O’Shea, finished runner-up and Art Start, owned by Benstud and Ian and Kath Sutherland was third.
The Maori Miss Award for Trotting Broodmare of the Year was won by Tough Tussle NZ, who resides at Benstud’s NSW property. Tough Tussle left two winners in Tough Monarch ($174,875), the winner of nine races including the Group 1 $50,000 Knight Pistol and the Group 1 $51,000 Queensland Trotters Cup, and Tough Love ($51,075), who won five and was three times placed at Group level.
