The flying grey Saunter Boy has been named Australia's top jumper at the Victoria and Australian Racehorse of the Year awards

Trained by Miners Rest-based trainers Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, Saunter Boy was a clear winner in the champion jumper award, polling 70 votes, to beat out Heberite who polled 38 votes.

In the 2021-22 racing, Saunter Boy, a then nine-year-old gelding won six times over the jumps, including victory in the Galleywood Hurdle (3200m), one of the highlights of the Warrnambool May Racing Carnival.

Another Maher and Eustace trained horse, three-year-old Victorian and Australian Derby winner Hitotsu just missed out on being named the top three-year-old of the year, losing by just five votes to (164-159) to Anamoe in the three-year-old colts and geldings award.

Hitotsu outscored his with three group ones to two last season, but the breathtaking manner of Anamoe's victory in the Sky Racing Rosehill Guineas may just have swayed the voting panel, made up of racing media and handicappers from each state and territory.

Trainer Chris Waller continued his recent dominance of the major award on the night with superstar sprinter Nature Strip crowned the nation's best horse for a second time.

This followed a season which saw a win in The Everest before victory in the Darley Sprint Classic at Flemington and the Furphy T J Smith Stakes at Randwick, Nature Strip capped a stellar campaign when he conquered the world in the King's Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot (UK) in June.

The coronation brought up a remarkable seventh straight success for Waller-trained horses.

Previous wins for the Sydney-based trainer were for Winx (2016-19), Nature Strip (2020) and the 2021 Australian Racehorse of the Year recipient Verry Elleegant, who finished second in this year's award.

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