Three Forbes horses bred in devastating floods have taken out Australian and NSW honours in harness racing.
Fate Awaits, from Phil and Denise Thurstons' Celestial Standardbreds, has been named Australian 2YO colt / gelding of the year; their Bittersweet was named NSW 2YO of the Year and neighbour Lex Crosby's Sweet on Lexy 2YO colt / gelding of the year.
Making the success all the sweeter is the fact that their properties - just a few kilometres apart - were heavily affected by the terrible flooding of November 2022.
While the Thurstons had moved a number of horses off the property before the waters rose, Bittersweet was among the weanlings who couldn't be relocated, the breeders doing their best to feed and care for them until the water receded.
At the Crosbys, dry land was reduced to half acre around the house where Sweet on Lexy waited out the flooding with the other horses as well as cattle.
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It all made Sunday's NSW Harness Racing Awards were a real cause for celebration for the Forbes harness racing community.
Even better, just a few days earlier another of Celestial Standardbreds' foals of that season, Fate Awaits, had been named Australian Harness Racing's two-year-old colt or gelding of the year.
Fate Awaits, who is racing with Grant Dixon for owner Kevin Seymour, has now totalled more than $400,000 in prize money and had six wins and four places from his 11 starts for the year.
It's been an exciting time for all connections - but also an emotional journey. The hardship of that time has not been forgotten.
"They're quite resilient creatures when you think of it like that," Denise said.
"Quite amazing" are Phil's words, as they've actually had three Group 1 winners of the seven foals of that year.
To earn the NSW 2YO title, Bittersweet had had an incredible start to her season winning the Group 1 Bathurst Gold Tiara.
It was one of four wins and two places from just six starts before her season was cut short by injury in the lead up to the Protostar.
The Thurstons are now working steadily and carefully to rehabilitate her, cautiously optimistic she'll return to star on the track in future.
They are also ensuring the future of her lines, with an embryo already placed in a recipient mare with hopes they'll welcome a foal at the end of the year.
Sweet On Lexy's success as two-year-old colt or gelding of the year for NSW reflects generations of breeding for the Crosby family.
It's now 70 years since Lex's father purchased the mare that has brought the family decades of success: including NSW three-year-old of the year Read About Lexy and a very special Canola Cup win with I'm With Lexy.
"All my life I've grown up with that family of horses," Lex said.
While the luck of the draw wasn't with Sweet on Lexy through this season, he was impressive and became the fastest two-year-old in Australasian history over the mile.
For Lex, also president of Forbes Harness Racing Club, the successes are something our community can be very proud of.
"We're a small town with a small club but our horses are mixing it with the best of them," he said.
In more good news, harness racing will return to our local track
Both track and fencing around it were destroyed in the 2022 floods but have now been rebuilt thanks to lots of support and the club has hosted two successful trials.
Forbes Diggers Harness Racing Club is looking forward to welcoming everyone back to the track this ANZAC Day for their traditional meeting and service.
It's an important day for the club, founded by local diggers to raise funds after the war and now running for more than 70 years.
"It's a very special day and I urge everyone to come out," Lex said.
