Retired harness racer Samandnic has already topped several leaderboards in his post-racing career but is now eyeing off top spot in an arena of a different sort in 2026.
The bay gelding, along with rider and handler Olivia Pennisi, will once again line up for the prestigious Thoroughbred and Standardbred Day at this year’s Ekka.
Over $25,000 will be on offer across 18 ‘Led’ and ‘Under Saddle’ classes at this year’s event on Monday, August 10 in the Main Arena at the Royal Queensland Show.
The raceday-style event sees the two versatile racing breeds compete for the sought-after Champion of their Breed title, with horse handlers presenting their horses to the judges in formal race day attire.
Pennisi has been a regular on the day for the past four years, having started out by campaigning retrainer Candice Wilkins’ standardbreds at the event.
Last year, she went out on her own at the Ekka with Samandnic, taking out second spot in the Standardbred Ridden category and fourth spot in the Standardbred Led Gelding class.
She was also crowned Best Dressed Strapper for Standardbreds in the Fashions on the Field.
The horsewoman explained how the former harness racehorse, known as ‘Marty’, came to be in her care, having only started three times on the track in Victoria in 2022.
“Unfortunately, he was a little bit too slow because he's quite a large, sort of chubby horse, you could say, quite well rounded, but he did finish sound,” Pennisi said.
“He went to Fox Equestrian in Victoria to have a retraining session to see if he could perform under saddle, and they did a little bit of education with him down there.
“But he did win in the Led Gelding class at Sydney Royal last year, and then he came up to Queensland in May of last year.”
The accolades continued for Samandnic who was named Supreme Ridden Exhibit at the Standardbred Association of QLD State Championships in September.
The six-year-old then took out top spot on the Equestrian Queensland 2025 Queensland Off-The-Track Standardbred Leaderboard for Dressage, which came as a nice reward for the standardbred and his new owner.
“That was a big tick because we had only really started competing in that last quarter, and we smashed it out,” Pennisi said.
“We are focused this year on the Show Horse Queensland awards that are sponsored by QOTT to try to get High Point Show Horse and Dressage Horse of the Year are our goals for the year.
“The quality of standardbreds has really increased over time. When I was much younger – I had my first standardbred when I was 16, and I did very well with him in Open company way back then, so that's why I've gone back to the standardbred.
“The temperament is phenomenal, and he has done well in his Open classes against Open company - he got second at Toowoomba Royal in his Hunter Hack class under saddle against thoroughbreds and warmbloods.
“It's a combination of quality horses, and people are getting a lot of great compliments about the way he looks, the way he's presented, his temperament.
“It just makes it so much more enjoyable for me showing a horse that has such a lovely temperament, and I'm just able to enjoy the day so much more with a horse that's so easy and kind to show.
“So he's certainly flying the flag for the standardbred breed."
The duo will be looking to improve on last year’s results and climb up the finishing table at this year’s Ekka.
Entries for the Thoroughbred and Standardbred Day competition are still open until this Friday, July 31.
Pennisi was keen to spread the word about the benefits of taking part in the day if any competitors were undecided about entering.
“I've actually encouraged quite a few people to enter, and certainly we need the numbers to be able to promote keeping the classes alive,” Pennisi said.
“It's quite easy because you can park in the centre ring, so that makes it a lot easier for people logistics wise that don't have someone to give them a hand to bump-in to the Ekka like it normally would for the other classes.
“You don't need to be spending money on accommodation, and it’s great for the budget.
“It's quite streamlined for Thoroughbred and Standardbred Day, that’s what I enjoy about it - you can just bump-in for the day and compete on the day.
“So that appeals to a lot of people and there's a lot of first-timers actually competing this year with standardbreds as well at the show.”
Pennisi and the Redlands and Southern Districts Equestrian Group have also recently benefited from the QOTT Event Sponsorship Program.
The club will host the QOTT Dressage Spectacular on August 15-16, and are encouraging entries from across the region.
“Anyone can compete at the event, and they just pay a $10 entry fee, so it's not limited to just Equestrian Australia (EA) members or club members, we can accommodate everyone,” Pennisi said.
“We've split up the classes so people have more opportunity - some more experienced can go in the EA classes, and others can go in just the visitor and members classes.
“We've got some lovely prizes on offer with some lovely sashes, rugs and ribbons for the event, and we've received good entries.
“We've had a lot of local people and people from the other side of Toowoomba putting their nominations in for the event, and we are receiving really good feedback about all of the prizes that we have on offer that's sponsored by QOTT.
“It’s a combination of both standardbred and thoroughbred entries as well for the event, which is good.”
Click here for more information on the Event Sponsorship Program.
Click here for more information on the Thoroughbred and Standardbred Day or to enter the competition.
