Northerly dueled over the final 800 metres. Nonetheless, Northerly was a decisive winner of the Horse of the Year Award. In August 2003 swelling was found in his off-foreleg. This revealed a torn tendon, and with it, Northerly's career seemed over. Attempting to buck the odds, Northerly returned to the track in August 2004. Months of speculation ended when he galloped and then trialled successfully. A crowd of 30,000 descended on Belmont racecourse in Perth to see his return. Carrying 64.5 kilograms, Northerly was fourth most of the way and got to the lead in sight of the winning post, only
Beverley Racecourse Beverley Bullet Sprint over 5 furlongs in August for three-year-olds and up. The racecourse is a right-handed flat course, that is just over 1 mile 3 furlongs. It is predominantly flat but with a stiff, uphill finish and tight turns. Beverley has the most pronounced "draw bias" on a UK racecourse on its 5 furlong course. The sharp right hand bend and the fact that the ground runs away to the left make a low draw (i.e. on the inside rail) much more advantageous than a high draw (i.e. on the wide outside and on ground sloping right to left).