The announcement at the Queanbeyan Racing Club Defence Force Cup day last Sunday came as a great surprise for Cleary, who already knew his horse had won the Queanbeyan horse of the year award.

While the five-year old brown mare only managed a fifth place finish in race 8 at Queanbeyan last Sunday, she collected five wins in the past 12 months amidst injuries, failed races and uncertainty amongst her owners, with SERA recognising this effort.

"Earlier in the piece she had a lot of problems, a lot of owners got disgruntled and wanted to pull out, but we just persevered with her and got her through her niggling injuries," Cleary said.

"She won five races through this season which was a good effort, and she even went to the Sapphire Coast and won there, so for one preparation, it's not a bad effort."

Cleary purchased Hawaiian Heart as a yearling in Dubbo in 2011, before trialling her in three races at the end of 2012, and finally racing in her first race-proper at Queanbeyan in January 2013.

But injuries were common for her around this time, with a 10 week let up needed after just her second trial, before a spell of 17 weeks followed her first race at Queanbeyan.

She finished last in that race, and she did not have a single top five finish until June last year at the Acton racecourse in Canberra, but this was followed by more injuries and let up time.

She finally picked up her first win in the 900 metre maiden plate race on Queanbeyan Cup race day in October last year, and this lead to a hat-trick of wins.

Cleary said she had got better as the years went on.

"She's been going through the classes, and she came second in race three here at Queanbeyan on October 14, so hopefully we can keep getting her through, and then get her on to the thunderbolt race on Queanbeyan Cup day," he said.

Meanwhile Cleary said he was unlikely to race any of his horses in the Queanbeyan Cup on November 29.

He initially planned on giving That's Freedom and Punton Sunny a run- each of which picked up wins last Sunday- citing the need for spells with each horse having raced frequently since the start of Spring.

His son Joe Cleary will race the in-form Landlocked in the big race, but Frank Cleary said there would be no rivalry within his family.

"There's no rivalry. We just keep it friendly, but if he wins a race, I'm so proud, and hopefully he can pull it off with Landlocked. It would be good to have another local winner in the Queanbeyan Cup," he said.