Mongolian Khan Dominates NZ Awards

Karaka graduates led by dual Derby winner Mongolian Khan dominated when the New Zealand Horse of the Year Awards for 2014/15 were presented on August 13.

Karaka graduates swept five awards including the supreme honour of Horse of the Year won by Mongolian Khan.

It was an exciting night for the connections of Mongolian Khan as the pin-up colt was awarded with three prestigious titles - Horse of the Year, Champion Three-Year-Old and Champion Stayer.

He is raced by Lang Lin’s China Inner Mongolia Rider Horse Group, also named Owner of the Year.

The son of Holy Roman Emperor has earned almost $A2 million in prizemoney in his first season of racing, highlighted by his classic victories in the G1 New Zealand Derby at Ellerslie and the G1 ATC Australian Derby at Randwick.

He is trained from the Cambridge stable of Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman, who concluded the 2014/15 season as Trainers of the Year.

Five of his seven wins have been at stakes level from just nine starts.

The China Inner Mongolia Rider Horse Group purchased Mongolian Khan as a two-year-old at NZB’s 2013 Ready to Run Sale for $220,000 from Regal Farm, after being sold as a yearling at NZB’s 2013 Select Sale to Bryce and Ginger Tankard’s Waikato Bloodstock for $140,000 from Ainsley Downs Stud.

The Champion Middle Distance Horse title went the way of dual G1 winner Soriano, a graduate of the NZB Premier Sale, finishing the season with two well-earned G1 victories in the G1 Zabeel Classic and the G1 Herbie Dyke Stakes, both at 2000m.

The daughter of Savabeel had a stellar season with three stakes wins to add to her previous two stakes successes for owner and breeder Denise Howell, and trainers Graeme and Debbie Rogerson.

Soriano was just shy of a third G1 accomplishment, finishing runner-up to fellow nominee in the Champion Middle Distance Horse category Puccini in the G1 Thorndon Mile.

The G1 producing dam Parfore (Gold Brose) claimed the Broodmare of the Year title.

Parfore’s most recent progeny achieving G1 success is Terravista (Captain Rio), winning the G1 Darley Classic.

Parfore’s other noteworthy progeny include Tiger Tees (NZ) (Dubawi), who was victorious in the G1 Galaxy Handicap, and the twice crowned Horse of the Year in Singapore in 2012 and 2013 Super Easy (Darci Brahma), following three Singapore G1 wins.

Parfore was purchased at New Zealand Bloodstock’s 2004 National Broodmare Sale by Paul Willetts for $30,000 from Westbury Stud.

The New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year was also crowned at the awards with the coveted title secured by the G1 New Zealand Bloodstock 1000 Guineas winner Platinum Witness (California Dane).

A strong contender throughout the three-year-old Filly Series, Platinum Witness won three of the 10 races including the G3 Desert Gold Stakes, and ran a dead-heat in the G3 Lowland Stakes before narrowly missing victory in the final of the Series, the G1 New Zealand Oaks.

From the stable of last year’s Trainer of the Year, Lisa Latta, Platinum Witness concluded the Filly Series on 29.5 points, 6.5 points ahead of Saavoya (Savabeel), for owners John Street of Lincoln Farms and Neville McAlister.

Waikato Stud dominated the stallion awards with their resident stallion Savabeel taking ownership of both the Grosvenor Award and the Dewar Award while the late Waikato Stud sire, O’Reilly, was awarded the Centaine Award for the third year running.

2015 NZTR Horse of the Year Winners