New Zealanders shone brightly at the 2015-16 Australian Racehorse of the Year awards in Sydney on Thursday night as Karaka graduates claimed two prestigious awards and expat Kiwi trainer Chris Waller played a starring role throughout the evening.
Foxton-raised Waller was involved with four of the 11 awards presented. His horses won awards in three categories including Horse of the Year, and Waller also took out the Bart Cummings Award for the trainer with the most Group 1 victories in the season. He won a remarkable 15 Group 1 races in 2015-16.
A large part of that astonishing success was Karaka graduate Preferment (NZ)
(Zabeel), who was named Champion Stayer. Waller purchased him at the 2013
Premier Sale, where he was offered by Cambridge Stud and sold for $190,000.
Already a Group 1 winner of the Victoria Derby (2500m), Preferment added another three elite wins in his 10-start campaign in 2015-16. He won the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) in the spring, then picked up the Group 1 Australian Cup (2000m) and the Group 1 BMW (2400m) in the autumn. He is now the winner of more than A$3.3 million.
Waller's other two awards came through the champion mare Winx (Street Cry), who won the Middle-Distance and Horse of the Year awards.
The award for Champion Three-Year-Old Colt or Gelding went to Tarzino (NZ) (Tavistock). Like Preferment, he was bred by Cambridge Stud's Sir Patrick
and Lady Hogan. Cambridge Stud offered him at the 2014 Select Sale, where he
sold to Rick Connolly Bloodstock for $45,000.
