Ocean Park (NZ) was crowned Horse of the Year at the New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing Awards, held in Hamilton on Thursday night.

Ocean Park (Thorn Park) earned 44 of a possible total 46 votes.  The Gary Hennessy trained four year-old was a dominant winner of four successive Group 1 victories during the spring carnival.

He claimed the Makfi Challenge at Hastings and continued his winning way in Melbourne, where he added the Underwood Stakes and Caulfield Stakes before downing Australia’s star three-year-olds All Too Hard and Pierro in the Cox Plate.

He returned to racing in late summer and took his Group 1 tally to five with victory in the New Zealand Stakes at Ellerslie.  That win confirmed a Gulf campaign, however, he suffered a tendon injury in the Dubai Duty Free that ended his stellar racing career.

In completing Australia’s Underwood Stakes-Caulfield Stakes-Cox Plate treble, Ocean Park emulated the feats of champion gallopers Ajax (1938), Bonecrusher (1986), Almaarad (1989), Northerly (2001) and So You Think (2010).

A champion galloper, with an unbelievable desire to win, Ocean Park retired to the Chittick family’s Waikato Stud to commence stallion duties next month.

The Outstanding Contribution to Racing was awarded posthumously to Jim Campin, an owner, trainer and breeder of distinction in New Zealand and overseas.  Campin died in April this year aged 76. His son Mark Fraser-Campin accepted the award on behalf of his late father and read out a short address written by his father, in the knowledge he had been awarded this accolade.

NZ HORSE OF THE YEAR AWARDS

Horse Of The Year – OCEAN PARK
Champion 2YO – RUUD AWAKENING
Champion 3YO – DUNDEEL
Champion Sprinter – FINAL TOUCH
Champion Middle Distance – OCEAN PARK

Champion Stayer – SANGSTER
Champion Jumper – TOM’S MYTH
Outstanding Contribution To Racing – JIM CAMPIN
Owner Of The Year – A WONG, S YAN & G HENNESSY
Trainer Of The Year – MURRAY BAKER & ANDREW FORSMAN

Jockey Of The Year – OPIE BOSSON
Media Award – MURRAY OWLES
Champion Apprentice – RORY HUTCHINGS
Jumps Jockey Of The Year – ISAAC LUPTON
Breeder Of The Year – TRELAWNEY STUD

Broodmare Of The Year – SAYYIDA (Dam of Ocean Park)
New Zealand Bloodstock Filly Of The Year – FIX
Dewar Award (NZ Only) – O’REILLY
Grosvenor Award (NZ and Aus) – O’REILLY
Centaine Award (Global) – O’REILLY

OCEAN PARK