Ihtsahymn has won WA Race Horse of the Year at the Western Australian Racing Owners Association (WAROA) awards ceremony, held at a gala function at the Hyatt Hotel on Saturday.
Victories in the Group 1 Kingston Town Classic (1800m), the Group 2 WA Guineas (1600m) and the Group 2 Cox Stakes (2100m) were major highlights in a brilliant summer campaign.
The Fred Kersley-trained Ihtiram gelding returned in the autumn to take out the Melvista Stakes (2200m) and was runner-up in three other feature races including the WA Derby (2400m).
Hobart Jones, the Two-Year-Old Horse of the Year, enjoyed an outstanding season with victory in the state’s richest and most prestigious juvenile race: the Group 2 Karrakatta Plate (1400m).
The son of So Secret, who finished first three in all six starts, ran third placings in the Supremacy Stakes (1100m), Perth Stakes (1100m) and Sires Produce Stakes (1400m).
Ihtsahymn won the Amelia Park Three-Year-Old of the Year and Luckygray the Horserail Northerly Four-Year-Old and upwards Race Horse of the Year.
Luckygray, for new trainer Trevor Andrews, returned from a winless Victorian campaign to take out his second Group 1 Railway Stakes (1600m).
William Pike claimed his sixth The Brook Bar and Bistro Champion Jockey title.
Pike ended the season on 77 wins including the Group 2 WA Derby with Respondent.
Adam Durrant finished on the same number of winners to claim his fourth success in the Inglis Insurance Brokers Champion Trainer award.
Durrant landed feature wins in the WA St Leger (2100m) with Crumpet O’Reilly and the Belmont Guineas (1600m)-Belmont Oaks (2000m) double with Tick Tick Bloom.
Ben Paterson, on 38 wins, won the WA Bookmakers Association Champion Apprentice for the second consecutive year.
Thoroughbred Breeders Champion WA Broodmare: Umatune.
Champion WA Sire: Blackfriars.
WA Thoroughbred Breeder of the Year: Oakland Park.
