Talented all-rounder Titch was named horse of the year, while two older warhorses of the turf were also honoured at last night's annual Wanganui Jockey Club awards dinner.
The awards recognised the feats of gallopers and their respective human counterparts for the 2010/2011 racing season.
Titch was always going to be a red-hot favourite for the horse-of-the-year title after winning 10 races last season including the group one Auckland Cup, while recently retired 12-year-old Hypnotize was a certainty for jumper of the year after claiming his third Great Northern Steeplechase for Raymond and Mark Connors.
The mighty Bulginbaah bagged two titles - sprinter/miler of the year and weight-for-age performer - after winning his third Foxbridge Plate aged 10, while his affable trainer and part-owner Catherine Wilson emulated her late training partner Ken Cropp when awarded the Stuart Tasker Memorial Personality of the Year Trophy. Cropp won the same honour at the inaugural awards in 2001/2002.
Titch's trainer Kevin Myers again won the Tom Corrigan Trophy for leading jumps trainer and also claimed the leading trainer title. Myers has made both those categories his own over the past decade. Last season Myers finished fourth on the national premiership table with 57 winners for stakes of nearly $1.4million.
Titch also finished a close second to Showcause in last season's New Zealand Cup over the ultimate 3200m trip, but was also successful over sprint journeys in New Zealand and hurdle assignments in Australia. Hardly surprising then that he was also named stayer of the year.
Rememba Howe was 3-year-old of the year after winning the group three Gold Trail Stakes at Hastings and the Listed fillies event at Wanganui.
She is raced by a syndicate of Wanganui prison offers who named the filly in remembrance of their late prison manager and mate Tony Howe.
Lisa Allpress was named leading jockey, while apprentice Mereana Hudson claimed the trackwork rider of the year award. Allpress finished second on the national jockey's premiership behind James McDonald with 145 winners.
As an apprentice Hudson rode four winners in her first seasons of riding.
Hudson's mentor, Stephen Crutchley, accepted the two-year-old of the year award on behalf his talented filly Unbelieveabelle, which he trains and part-owns. The Handsome Ransom filly ran fourth on debut at home then won at Waverley before placing third at Woodville.
The most successful breeder title, fittingly, went to Wayne Keenan. Stock from Keenan's O'Ceirin Stud at Upokongaro have won around the globe, including Australia and Asia. Reuben Percival was sold to Gai Waterhouse's stable and won the Stayers Cup at Rosehill in Sydney, while gallopers he races himself from Sandie Cookson's Foxton barn have won numerous events in New Zealand.
Most of Keenan-bred gallopers are out of his own band of mares heavily influenced by sire Yachtie.