STAR Tasmanian-bred thoroughbred colt Mongolian Khan capped a brilliant season when he was named New Zealand Racehorse of the Year at a gala function in NZ last Thursday night.
Mongolian Khan made a clean sweep of the major awards by also being named champion three-year-old and champion stayer for season 2014-15.
He won the Group 1 NZ Derby over 2400m at Ellerslie before producing a brilliant win in the $1 million Group 1 ATC Australian Derby at Randwick (2400m).
he becomes the first to secure the NZ derby-Australian Derby double since Bonecrusher in 1986.
His season tally was seven wins from nine starts with four wins at Group level.
The colt was bred by Graeme McCulloch at his Grenville Stud at Whitemore and bought back by him at the Sydney weanling sales.
Representatives from Ainsley Downs Stud were interested in buying the colt but agreed not to bid.
However McCulloch brokered a deal with Ainsley Downs to prepare the colt for sale at the 2013 NZ Yearling Select Sale where he was purchased by Bryce and Ginger Tankard of Waikato Bloodstock for $140,000.
Mongolian Khan was then sold at a 2YO Ready to Run sale for $220,000 to Mr. Lang Lin’s Inner Mongolia Rider Horse Group.
“This is just the cream on top of what has been a great journey with this colt,” McCulloch said.
“We all dream to one day breed a Group 1 winner but he is one out of the box and they are saying there hasn’t been a three-year-old like him since the great Bonecrusher,” he said.
Mongolian Khan (Holy Roman Emperor-Centafit) was too immature to race at two but he came into his own as a three–year-old winning seven of his nine starts last season of which four were at Group level.
Mongolian Khan has been nominated for the Caulfield Cup, W. S. Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup and he is the early favourite for the Caulfield Cup at $10.