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Prominent breeder Nelson Schick has won the prestigious New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing Contribution to Racing Award.

Schick has been the driving force behind Windsor Park Stud.

He has devoted a lifetime to the thoroughbred breeding industry and developed Windsor Park into a brand that was recognised around the thoroughbred world.

The stallions who have stood at Windsor Park include Star Way, Volksraad, Thorn Park, Kaapstad, High Chaparral and Montjeu.

The stud’s breeding credits include the Caulfield and Melbourne Cup winner Might And Power and Aerovelocity, a G1 winner in Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Waikato Stud patriarch Garry Chittick was named NZ Breeder of the Year. It was the sixth time Chittick has earned the title.

Waikato Stud, which has been owned by the Chittick family since 1993, bred Savvy Coup, Embellish and Hasahalo, who between them won three of the four G1 classics held in New Zealand last season.

The tightest contest was for Owner of the Year.

Wellington owner Lib Petagna, who races under the JML Bloodstock banner, was successful for the third successive year but was just two votes clear of Archer Equine Investments, the owners of Charles Road and Bostonian.

Petagna was a shareholder in 25 individual runners in New Zealand and almost a third were either black type winners or group-placed.

His racing team included Francaletta, Nicoletta, Maygrove, Sofia Rosa, Gundown, Marcellina, Peaceful and Santa Catarina.

Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman, who won 146 races during the season, were unanimous winners of the Trainer of the Year award.

The partnership set new benchmarks for New Zealand trainers, with a record number of domestic wins and record stake earnings.

Their 142 wins in New Zealand eclipsed their own record of 114 wins and their team earned more than $NZ4.7 million in stakes in New Zealand. It was first time any stable had topped $4 million in a season.

The Baker-Forsman partnership produced five individual G1 winners and won 24 black type races in total. The team earned $A1.688m in stakes in Australia, bringing the total stake earnings for the season to more than $6 million.

Grosvenor Award (stallion earnings in NZ): Savabeel.

Dewar Stallion Trophy (stallion earnings in New Zealand and Australia): Savabeel.

Centaine Award: (stallion earnings worldwide): Savabeel