Celebrating 2025 excellence at Addington
5 Feb 2026
The 2025 Harness Racing New Zealand Awards were held last Saturday night at Addington Raceway, bringing the industry together to celebrate excellence across racing, breeding, ownership and contribution to the sport. The annual awards remain an important opportunity to recognise the depth of performance and commitment that underpins harness racing in New Zealand.
The New Zealand Standardbred Breeders Association was proud to sponsor three of the evening’s key breeding categories: Breeder of the Year, Trotting Broodmare of the Year, and Pacing Broodmare of the Year. These awards reflect not only seasonal success, but sustained decision making, efficiency and the long term impact breeders have on the racing population.
This year’s breeding honours were clearly driven by performance, with feature wins, Group 1 success, strike rates and the quality of individual progeny separating winners from an already strong field.
Breeding award highlights
Breeder of the Year was awarded to John and Katrina Price (Price Bloodstock) on the back of a season that combined elite success with exceptional efficiency. From just nine individual starters, their runners delivered 28 wins, including 12 feature victories and four Group 1 wins, generating $899,901 in stakes. A 31 percent win to start ratio, an average of 3.11 wins per starter, and a 43 percent feature win to win rate underlined how consistently their horses performed when stepping into higher company.
With the likes of newly crowned Horse of the Year and Pacer of the Year Republican Party, 2YO Trotting Filly of the Year Duchess Maria, and Ruby Roe, a Group 3 winner and multiple Group 1 and Group 2 placegetter last season, it was an impressive body of work across the 2025 racing year.
The strength of the result was further emphasised by the calibre of the contenders they held off. Woodlands Stud, Breckon Farms and Taffy Limited each recorded seasons featuring significant depth, large numbers of starters and multimillion dollar returns. Woodlands alone surpassed $3.7 million in stakes and produced five individual Group 1 winners, while Breckon Farms recorded three individual Group 1 winners and more than $2.3 million in earnings. That Price Bloodstock prevailed against such volume heavy operations highlighted just how decisive their strike rate and feature success proved to be.
“John and I are absolutely thrilled to receive the award and feel very honoured and humbled. We are obviously not the biggest operation, so to have the panel recognise that success can come in different sizes means a great deal to us. It is something we will be able to draw on during tougher times, much like rewatching a winning race over and over again.”
Katrina Price
The Pacing Broodmare of the Year award went to Imaginary Bet for the second consecutive season, reflecting both immediate impact and generational influence. Her progeny combined for 65 starts, delivering six wins, three feature victories and a Group 1 win, with total earnings of $526,752. Beyond the raw figures, her production profile stood out through quality, with Merlin and Captains Mistress contributing at feature and Group level. Her daughter Gemma Mac has since continued that legacy as the dam of Group 3 winner and Group 1 and Group 2 placegetter The Queen’s Gambit, reinforcing the strength and sustainability of the maternal line.
In the trotting ranks, Kylie Ree claimed Trotting Broodmare of the Year through efficiency that few could match. Her progeny recorded five wins from just 12 starts, returned $292,121 and produced a 42 percent win strike rate. With an average of 2.5 wins per starter and a 40 percent feature win conversion, her runners consistently delivered when placed in competitive company. Performers such as Gus and Son Of Patrick anchored a season where she was the only nominee to produce a Group 1 winner, with multiple daughters also breeding on to further strengthen her recognition.
The Trotting Stallion of the Year title went to What The Hill, marking his first time securing the award. His progeny accumulated 94 wins, including nine feature victories and four Group 1 wins, with stakes earnings approaching $2 million. A 12 percent win to start ratio and a strong pipeline of feature performers, including Bet N Win, Ya Rite Darl and Hillbilly Blues, demonstrated both depth and top end capability.
At the pacing end, Bettor’s Delight claimed Pacing Stallion of the Year for the 14th time. His progeny delivered 288 wins, 27 feature victories and 11 Group 1 wins, generating $6.76 million in stakes for the season. With a 14 percent win strike rate across more than 2,100 starts, and elite performers such as Leap To Fame, Marketplace and Republican Party, the award again reflected ongoing performance at the highest level.
Full list of horse and breeding award winners
Congratulations to the connections of all award winners. A full list of horse and breeding awards is outlined below, with breeders acknowledged.2YO Trotting Filly of the Year: Duchess Maria | Breeder: John & Katrina Price
2YO Pacing Filly of the Year: All Of Me | Breeder: Charles Joseph Ltd
2YO Trotting Colt or Gelding of the Year: Kyvalley Ray | Breeder: Phil Williamson
2YO Pacing Colt or Gelding of the Year: Jumal | Breeder: Dave Kennedy
3YO Trotting Filly of the Year: Ya Rite Darl | Breeder: Woodlands Stud NZ
3YO Pacing Filly of the Year: Arafura | Breeder: Woodlands Stud NZ
3YO Trotting Colt or Gelding of the Year: Meant To Be | Breeder: Breckon Farms
3YO Pacing Colt or Gelding of the Year: Marketplace | Breeder: George & Maryanne Simon, Tony Barron, Gordon McKenzie, Anthony Clark & Michelle Scanlon
4YO Trotting Mare of the Year: Princess Sadie | Breeder: Windrush Trust, Sylvia & Patrick Kay
4YO Pacing Mare of the Year: Francent | Breeder: Robert Higgins
4YO Trotting Entire or Gelding of the Year: Hillbilly Blues | Breeder: Woodlands Stud NZ
4YO Pacing Entire or Gelding of the Year: Kingman | Breeder: Mick Harvey
5YO and Older Trotting Mare of the Year: I Dream Of Jeannie | Breeder: Gary Allen, Graeme & Bev Hulston
5YO and Older Pacing Mare of the Year: Lakelsa | Breeder: Bruce & Alistair Sinclair
5YO and Older Trotting Entire or Gelding of the Year: Bet N Win | Breeder: Breckon Farms
5YO and Older Pacing Entire or Gelding of the Year: Republican Party | Breeder: John & Katrina Price
Trotting Broodmare of the Year: Kylie Ree | Breeder: Silverdale West Melton Ltd
Pacing Broodmare of the Year: Imaginary Bet | Breeder: Charles Roberts
Trotting Stallion of the Year: What The Hill | Breeder: Stan Klemenic
Pacing Stallion of the Year: Bettor’s Delight | Breeder: Winbak Farm
Breeder of the Year: John & Katrina Price
Trotter of the Year: Bet N Win | Breeder: Breckon Farms
Pacer of the Year: Republican Party | Breeder: John & Katrina Price
Outstanding Contribution to Harness Racing: Ken and Karen Breckon
Horse of the Year: Republican Party | Breeder: John & Katrina Price
