Werther won the Horse Of the Year title, Champion Middle Distance  and Most Popular Horse at the annual Hong Kong Champion Awards held this month.

The Tavistock four-year-old gelding won the2016 Derby and QE II Cup and won just over HK$29 million in prizemoney for the season.

The 11-time champion New Zealand trainer Paul O'Sullivan's recorded his personal best in Hong Kong with 50 wins, placing him equal fourth on the premiership - 18 behind John Size.

O'Sullivan's stable star and NZ-bred Aerovelocity was brilliant in the Centenary Sprint Cup, but colic ruled him out of a chance to retain his Takamatsunomiya Kinen title in Japan.

The incumbent Champion Sprinter, Aerovelocity, was edged out for the season's top award by Peniaphobia's after he won the Hong Kong Sprint.

The Windsor Park Stud bred gelding has earned over HK$48.5 million (NZ$8.8 million) during his time with O'Sullivan in Hong Kong.

Former New Plymouth apprentice, Kei Chiong Ka-kei, was Hong Kong's inspired story of the season.

As Hong Kong's first female apprentice in 15 years, she took 25 mounts to ride her first winner. When Choing clipped heels and fell on Hong Kong's international day, suffering two broken fingers, she used her time away to learn how to use the stick in her left hand and remarkably turned her season around.

Before the fall, Chiong's strike rate was below 3%, just two from 72. After her return in February she rode 35 winners for a strike rate around 15%, ending the season with 37 wins.

Choing was awarded the Tony Cruz Award, and the most popular jockey in Hong Kong.

A special mention goes to Tony McGovern.  McGovern announced his retirement as Hong Kong starter.