As part-owners of star performer Imperatriz, Waikato couple John Elstob and Denise Bassett understandably had high hopes ahead of the New Zealand Thoroughbred Horse of the Year Awards.

Held in their hometown of Hamilton, the husband and wife’s expectations were surpassed on Sunday by their glamour mare and they also received another knockout acknowledgment.

Imperatriz duly claimed the supreme award as Horse of the Year and also won the sprinter-miler title and the Award for Outstanding Global Achievement before Elstob and Bassett were stunned to be named Owner of the Year.

“We were there with bells on and had a table of 10 with some close friends,” Elstob said.

“We thought we would pick up the sprinter-miler with Imperatriz and had reasonable hopes for Horse of the Year, but the Owner of the Year was really out of the blue. It was very special and quite unexpected.”

The couple have enjoyed a decade long association with Te Akau and had a quarter share in Imperatriz.

“I don’t know how we could get another one like her, but we’ll enjoy the ones we’ve got and remember the good times with her,” Elstob said.

The daughter of I Am Invincible, who was purchased by Te Akau chief David Ellis for A$360,000 at the Magic Millions Yearling Sale and earned $6.7 million in stakes in the 2023-24 season, taking her career earnings to $7.5 million.

She won 19 of her 27 starts, including 10 at Group One level, and sold for an Australasian record of A$6.6 million to Yulong at this year’s Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale.

Elstob and Bassett also in the ownership of the Gr.1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) winner Move To Strike, the Gr.2 Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) winner and multiple Group One placegetter Captured By Love and Gr.2 Waikato Guineas (2000m) winner Ascend The Throne.

The Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson-trained Captured By Love was a strong resuming second in Saturday’s Gr.3 Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) while stablemate Move To Strike was the beaten favourite in the Listed El Roca – Sir Colin Meads Trophy (1200m).

“Captured By Love went really well, she went a great race, and Move To Strike blew a bit afterwards,” Elstob said.

“Our relationship with Te Akau goes back 10 or so years and we’ve got involved with more horses as the years have go on.

“We’re involved in quite a number now and we had 45 individual runners last season.

“We love the game and we have a lot of fun with a lot of great people in the industry.

“We’ve also got four or five mares, 90 percent of one, 50 percent of another and various amounts in the others.”

They celebrated a top result at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale earlier this year when the Hallmark Stud-offered Savabeel colt out of a stakes performer sold for $375,000 during the Book 1 session.

“We were pretty excited about that, he was out of a mare called Za Za Gabor,” said Elstob, who has a significant professional involvement in the thoroughbred industry.

“I’m in the veterinary game and own SVS Veterinary Supplies, we supply all the vet clinics in New Zealand.”