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Volume of success is not the sole measure considered when assessing the annual Breeder of the Year Award as was evident in Hamilton on Thursday night.

IDL Breeding Ltd was honoured with the title at the New Zealand Thoroughbred Horse of the Year Awards with Dominic Li’s operation having bred the Group One winners Volkstok’n’barrell and Suavito whereas fellow finalist Waikato Stud had doubled that tally with Costume, Diademe, I Do and Sacred Falls.

The Matamata nursery, the leading Premier Sale vendor at Karaka for the last two years, also produced 11 stakes winners and a further 12 Group One winners and 40 stakes winners sired by their stallions, who collected all three sire awards on the evening.

“The council of the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association have a secret vote and they have to assess the merits of the achievements of the finalists in front of them,” New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association chief executive Michael Martin said.

Each branch of the association put forward their nominations for the award for the 11-member council to consider.

“Citations are written to outline the finalists’ breeding operations and every black type result,” Martin said.

“If it was done purely on Group One, Two and Three results there wouldn’t need to be a vote.

“All the finalists bred two or more Group One winners and what they (the council) have to consider is the range of people – some have two or three mares and some have two or three hundred.

“It’s a difficult job with no set criteria to work with.”