Black Caviar has capped her glittering career by being honoured as Australia's Racehorse of the Year for the third time.

Unbeaten in 25 starts, the now-retired world champion sprinter joins dual Cox Plate winner Sunline as the only other horse to win the title three times.

After an absence from the racecourse for seven months while she recovered from her Royal Ascot win in England last year, Black Caviar returned in February for the first of three Group One starts in the 2012/13 season.

She triumphed in the Lightning Stakes, renamed in her honour, breaking Special's 25-year-old 1000m track record at Flemington in the process. She then thrilled her fans in the William Reid Stakes.

The TJ Smith Stakes at Randwick boasted what was one of the strongest fields she had ever faced but she dispensed with them in typically arrogant fashion in what was to be her final race.

It was also her 15th Group One victory, one more than the previous record held by Kingston Town.

She was of course also named the Sprinter of the Year at the awards ceremony in Melbourne on Thursday night.

Votes were lodged on a 3-2-1 basis by 98 members of the racing media and senior racing administrators nationwide with Black Caviar securing 251 of a maximum 294 votes for the top honour, beating her younger half brother All Too Hard (179), Cox Plate winner Ocean Park (50), Pierro (38) and It's A Dundeel (28).

All Too Hard came out on top in what was acknowledged as a stellar year for three-year-old colts and geldings, polling 264 votes with Pierro on 148 and It's A Dundeel on 119.

The occasion also celebrated the 60-year career of Bart Cummings who presented the award, now named in his honour, for the leading Group One trainer of the season, Chris Waller.

Hugh Bowman and Kerrin McEvoy shared the champion Group One jockey title with seven apiece.

New Zealand star Ocean Park, winner of the Cox Plate, was a runaway winner in the Middle Distance category while Golden Slipper winner Overreach beat Guelph as the champion two-year-old.

And Cummings didn't go away empty-handed with Norzita, who gave the master trainer his 265th and 266th Group One wins in the Flight Stakes and Arrowfield Stud Stakes, named the three-year-old filly of the year over Dear Demi and Royal Descent in a close contest.

The Lloyd Williams-owned Melbourne Cup winner Green Moon was the Champion Stayer while Bashboy was crowned champion jumper for the second time.

Winners:

Australian Racehorse of the Year: Black Caviar

Two-year-old: Overreach

Three-year-old filly: Norzita

Three-year-old colt or gelding: All Too Hard

Sprinter: Black Caviar

Middle Distance: Ocean Park

Stayer: Green Moon

Jumper: Bashboy

Champion Sire: Exceed And Excel

Bart Cummings Award: Chris Waller

Group One jockey: Hugh Bowman and Kerrin McEvoy