HWPA Awards 2022

PATRON: EARL OF DERBY PRESIDENT: DAVID CLEARY

THE DERBY AWARDS

56th Year of the Annual Luncheon

MONDAY 5TH DECEMBER 2022 Lancaster London, Lancaster Terrace W2 2TY

By the President

It’s my pleasure to welcome you to the 56th year of the HWPA Derby Awards Luncheon. I know we have many friends returning for the umpteenth time and some new friends who are making their first visit. Whether you are a newbie or an old hand, I hope you have a very enjoyable afternoon (and, just possibly, evening).

There is, of course, one unavoidable change from previous lunches, in that we will be toasting the King rather than the Queen. For the vast majority of us at this Lunch, Queen Elizabeth II was the only British Monarch we had known. Beyond that, within our own small sphere, she had been a constant presence, as an owner, breeder, racegoer and silent advocate for the joys that this great sport can bring In terms of keeping the focus of the world outside on racing, she was almost without parallel.

You would need to be even older to remember a time when Lester Piggott was not in the racing headlines. It is surely most appropriate to remember his legacy at this event, given his unequalled tally of nine Derby winners over a 30-year span Some of you will be seated at tables that commemorate some of the more recent of those victories.

There are great jockeys around today, of course, but Lester’s was a singular talent, his style and strength in the saddle very much his own. Perhaps no one jockey in the history of Flat racing has won more races that they had no right to win. The legion of stories that go with the talent can only enhance the legend.

As well as remembering these and other sad losses, we look forward to celebrating all that has been good about our sport in the past twelve months, both on the track and in the Media It is a reflection on the changing nature of how news is conveyed that, for the first time, a story broken on a podcast is shortlisted for one of the journalists’ awards. An increasing number of the entries for the written awards contain articles that have appeared online only

Having sat in on the deliberations, I can safely say that the depth of quality in all the categories for writers, photographers and broadcasters, made the judges’ decisions very tricky indeed. Those that are shortlisted only scratch the surface of

the talent out there. That is reassuring, given the pressures on racing coverage in the traditional Press, pressures that are only likely to increase in such difficult economic times.

This Lunch would not be possible without the continued support of our most generous sponsors, the Hong Kong Jockey Club, Coral and Vertem Asset Management. The HWPA is grateful too to those that support the Lunch by booking tables and taking adverts in this Brochure I would also like to thank the many people who have helped in organising this event. In particular, I would like to express my continued appreciation to Jennie Prest and Emma Carr for ensuring that things run much more smoothly than they ever otherwise would.

The HWPA Committee is most grateful for their help in sourcing the images used in the Gone But Not Forgotten montage to Mark Cranham, John Grossick, Caroline Norris, Chris Pitt, Hannah Ali, Dave Hoskyns, Emma Butchard, Paul Webber and Racing Post.

In addition, thanks are also due to Debbie Burt, Patrick McCann, Louise Pollard, Tracy Roberts, Hugh Routledge, Bill Selwyn, George Selwyn and Edward Whitaker for supplying photographs for this Brochure.

David Cleary

CREATIVE MARKETING CONSULTANCY

HONG KONG

B Y J A MC GR AT H

The most demanding year ever experienced in five decades of professional racing in Hong Kong is drawing to a close Naturally, there are hopes that better, less stressful days lie ahead for participants and punters, and the race meeting at Sha Tin on Sunday 20 November signalled fresh brightness and optimism on the horizon.

That afternoon Golden Sixty, twice Horse Of The Year, made a sparkling seasonal debut, returning after a break of seven months to get the better of young buck California Spangle for a resounding victory in the Jockey Club Mile, while later on the card, Hong Kong Derby winner Romantic Warrior did likewise when landing the Jockey Club Cup

Both are traditional prep races for the four Hong Kong International Races, worth a total of £11.8m, at Sha Tin on Sunday 11 December Tough Covid regulations laid down by the government have made life difficult for the racing industry, not to mention the millions of Hong Kong residents trying to work and live there, ever yearning for some semblance of normality to return to daily life

From a racing perspective, daily testing has long been mandatory for jockeys, trainers, officials, stablehands, Hong Kong Jockey Club office workers, clubhouse attendants - basically everyone connected to the club and the racing industry - merely to turn up for a day’s work. Frustration has been felt at every level.

It is a credit to all concerned that the HKJC successfully completed an entire season of 88 racedays in 2021-22, with the season stretching from September to July, without the loss of a single fixture Crowds have been drastically reduced because of Covid protocols but officials remain hopeful there can be a gradual increase in attendances in coming months.

The 2022-23 season is well under way, and while Golden Sixty and Romantic Warrior are local stars who have made triumphant returns, there has been one key figure missing of late Joao Moreira has not ridden since 21 September because of a nagging hip injury, and recently announced he will have his last Hong Kong rides at the HKIR meeting this month (December). The ‘Magic Man, as he is popularly known, is set to retire

But not immediately First, he plans to embark on a farewell world tour, riding in Australia, Japan, Europe and his native Brazil before hanging up his boots and saddle He expects the tour to last around six months.

Moreira, 39, has been a phenomenon in Hong Kong. In just over nine years, he has ridden 1,234 winners and collected four jockeys’ championships, while in the 2016-17 season he partnered 170 winners, a local record.

His great rivalry with Australian Zac Purton has been one of the highlights of recent seasons, and Moreira’s absence has left a void in the ranks.

So much so that Purton is currently forging further clear at the top, his hands already reaching out for a sixth jockeys’ championship trophy On 27 November, Purton booted home another five-timer, which included his 50th winner of the campaign, achieved on the season’s 22nd raceday (the threat of a typhoon forced one meeting to be rescheduled to later next year).

Silvestre de Sousa has made his presence felt since returning to Hong Kong. Karis Teetan is another regular from the top bracket, who like Moreira, has been on the sidelines. A thyroid condition kept Teetan off the track though he is expected to make a full return this month. Unfortunately for him, that is not early enough to stop Sydney-based James McDonald snapping up the HKIR ride on Romantic Warrior in the Hong Kong Cup Incidentally, MacDonald will be joined by other visiting stars Ryan Moore, Hollie Doyle, Tom Marquand, Jamie Kah, Mickael Barzalona, Yuga Kawada and Jye McNeil in the popular International Jockeys’ Championship, a four-race competition at Happy Valley on Wednesday 7 December

The Hong Kong Jockey Club has come a very long way since its foundation in 1884, when a group of enthusiastic amateur riders, mainly from the British Army and wealthy foreign companies on the China Coast, thought it a good idea to stage race meetings in the valley near Wong Nai Chung on Hong Kong island, to become known as Happy Valley

Last season, a total of £15 billion was bet on 88 racedays in Hong Kong, marking a 3 per cent year-on-year increase in turnover, which considering the Covid restrictions in place, was quite remarkable and a tribute to the traditional passion of the Hong Kong punter for horse racing.

That passion, coupled with their ongoing interest and dedication, is driving an industry in difficult times.

MENU

BRAISED SHALLOT TART TATIN

Vegan Applewood cheddar, pickled beetroot and caramelised walnuts (V)

ROAST RIB EYE AND BRAISED SHORT RIB

Roasted root vegetables and button onions, truffle mash potatoes Mushrooms and Port wine sauce

TOMATO AND AUBERGINE SCHNITZEL

Crushed new potato, summer vegetable cocottes, white radish Tomato and tarragon fondue (V)

BAKED ALASKA MORELLO CHERRY MERINGUE

Jivara cremeux, blackcurrant brownies

Coffee, tea, petits fours and miniature mince pies

WINES

CASA ALBALI VERDEJO-SAUVIGNON BLANC 2021

CASA ALBALI TEMPRANILLO SHIRAZ 2020

The Lancaster London has taken every possible step to ensure that no food served in the hotel contains genetically modified food and we have been assured by our suppliers that this is so. Priority is given to those guests who have pre-ordered the vegetarian menu in advance. Every effort will be made to accommodate last minute requests. However, we cannot guarantee the above choice will be available.

THE DERBY AWARDS 56th Year of the Annual Luncheon

INTERNATIONAL TRAINER of the Year

The record-breaking 2021 season, which gleaned £30 million worth of overseas earnings, was always going to be a hard act to follow But 2022 has not been so bad for British runners abroad.

Indeed, had Mishriff repeated his heroics of 12 months earlier and landed a second Saudi Cup, rather than earned nothing for finishing tailed off last, we would have been biting our nails to see if the £30 million barrier could be breached once again.

The annual tally has already exceeded £22 million and it could be closer to the £23 million mark come Hogmanay Only three or four previous seasons will have yielded more.

Outside of our four nominees, numerous other trainers have made notable contributions to the coffers with Ralph Beckett came closest to getting into the final quartet thanks to Westover capturing the Irish Derby for a British stable during the era of Aidan O’Brien dominance. He went on to finish a fine fifth in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe before Kinross grabbed the Prix de la Foret and then claimed third place in the Breeders’ Cup Mile from a wide draw

Archie Watson will surely be figuring prominently in this category for many years to come and he had a marvellous globetrotter in the shape of Outbox, victorious in Qatar back in February. Ed Walker plundered two of ParisLongchamp’s plum prizes with Dreamloper while Richard Hannon’s Happy Romance may not have won a race during her early-season Middle Eastern foray but she did return home £333,333 the richer – not bad for a £25,000 yearling purchase.

And ‘chapeau’ to Amy Murphy, who has mined a rich seam of French prizemoney with such gusto that her team accumulated over €250,000 on the other side of The Channel.

SIR MARK PRESCOTT WILLIAM HAGGAS

CHARLIE APPLEBY JOHN & THADY GOSDEN

INTERNATIONAL TRAINER OF THE YEAR by

THE NOMINATIONS

CHARLIE APPLEBY

Charlie Appleby has enjoyed another outstanding season with Godolphin’s blue-clad bluebloods, his string maintaining superb form from early spring to late autumn. It culminated in November with a magnificent Breeders’ Cup treble which would have been more noteworthy were it not for the fact that he had achieved exactly the same feat in 2021.

Back in May, he pulled off an even more incredible threesome when Native Trail’s triumph in the Irish 2,000 Guineas meant that Appleby had won the male miling Classic in Europe’s three main racing nations with three different colts, Coroebus having landed the Newmarket original and Modern Games having proved too strong in the French equivalent.

The foundation of Appleby’s overseas campaign was, just as it had been a year earlier, a laser-focused plundering of North America’s top turf races. He couldn’t quite match that tally of eight transatlantic Grade 1 victories, coming up one shy, but his US stats of eight wins from just 14 races contested was impressive nonetheless.

His strike rate in Germany was even better - two victories (both by Rebel’s Romance) and a third from three starts, all in Group 1 company.

JOHN & THADY GOSDEN

Mishriff may have misfired and Palace Pier retired but John Gosden, already a four-time winner of this award and now aiming to land it for the first time since son Thady became co-proprietor of Clarehaven Stables, unearthed new talent to gain yet another final four nomination.

One of the other old faces, Lord North, was the single biggest contributor to their overseas earnings thanks to a second straight victory in the Dubai Turf at Meydan (this time in conjunction with the Japanese dead-heater, Panthalassa).

Otherwise it was all about two terrifically talented three-yearold fillies, Inspiral and Nashwa. Inspiral gave team Gosden a third straight victory (and fourth in nine years) in Europe’s midsummer mile championship race, the Prix Jacques Le Marois. Nashwa also trod familiar turf, following in the hoofprints of its 2015 winner, Star Of Seville, in the Prix de Diane before brave but unsuccessful efforts in both the Prix de l’Opera, where she was second, and the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf, where she had to settle for fourth place Both will be back next year

WILLIAM HAGGAS

The master of Somerville Lodge’s 2022 season was all about Baaeed, wasn’t it?

One can be excused for believing that was the case, but the Cartier Horse Of The Year never set foot outside England during the campaign, yet William Haggas still ended up with a sizeable war chest of overseas currency, notching two Group 1 victories, three top level seconds and no less than five Group 2 scores on foreign shores.

His standard bearer was Sea La Rosa, who popped across The Channel to lift both the Prix de Pomone and the Prix de Royallieu, though Alenqueur also deserves plaudits for his Tattersalls Gold Cup win in Ireland.

The three-year-olds Maljoom, Purplepay and My Prospero landed big prizes at Cologne, Chantilly and Saint-Cloud respectively while the four-year-olds Lilac Road and My Astra suffered near-misses in prestigious fillies’ events at Longchamp and The Curragh.

Then, in the autumn, it was the old guard’s turn as yard favourites Hamish and Addeybb proved their trainer’s ability to keep veterans performing at their peak with an Irish St Leger second and a farewell triumph in the Prix du Conseil de Paris.

SIR MARK PRESCOTT

I know that I’m being greedy, but what a pity that the wondermare Alpinista was robbed by minor injury of the chance to bring down the curtain on her glittering career with a win in the Japan Cup.

I can see it now, trainer Sir Mark and her redoubtable ownerbreeder, Miss Rausing, draped in their winner’s garlands as ‘God Save The King’ rings out around Tokyo Racecourse while the formal victory ceremony takes place next to the winning post.

What a sight that would have made! The scenes after her Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe success were surreal, Prescott embraced joyously by a tearful runner-up, Jean-Claude Rouget, kissed by Andre Fabre and lauded by a huge proportion of the assembled multitude, in particular the visiting Brits.

For over 40 years, Prescott has been internationally-minded, keen to send his horses wherever they were afforded the best opportunities.

This is borne out by the fact that Alpnista, like her granddam before her, was a triple Group 1 heroine in Germany, in her case in 2021 prior to this year landing France’s two biggest all-aged 1m 4f races.

TA K I N G HO RS E

PICTURE of the Year

“A once-in-a-blue-moon picture with the moment perfectly captured”

ALAN CROWHURST (Getty Images)

“Excellently cropped; a fine image of a big moment, made special by the expressions of the two boys”

GEORGE SELWYN (Freelance)

“Captures the essence of a horse race in the mud, a technically excellent photograph”

EDWARD WHITAKER (Racing Post)

“The light is superb; such a good photo, you could make an oil painting out of it”

DAVID DAVIES (Press Association)

PICTURE OF THE YEAR by Louise Pollard

THE NOMINATIONS

ALAN CROWHURST

“Be ready for anything” is Alan’s mantra. In this picture, taken in early August at one of his two local tracks, Alan was understandably confident that within the few frames that he had shot (Sony 600mm F/4) from the level 3 balcony outside the Press room, “there was some potential here”. It only took a quick check on the laptop for this, his exemplary and iconic imagery to be realised. As it turned out it was, as he intended it to be, different and certainly is very special.

The Seagull, symbolic of and synonymous with Brighton Racecourse as well as Alan’s and the town’s football team, makes this unique image all the more profound. Keeping the image at the front of his memory throughout the rest of the season, meant his selection for the tenth Anniversary HWPA Picture Of The Year Awards became “a relatively straightforward and simple” task.

Horses racing up the straight is an enduring representation of our specialist sport - in fact it’s a staple - but, seeing the gull in front, photographing it, noticing the direction, makes Alan’s concept very reflective of his individual photographic style and his thought processes. To see and look for “the Shot” is paramount. His exemplary representation of his craft results in an iconic image, amplifying the mantra and photographic approach of a rare key player within our industry

A truly awe-inspiring photographer with a consistent record of excellence. Alan highlights again that his approach “to be always ready” and, it goes without saying, to be prepared, but in this instance, “just be ready”, be “ready for the unexpected”!

“When you are doing something that you love it’s not like going to work at all. It’s like that old saying, if you’re passionate about what you do then you’ll never work a day in your life.”

THE DERBY AWARDS 56th year of the Annual Luncheon

HWPA Photographer of year 2009 & 2013

(SJA awards for both specialized horse-racing portfolio and overall sports photographer 2015.)

DAVID DAVIES

To fully understand the unreservedly precious and sentimental value of this image is the key to this spectacular photograph.

“8am on an ordinary day” for David, in his relatively new Worcestershire home in Strensham, a mere 20 minutes from his Mum and Dad’s place From his kitchen window, David noted the sunrise and the “unusually dramatic sky” David had just popped the kettle on, but while the kettle was boiling David decided to hop over the fence at the bottom of his garden to his neighbour Samuel Drinkwater’s gallops. There he took just the one frame, “just the one”, of Danny Burton exercising one of the horses, from the up-andcoming yard. David was back in time to pour the freshly boiled water on the tea bags and pack his family off to their respective days’ work.

It’s November 2021.

Don’t mistake this picture’s beauty for simplicity

“It’s my Mum’s favourite picture, she picked it, call it her last gift to me.” David’s Mum Christine passed away on the 17th February 2022. He and his Dad both have a copy on their wall, only one of two horse racing related images that makes the grade for display in David’s home.

Shortlisted in both categories David reiterates again, humbly, the importance of being recognized alongside his peers “that this is the most valuable thing” and how he had never felt so bold as to enter HWPA Awards before, “such a specialist competition”.

David Davies has been the Chief Sports Photographer of the Press Association since 2001.

This image carries with it all the weight of knowledge, excellence, of a career spanning some 30 years in sports photography His picture not only represents his dedication, but beauty and passion for the art of photography, but mostly a humility, and a wealth of experience to be able to see that that day was not so ordinary after all. As I reflected and looked again upon the picture, it brought a tear to my eye

(On the 7th March 2022, the day before his mum’s funeral, David won two SJA awards for both specialized horseracing portfolio and overall sports photographer.)

PICTURE OF THE YEAR by Louise Pollard THE NOMINATIONS

GEORGE SELWYN

Since 1975 George has only missed photographing one Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe before the Covid-19 Pandemic hit.

His eloquently executed nomination of the 2022 event records a split second in time, where the viewer is “drawn into the expressions” of the “animated” faces of two young boys, one sitting on the shoulders of a man, all clearly “engaged in the moment”.

As Luke Morris and Alpinista ride past, so close that the boys can almost touch the winning filly, they all look on in “excitement and awe”. George said that he was particularly struck by the fact “the inside of the track was almost entirely bereft of spectators” this specific year.

A man of quiet reflection, George alludes to the fact that “the picture should do the talking”. But he couldn’t resist admitting that witnessing Luke Morris and Alpinista winning the Arc for Sir Mark Prescott was “special, very special” indeed, it “had certainly got the adrenaline rushing” and “the blood pumping” an experience that made him mindful of “another great performance” in Paris in 1986, Dancing Brave and Pat Eddery.

At the tender age of 69, George continues to work, as he has for the last 17 years, for Owner Breeder magazine He recently did the follow-up visit to Heath House to record Alpinista with her groom Annabel Willis, Luke and Sir Mark who were all “relaxed and happy” and enjoying their success. It was “poignant”, said George.

THE DERBY AWARDS 56th year of the Annual Luncheon

EDWARD WHITAKER

Whilst Edward is immensely personable, he is also to be revered and is often distracted by his next mission. Edward, as The Racing Post’s senior multi-award-winning photographer for some 35 years, needs no introduction to anyone who is actively involved in horse racing. His mission for perfection is palpable and his incomparable excellence is consistent.

As Edward says, Lingfield is notorious for heavy, mud-laden conditions in the winter, where the horses and the jockeys really have to battle “I was particularly looking for a jockey in white silks” to obtain a very powerful representation of the conditions. The Sony A1 and Sony FE 400mm F/2.8 was the instrument used, the “quality is excellent for the horrendous conditions and you can see it’s raining still”

It’s important to fill the frame, said Edward, to choose the background that is most important to me, “a nice clean background” He added: “99% of the time I will choose my background before shooting.

This entry, his chosen shortlisted Picture Of The Year 2022 – I knew nothing of this picture – nor perhaps should I? I do not know the jockey, nor recognize the colours, there is not even a visual reference on the number cloth. I cannot place it at all? But, I think, if I may be so bold - I am sure, that is the point!

The curiosity of this image was starting to get the better of me

Edward confirms, the concept of the image is that “the jockey looks like a bronze statue”. I am strangely elated by this experience and his description. Being that, this is the intention of this entry - and if seen, his concept is more than achieved. Brilliant, utterly brilliant! Well at least for me (Like a murder mystery solved).

Or maybe, you, the viewer, see, just tenacity and mud?

Either way, that is the intention of the image, is a double win, and applause is merited! Pushing the boundaries, yet again, is Edward Whitakar’s USP

Edward says this is “The mud-caked white silks of Ben Poste driving Premier d’Troice for a minor place in a 3 mile Handicap Chase at Lingfield” making the jockey look like a Bronze Statue.”

Ultimately, I am delighted for Ben Poste who is now immortalised in a virtual photographic statue in his honour

HWPA Picture of year 2018

HWPA Photographer of year 1999, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019

(SJA awards for both specialized horse-racing portfolio 2006,2008,2011 Overall portfolio 2008, 2011)

HORSERACE WRITER & PHOTOGRAPHER Goodwood Golf Day

by Bill Selwyn

A good turnout with some well-known faces in attendance, including AP McCoy, and some welcome new faces off the Flat in Tom Greatrex and Sean Levey Amazingly the shotgun start saw us tee off in windy and drizzly conditions, but after a few holes, and the odd beverage, conditions improved. Which can’t be said for some of the golf, including my own. Nevertheless, it was a thoroughly enjoyable day, and special mention should go to Hugh Routledge who produced a “Worldy” to flop shot over a 10 foot barrier, and stop the ball the other side to a couple of feet. A “Champagne” moment.

The Team Trophy went to the form horse, as last year’s runners-up Rachel Candelora, Ben Evans, Mark Johnson and Chris Payne, took the top prize ‘Others to distinguish themselves included Hugo Barran, the best of the HWPA runners, Jim Erwood, who hit the longest drive at the 18th, and Dan Thompson, who was nearest the pin at the 12th.

The HWPA would like to thank most warmly Qatar for their sponsorship of the Annual Golf Day, as well as JSC, the team at Goodwood Racecourse and at the Goodwood Golf Course itself for their assistance in organising the event and the smooth running of the day itself

In addition, huge thanks are due to Rupert Bell, Rachel Candelora and Mark Johnson who did much of the organising on the HWPA side

The Arabian Racing Achievement Award 2022 PHILIP COLLINGTON

As a trainer, his focus has always been on quality over quantity He hit the ground running with three black-type wins for his chief patron, who was present to watch Dane O’Neill steer the fragile Radames to Group 1PA victory on Dubai Day at Newbury Jamaayil would later provide Collington with a first overseas PA Group win in Toulouse Though the majority of his winners were for Sheikh Hamdan, also in his stable were horses from HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Ahmed’s Athbah Racing, who supplied another toplevel winner the following year in Mith’hath Athbah.

2018 has been his best UK season numerically to date, producing 24 winners and 28 placed horses from 83 runners, securing his first ARO trainers title With more black type success for Athbah Racing, it was clear they were becoming a potent force in the sport and Collington was now regularly travelling and winning with their horses in Europe and the Gulf The most notable of which was Mashhur Al Khalediah, winner of the $1 millon Jewel Crown in Abu Dhabi, before finishing third in the Obaiya Arabian Classic at the inaugural Saudi Cup meeting in 2020

The horses that earned them the 2022 UK Arabian leading trainer and owner titles were all Athbah homebreds, who also helped UAE champion Tadhg O’Shea to capture the ARO top jockey award. However Collington hasn’t forgotten his roots, still training for small owner-breeders such as John Elliott who supplied him with rides and his first winner as a trainer He has also given a start to young jockeys, most notably Royal Ascot winning apprentice Laura Pearson, who joined him whilst still at school.

Having a solid family background of hunting and point-to-pointing, it’s somewhat surprising that five-time Arabian Racing Organisation leading jockey Philip Collington, didn’t start riding until his midteens. Getting the racing bug whilst at agricultural college, he’s not looked back, riding his first winner as an amateur on the Flat in 2001, as well as a handful over hurdles before focussing his efforts on Arabians.

His first ride in HH Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum’s colours was a winning one in 2003, as was his second, and his third, which led to him spending the winter riding work in Dubai with His Highness’s Arabian trainer Gill Duffield. On his return, he accepted the position of retained amateur to Sheikh Hamdan, riding many of his best Arabians at home and on the track. Then, having become Duffield’s assistant, he inherited half her string on her retirement in 2015.

Athbah Racing were one of the leading buyers from Shadwell’s Arabian dispersal and the first foals from Collington’s first Group winners for Sheikh Hamdan are being broken in for next season. Newmarket-based, he has just relocated to Hamilton Road, a few yards up from where he started with Duffield at Eve Lodge, and he’s hoping to further retrace his steps with success for Athbah in the Gulf this winter

By Debbie Burt

PRESENTED

John Oaksey Trophy REPORTER of the Year

“Minimum prize money rise affects just small number of races shows the ability and willingness to dig deeper into a widely-covered story, using data and analysis to reveal what the figures will mean”

JONATHAN HARDING (Racing Post)

“Josh Moore interview captures perfectly the emotions of Moore and his partner Phoebe Cruse in a sensitive but insightful interview, both fascinating and engaging”

DARAGH Ó CONCHÚIR (Freelance)

“Banned substances seized after farm raid set the agenda for those who follow and cover racing, the exclusive report revealing a significant development following months of speculation“

“Gosden-Dettori split proves that top-class reporting is delivered on a variety of different platforms in the 21st Century”

NICK LUCK (Nick Luck podcast)

LEE MOTTERSHEAD (Racing Post)

REPORTER OF THE YEAR

THE NOMINATIONS

JONATHAN HARDING

I’veworkedattheRacingPostforoverfouryearsnow andI’vebeenluckyenoughtodosomeprettycoolwriting andreportingjobswhilstvisitingvariouscountries,including whengoingtothePoland-Ukraineborderthisyear,andnotwo daysarethesame.

One of the things we like to do at the Racing Post is look at the BHA data, and industry statistics, and dig into them a bit more This piece was regarding the news that the BHA were increasing minimum race values, so my aim was to see what impact this, as a number, would have on trainers and racecourses.

Having won the Emerging Talent Award in 2019, it is always nice to feel you are taking that next step, and it is amazing to be nominated alongside Lee Mottershead, my mentor at the Racing Post, as well as Nick Luck, who has always been a big supporter of mine, and Darragh Ó Conchúir, who produced a huge scoop this year, and is a journalist I admire a lot.

One of the best things about reporting on racing is the accessibility of the sport and the willingness for people to talk to you. This year, more than any, I’ve really had to get into industry subjects and have enjoyed the challenge of tackling bigger stories, but that is only really possible when people are willing to pick up the phone and talk to you.

NICK LUCK

Iactuallyhadnoideathatreportingonapodcastwas eligibleforthiscategoryuntilLydiaHisloptoldme,so I’mverygratefultoherforgivingmeanudgeandencouraging metoenter!

That kind of epitomises the help that I have had with putting the podcast together and this is really a nomination for everyone who has been involved with it since its launch.

The entry I sent in is one of the scenarios where you’ve got something brewing in racing – whether it’s on or off the track – and you just want to bring people up to date as quickly, and accurately, as you possibly can, but you’ve got limited time to get the podcast published.

Fortunately, in this instance, everybody knew that something was amiss with the John Gosden and Frankie Dettori relationship in the middle of the summer, and it was an example of where you can use your contacts in an honest but, hopefully, sensitive way in order to make people better informed.

It was a story where the podcast was able to work well and clear up the speculation, rather than fuel it inaccurately.

A lot of teamwork has gone into the podcast and a lot of the people who have helped me along the way keep an endeavour, like this particular example, ticking away every day of the week.

DERBY AWARDS 56th year of the Annual Luncheon

LEE MOTTERSHEAD

OneofthepartsofmyjobIenjoythemostisstorytelling, andIparticularlyenjoytellingbighuman-intereststories aboutpeople’slives,soIwasverykeentobeabletotellJosh Moore’sstory.

Having read about it when it was all playing out, it was obviously a huge thing that he’d gone through with his family, and I was keen to tell his story, assuming they wanted to tell it, to a wider audience

I was extremely grateful to Josh, his partner Phoebe, and also his mother, Jayne who were all prepared to talk to me, and I had a long stint in the garden with them where they told me everything that had happened.

It was mainly Phoebe who I spoke to in the end because Josh had been out of it for a lot of the story, and it is always a real privilege when someone respects you enough to let you tell this type of story because this sort of thing is very personal to people

Josh, Phoebe and Jayne were all very happy with what I wrote, and with the feedback they received.

With this sort of story, you are always hoping that it might help others in similar situations, too, and it was very rewarding to be able to tell it.

DARAGH Ó CONCHÚIR

ThispiecesortoffellinmylapandIwasabitfortunate asacontactgotintouchwithme,butIhadbeen keepinghalfaneyeonthestorybecauseitwasinitiallydiscussed firstbyJimBolgerduringaninterviewIdidwithhim,soIguess thatiswhyitwasassociatedwithme.

It was a big advancement on whispers and rumours, and while stories like this can be viewed negatively in the industry, this wasn’t as it was factual, and it was picked up in a lot of places after I broke the news which, for a freelancer, is huge.

It was an easy decision for me to enter with this piece as I certainly haven’t had a story as explosive as this before!

As a freelancer, I rely on support from a variety of publications and would like to thank them all, but I would like to say a special thanks to Mark Costello, of The Irish Field, who has helped me become established in a number of ways, including as a bona fide racing writer

A lot of credit goes to my family, too, as my late mother and father both got me into racing from an early age, and with my mother being a teacher, she was a huge help in coaching me. I must also thank my wife, Mary, who is an equine nurse, for her support and practical horse knowledge!

Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai congratulates today’s nominees and thanks all HWPA members for their support in 2022

As founder and owner of Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai it gives me great pleasure to support and invest in the British Racing Industry in a variety of ways: · Race sponsorship

support

Facilities for Owners & Trainers

I congratulate today’s talented nominees and thank each and every one of you for your support and dedication to this great industry Have a wonderful day.

Malih Al Basti

Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai.

FLAT TRAINER of the Year

ANDREW BALDING CHARLIE APPLEBY

SIR MARK PRESCOTT WILLIAM HAGGAS

FLAT TRAINER OF THE YEAR by Jonathan Harding

THE NOMINATIONS

CHARLIE APPLEBY

Even by his standards, it was a year to remember for Charlie Appleby The trainer is poised to win his second championship and sent out more than 140 British winners for the second time in his career However, that tells only half the story, as it is on the big stages that Appleby excelled.

He started the season with a bang, winning three Classics, the 2,000 Guineas, Irish 2,000 Guineas and Poule d’Essai des Poulains in the space of a month. That form rolled on to Royal Ascot, where Appleby landed the St James’s Palace Stakes with Coroebus and Platinum Jubilee Stakes with Naval Crown.

The trainer had a good record away from home, too, and Rebel’s Romance won two German Group 1s before readily winning the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Keeneland last month. Appleby recorded a hat-trick at the meeting last year and repeated the feat, with Modern Games and Mischief Magic also scoring in the US. Since the turn of the year, he has won 37 Group or Graded races at home and abroad, a staggering return for a trainer with plenty of stars to look forward to next campaign.

ANDREW BALDING

Andrew Balding helped to take British racing to a new audience with the release of Horsepower, a documentary broadcast on Amazon Prime that followed the trainer and his team at Kingsclere between October 2020 and last year’s Royal Ascot.

The trainer may have wished the cameras were on hand this year, too, as he enjoyed plenty of big-race success, including with Alcohol Free The four-year-old won the Sussex Stakes over a mile last year but failed to make an impression in her next four starts over the trip, prompting an inspired move to drop her back to six furlongs. She won the July Cup at Newmarket and was one of two Group 1 winners for the yard alongside Chaldean, who rose through the ranks this year and is now a leading contender for next year’s 2,000 Guineas.

He won the Group 3 Acomb Stakes, Group 2 Champagne Stakes and took the step up to the top table in his stride when landing the Dewhurst Stakes in October.

Balding also won the Group 2 Doncaster Cup with Coltrane, who lowered the colours of Trueshan, and the Royal Lodge with The Foxes

DERBY AWARDS 56th year of the Annual Luncheon

WILLIAM HAGGAS

“We’ll look back and say how bloody lucky we were to have Baaeed”, said William Haggas, speaking to the Racing Post’s Peter Thomas in October

The trainer’s season was largely defined by the Cartier Horse of the Year, who captured our imaginations when extending his unbeaten record to ten and exceeded all expectations after a perfect threeyear-old season.

Following Group 1 wins in the Lockinge, Queen Anne and Sussex Stakes, Baaeed stepped up in trip with a scintillating success in the Juddmonte International at York before falling short on his final start in the Champion Stakes in October

With great horses comes great responsibility and Haggas took the extra media attention in his stride. While the focus may have been on one horse, his other stars were also more than pulling their weight.

Alenquer won the Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh in May under Tom Marquand, who was also on board when Lillie Langtry winner Sea La Rosa scored at the top level in the Prix de Royallieu at Longchamp in October They were among a number of Group winners for the yard and while there was no fairytale end for Baaeed, it was still a memorable year

SIR MARK PRESCOTT

There are few things left for Sir Mark Prescott to achieve in racing after a career spanning more than 50 years but he still managed to tick a major item off his bucket list this season when stable star Alpinista provided him with a breakthrough success in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe

The veteran Newmarket trainer made a rare foray to France to watch Kirsten Rausing’s talented grey tough it out to win the Group 1 and there was a groundswell of good feeling towards Prescott, who was praised for taking the road less travelled with Alpinista.

After winning three German Group 1s in 2021, the five-year-old began her campaign with victory in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud before beating Tuesday in the Yorkshire Oaks in August. She was denied a potential swansong in the Japan Cup after a minor setback and retired with eight Group victories to her name

It was suggested that might prompt Prescott to also call time on his extraordinary career but reports of his retirement proved greatly exaggerated and the hunt for the next Alpinista will now begin in earnest for the master of Heath House

OWNER of the Year

Supported by

IAN HAMILTON SHADWELL ESTATES

CHEVELEY PARK STUD KIRSTEN RAUSING

OWNER OF THE YEAR by Daragh Ó Conchúir

THE NOMINATIONS

CHEVELEY PARK STUD

There isn’t another owner that straddles top-flight success over jumps and on the Flat like Cheveley Park Stud, and while the National Hunt glory has been very recent compared to the traditional mainstay on the level, there has been no less of an impact.

A Plus Tard’s runaway victory in the Cheltenham Gold Cup courtesy of the history-making jockey/trainer tandem, Rachael Blackmore and Henry de Bromhead, was the highlight of a season that included nine Grade One triumphs. It was a third winner of the week for the Thompson family at Cheltenham, coming after Allaho’s rout of the Ryanair Chase field and Sir Gerhard’s impressive Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle triumph.

In between Allaho winning the Punchestown Gold Cup and Envoi Allen bagging the Champion Chase at Down Royal, there was significant Flat success too.

Homebred Inspiral disappointingly missed the 1,000 Guineas but the champion two-year-old filly bagged a pair of Group One prizes nonetheless in her campaign, following up her Coronation Stakes romp over a high-class field at Royal Ascot by recording a battling success in the Prix Jacques le Marois and finishing the year as champion three-year-old filly Bashkirova, Benefit, Potapova and Sacred all registered pattern victories too

IAN HAMILTON

After enjoying 12 successes the previous season, Ian Hamilton went one better in 2021/22 but what was notable was the 56 per cent increase in prize money accumulated from that marginal numerical improvement, which attests to the quality of contest his charges plundered.

Of course the charm of this story is that this is a tiny, husbandand-wife operation based in Capheaton, Northumberland, with Ann’s name on the training licence The 70-year-olds tend to Claywells Farm’s 1,000 sheep, 200 cattle and five racehorses, and two of the latter, Tommy’s Oscar and Nuts Well would be a credit to any of the training behemoths on the planet.

Tommy’s Oscar has won nine times under Rules, gradually climbing the ratings from an initial 124 to his current mark of 156 through a number of handicap triumphs before landing the Grade 2 ‘The New One’ Unibet Hurdle at Haydock last January under regular pilot, Danny McMenamin. That earned him a shot at the Champion Hurdle and if the excitement got the better of the seven-year-old on that occasion, he remains a highlytalented individual with a promising novice chase campaign ahead as evidenced by his victory at the first attempt over larger obstacles.

Nuts Well has been flying the flag for the Hamiltons for much longer, the 11-year-old registering 13 triumphs to date A former winner of the Grade 2 Old Roan Chase at Aintree, he added the Listed bet365 Premier Chase at Kelso to his roll of honour in March.

KIRSTEN RAUSING

There were few more popular successes in 2022 than Alpinista’s triumph in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in October Kirsten Rausing has had a lasting impact on the industry and bred her first British Classic winner when Eldar Eldarov, a first cousin of Alpinista, scored in the St Leger, but her green and white silks were carried to significant success too throughout the season.

Alpinista had previously landed the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud in July and Yorkshire Oaks in August in the build-up to her greatest day When delivering at ParisLongchamp, the Frankel five-yearold was recording an eighth consecutive win and a remarkable sixth Group One victory on the trot.

Bred by Rausing from the Aga Khan Studs’ Mumtaz Mahal family which she bought into in 1985, Alpinista will be providing what is already a fairly impressive broodmare with a significant upgrade.

Another homebred, Sandrine claimed the scalp of Kinross in the Group Two Lennox Stakes at Goodwood and was placed at Group One level also. Madame Ambassador, Helvetique and Heat And Dust were multiple winners that helped Rausing accumulate in the region of £650,000 in prize money in Britain alone this year

SHADWELL ESTATES

The past season has been a red-letter one (should that be blue?) for Shadwell. Following a period of restructuring and rationalisation in the wake of the death of founder Sheikh Hamdan al-Maktoum in March 2021, totting up 14 group winners, six of them Group Ones, was a stunning return to form.

Any concerns that Sheikh Hamdan’s daughter and new totem of Shadwell Estates, Sheikha Hissa might not be as committed as her father have been truly allayed and the purchase of yearlings towards the end of the season, the majority of them fillies, illustrates a clear plan for the future

Homebred Baaeed stamped his authority on the year with effortless victories at the highest tier in the Lockinge, Queen Anne, Sussex and Juddmonte International Stakes and sauntered off to the breeding sheds of Nunnery Stud with a horse-of-the-year gong to show off to his new housemates.

He was by no means the only flag-bearer however, the consistent Hukum gaining that crucial Group One triumph in the Coronation Cup despite picking up an injury that required surgery and ended his campaign. Minzaal blew away an elite field in the Betfair Sprint Cup in September, while Alflaila, Anmaat, Mutasaabeq and Mostahdaf were high-class winners as well.

S U P P O R T E D BY

HWPA Tipping Competition regular Nigel Spencer was this year’s champion as he held his position in the lead for half of the eight-round series.

Nigel surged ahead at Royal Ascot by napping the 50-1 Norfolk surprise package The Ridler as well as finding 33-1 Platinum Jubilee winner Naval Crown and continued to fend off some strong opposition.

Andrew Mount proved a determined rival throughout the year and he was second overall as well as taking the Flat Classics round at Newmarket and Epsom including with his 16-1 nap Cachet in the 1,000 Guineas.

Ben Hutton came out third and finished with a powerful challenge in the final round, the Doncaster St Leger, as the only player to find the 40-1 shot Polly Pott as well as a 22-1 nap Terentum Star.

Although Andrew Bladen was out of the money as overall fourth, he had the consolation of winning the Eclipse and July Meeting round, an astonishing run on the final two days at Newmarket including 11-1 and 16-1 winners, the 11-1 nap Soapy Stevens followed by 25-1 nap Bless Him in the Bunbury Cup.

A spectacular final day by Jordan McBride saw him fly up the Elbow and land the second round at Aintree’s Grand National meeting, firing home 28-1 chance Lookaway and 16-1 selection of Sire Du Berlais.

Our President David Cleary, another who regularly pops up with a big-priced selection, had made the best possible start when Venetia Williams’ 40-1 winner of the Kim Muir Chambard helped him to win the Cheltenham competition.

Meanwhile last year’s winner Ed Prosser was back to his old tricks at the York Ebor meeting with a spectacular performance on the Friday as he book-ended the card with 20-1 nap Farhan and 25-1 winner Point Lynas. Few people find Glorious Goodwood an easy place to come out in front but Arthur Jones, with a hatful of good prices, sealed the prize.

We had more than 40 members taking part in the competition once more, which was hugely supported again thanks to the generosity of Sky Bet.

Overall standings (positive scores only)

1. Nigel Spencer - £116.97

2. Andrew Mount - £103.14

3. Ben Hutton - £97.40

4. Andrew Bladen - £85.13

5. Jason Heavey - £75.79

6. Keith McHugh - £57.57

7. Johnno Spence - £45.90

8. Frank Keogh - £42.92 9. Jordan McBride - £35.67 10. David Cleary - £35.54 11. JA McGrath - £30.46

12. Ian Carnaby - £18.54

13. Ed Prosser - £14.93

14. Mark Openshaw - £12.40

15. Tom Peacock - £9.63

16. John Henwood - £5.45

17. Paul Jones - £2.73

The Alan Lee Trophy for EMERGING TALENT N O

M I N A T I O N S

“His ‘pre elbow’ piece with Christophe Soumillon was delightful, while he’s at ease wrestling with punting strategy, based on thorough homework and attention to detail”

MARK BOYLAN (Racing Post)

MEGAN DENT (Freelance)

“Has a few strings to his bow, his versatility shining through in the variety of work put forward, he has an engaging style and is knowledgeable and assured”

DANIEL OVERALL (Freelance)

“Has enjoyed another outstanding year , displaying a commendable grasp of a wide range of subjects, consistently combining sensitivity and boldness in her writing”

MADDY PLAYLE (Racing Post)

JAMES STEVENS (Racing Post)

“Produced a strong trio of articles on the specialised subject of bloodstock, which were informative, lively, educational and enjoyable to read”

KITTY TRICE (Racing Post)

“Offered a portfolio showing how far she has come in such a short space of time, the photographs beautifully atmospheric, stunning, really capturing the moment”

“Has talent and versatility in abundance, as comfortable producing sharp analysis on industry matters as he is handling creative features”

EMERGING TALENT THE NOMINATIONS

MARK BOYLAN

How old are you?

25

What first sparked your interest in a career in the media?

It was an interest in horses rather than media that first set me down the path of journalism. I always loved reading sports biographies from an early age, though, and actually learned to read mostly from my dad’s copies of the Racing Post!

What was your first job, and what was your first job in racing?

The Sporting Post, a national horse racing newspaper in South Africa, was kind enough to have me as a contributor on British and Irish racing when I was 15.

I remain hugely grateful to wonderful writer Robyn Louw for encouraging the paper to take a chance on me

Where are you working now and what do you do?

I’ve been working as a journalist for the Racing Post in some capacity since May 2017, initially on a university placement and later taking up a full-time position. The role is extremely varied and can involve news-story gathering, feature writing, raceday reporting, tipping, spotlight writing, race analysis, hurling previews and podcast work.

What are you particularly proud of having done in the last 12 months?

I don’t look back too often but getting to cover my first Arc meeting in October was really enjoyable, as was reporting from the Grand National for the first time in April.

Who are your racing heroes?

It’s a lengthy list but, growing up as an Offaly man, Pat Smullen was always someone I looked up to He was the sportsman who really put our county on the map In later years, he ended up becoming even more of an inspiration with how he battled his illness. A real racing hero

What would be your dream job in racing?

I’m not sure there’s one position in particular but if I could develop even a fraction of Gary O’Brien’s unflappable composure, or a smidgen of Nick Luck’s knack for interviewing, I’d be a very happy man.

MEGAN DENT

How old are you? 22

What first sparked your interest in a career in the media? I definitely owe it to Nathan Horrocks for first sparking my interest in the media. I went and did some work experience with him at Equine Productions in Chepstow when I was 17 and at a loose end, fair to say I never looked back.

What was your first job, and what was your first job in racing?

My first job was at Philip Kirby Racing. My Mum has been the Secretary there since I was 14 so I’d spent a lot of school holidays and weekends there before joining them in the office full time when I finished my A Levels. Through lockdown, I lived in Phil’s staff house on sitesurrounded by 100 acres of fields of horses, a camera and not being allowed to leave the yard. With Phil & Pippa’s encouragement, my photography improved so much in those few months and that’s probably when I realised I wanted it to be more than a hobby

Where are you working now and what do you do? Earlier this year I decided to take the leap to go selfemployed and focus more on growing my photography business. I am also very lucky to be part of Christian William’s team in South Wales. His endless support, encouragement and advice has given me the confidence to be where I am today You need people like him by your side if you want to achieve your dreams.

What are you particularly proud of having done in the last 12 months?

I think being brave enough to leave a job I was fairly comfortable in to follow my passion is what I’m most proud of I felt I progressed so much during 2020 and when I got to the end of 2021 I felt deflated that I hadn’t pushed myself much further Going into 2022 I had the mindset I wanted to push on again this year I actually told two people 12 months ago that I’d love to get my photos seen here one day, but I never expected it to be this year

Who are your racing heroes?

I wouldn’t have too many celebrity heroes, the people with me today are the people who inspire me more than anyone, my parents, my partner Henry, and Christian and Charlotte Williams. I think if your role models are as kind, dedicated, ambitious and selfless as they are, then you won’t go far wrong.

What would be your dream job in racing?

I think I’m living my dream now! Hopefully I can continue meeting new people, growing my business and loving what I do each day

DANIEL OVERALL

How old are you?

26.

What first sparked your interest in a career in the media?

My interest in racing had been increasing year-onyear during my time at University, but it wasn’t until after graduation that I began engaging with the racing community on Twitter In truth, due to some health issues, my post-graduation plans faltered and so racing became one of my only outlets. As time progressed, I was afforded more opportunities in the media which only made me keener to keep pursuing my passion. To be at this stage just four years after starting a Twitter account is something I never fathomed would be possible, and I am truly grateful for the opportunities I have been given.

What was your first job, and first job in racing?

My first full time job was as a Category Analyst for Kantar Worldpanel, which was my placement year during my university course The first work I was offered in racing was for Cheltenhamfestival.net in 2021; 28 race previews, with one published every day during February in the build up to the Cheltenham Festival. That was a long month!

Where are you working now and what do you do?

I’m currently an Account Manager for a Tech/Martech company, which involves a lot of calls & meetings with clients! Racing remains my greatest passion and I devote the majority of my spare time to it.

What are you particularly proud of having done in the last 12 months?

It’s been an incredible 12 months and there’s a lot I’m very proud of, but making my Racing TV debut after winning Tipstar 2022 has to be the highlight. Tom Stanley was a gent and even let me get in a few cheap digs to get the audience on side (which I’m still apologising for). I hope to be back soon, although Tom might have something to say about that…

Who are your racing heroes?

I hugely admire Ruby Walsh, both for what he achieved on the track and for how he transitioned so quickly into a superb pundit. AP McCoy, too; both were huge figures in the sport when I was growing up and still are to this day

What would be your dream job in racing?

I thoroughly enjoy being a pundit and hope to keep getting opportunities in that sphere It’s a joy to be able to discuss and analyse the sport I love with other likeminded people

MADDY PLAYLE

How old are you?

24

What first sparked your interest in a career in the media?

I always enjoyed creative writing at school but my love for horseracing has been the ultimate driver in my career I became obsessed as a teenager and wanted to be involved in any way I could, although ambitions of becoming a jockey were quickly quashed when I realised I wasn’t brave enough! I wrote blogs online and then for Channel 4 Racing, which seemed to go down okay, and from there on in working at the Racing Post was my ultimate aim.

What was your first job, and what was your first job in racing?

I worked in a cafe when I was about 15 and then at a pub during sixth form. Work experience at Great British Racing and the Racing Post followed. I joined the Racing Post full time as an intern about five and a half years ago, and I guess you could say it was my first ‘proper’ job

Where are you working now and what do you do?

I work at the Racing Post as a digital journalist. My role is varied and day-to-day jobs include managing our website and app, writing content, conducting interviews and video work. I’m also a huge follower of international racing and keen punter

What are you particularly proud of having done in the last 12 months?

I was given the chance to do a big feature interview with the jump jockey William Kennedy He was so raw and honest in speaking to me about a range of topical subjects, including personal and emotional experiences, and it was a real privilege It was really rewarding to think I had done someone justice and opened the reader’s eyes to something they might not have known or thought about.

Who are your racing heroes?

As a writer, you can’t go far wrong with Alastair Down, while Nick Luck and Lydia Hislop do incredible work in front of a camera as well.

What would be your dream job in racing?

Not too dissimilar to what I’m doing now I love doing longer-form pieces, whether it’s a written feature or a 20-minute video, as you can really get to know your subject. I’d like to give some more television work a go I’d also like to report at some of the bigger meetings and travel abroad a bit more to see international racing.

JAMES STEVENS

How old are you?

25.

What first sparked your interest in a career in the media?

I’ve wanted to work in sports journalism for as long as I can remember, but it was initially through football. I’d spend my weekends up and down the country following Newport County AFC - I still do when I canand the opportunities with the club helped me get the experience to go on and forge a career in racing.

What was your first job, and what was your first job in racing?

It would have been freelancing, originally programme writing, some radio work and a fans column at one stage In racing my first job was with the Racing Plus, producing previews for the Sunday pull-out. From there I worked for as many places as I could during my studies.

Where are you working now and what do you do?

I’m a journalist for the Racing Post. Luckily I get to report on a variety of subjects which I really enjoy I’m based in Cheltenham and pay particularly close attention to everything in the south west. You’ll also see me as the West Country tipster, unfortunately propping up the Naps Table as it stands.

What are you particularly proud of having done in the last 12 months?

I was part of the team which completely rebuilt the HWPA website, it was a labour of love which took months but the feedback has made it worthwhile Our Media Week was also an exciting project.

Who are your racing heroes?

I answered Native River last year so I’ll go for my highlights from the last 12 months. The standout is Sir Mark Prescott following his Arc win. It was an incredible story for a great trainer, a character of the sport as well as an outstanding storyteller I also admire Ashleigh Wicheard and all those selfless members of the racing community who went over to help in Ukraine

What would be your dream job in racing?

I still think a racing manager would be an incredible job, particularly when a big plan comes off In truth, nothing gives me more of a thrill than digging out a good story from big meetings, so covering more of those would be my main ambition.

KITTY TRICE

How old are you? 28.

What first sparked your interest in a career in the media?

I have loved horses since before I could walk and a fascination for the world of the thoroughbred followed soon afterwards. To have a career in the media, which allows me to indulge in my passion, is a dream come true

What was your first job, and what was your first job in racing?

Following my degree in sports journalism at the University of the Arts London, I knew I wanted to pursue a career in racing journalism and, following a stint in the books department in Harrods, I was lucky enough to secure an internship at the Racing Post.

Where are you working now and what do you do?

I have spent five enjoyable years at the Racing Post, initially on the racing desk which was great fun, and now for more than two years I’ve been lucky enough to pursue my dream of working as a bloodstock journalist. It’s a fantastic team and I’m privileged to do what I love for a living.

What are you particularly proud of having done in the last 12 months?

There is so much variety in my job and even though I’ve had a fair few pieces published, it’s still a thrill to see my byline in the paper I’ve particularly enjoyed, and am quite proud of, my Bloodstock Big Reads with leading figures in the industry such as Newsells Park Stud’s Julian Dollar and Darley’s Sam Bullard. I’m also proud of writing up large parts of the supplements we produce every year, such as those on first-season sires, yearlings and breeding stock sales.

Who are your racing heroes?

Top Notch! I loved that horse and he will always remain a firm favourite of mine as he was so genuine and gutsy I also greatly admired Sir Henry Cecil and his intuitive way with horses which was simply exceptional. Another rather popular example is Rachael Blackmore, her ability is extraordinary and it is fantastic that she’s treated as simply a jockey and not a female jockey

What would be your dream job in racing?

I think it would be fascinating to work in stallion nominations, but to be honest I already have my dream job!

PROUDSPONSORS OFTHEHWPA DERBYAWARDS

JUMP JOCKEY of the Year

RACHAEL BLACKMORE SEAN BOWEN

BRIAN HUGHES

SAM WALEY-COHEN

JUMP JOCKEY OF THE YEAR by James Stevens

THE NOMINATIONS

RACHAEL BLACKMORE

It has been another phenomenal 12 months for last year’s winner who added a Cheltenham Gold Cup and another Champion Hurdle to her glittering CV in 2022.

Blackmore’s history-making Grand National victory in April last year played a crucial role in helping her win at the Derby Awards last December and she has built on it by continuing to showcase her talents on racing’s biggest stages

The exceptional Honeysuckle has once again played a huge role in her fantastic year The unbeaten mare was as brilliant as ever last season, dominating in the Irish Champion Hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival in February before once again stealing the opening day show at the Cheltenham Festival with an easy Champion Hurdle win.

While Honeysuckle was a short price, Blackmore was as composed as ever, steering her into the lead approaching the penultimate fight before powering up the hill to reward the many punters who had described her as the meeting’s Irish banker.

Rachael added a second, admittedly fortunate, winner for the week when Bob Olinger took advantage of the fall of Galopin des Champs in the Turners Novices’ Chase. However, she was poised to make even more history by becoming the first female rider to win the Gold Cup.

Blackmore was second on A Plus Tard to stablemate Minella Indo last year but trusted her mount to deliver this time round and was rewarded with a smooth victory in the meeting’s signature race Once again unfazed by the pressure of being a big-race favourite, she pierced through the pack on the run-in before charging clear of the reigning champion after the last. It will go down as a historic moment for the sport.

Rachael didn’t rest on her laurels after Cheltenham – a Punchestown Champion Hurdle win on Honeysuckle and two big winners at the Galway Festival followed, while she kicked of the latest season in a similar vein of form when riding Envoi Allen to the first Grade 1 of the season in Ireland. She helped him return to his best when striking in the Champion Chase at Down Royal Racing’s leading lady has had yet another huge year

SEAN BOWEN

He has extremely high standards yet Sean Bowen is still managing to progress year on year and last season celebrated his best campaign yet.

The Welsh wonder rode a total of 94 winners in the 2021-22 campaign - beating his previous best by three - and all while doing so with a rather healthy strike-rate just shy of 20 per cent.

His wins in a phenomenal campaign included a highly memorable victory on Mac Tottie in the Topham for father Peter Bowen Sean also kicked off the year by guiding the rejuvenated Metier back to form to win at the inaugural Winter Million meeting at Lingfield in one of the season’s richest handicap hurdles. He was to land another premier two-mile handicap hurdle when steering Anna Bunina to victory in the Scottish Champion Hurdle at Ayr.

Yet there have been absolutely no signs Bowen is taking it easy – he is already closing in on a first century after a sensational summer, well clear of the rest in pursuit of defending champion Brian Hughes At the time of writing, he is closing in on the 75-winner mark Given the dedication he is showing, he is on course to enjoy his most successful campaign yet,

He has simply been all over the country this season too, from Newton Abbot to Ayr and Ffos Las to Perth. His hard work and talents have not gone unnoticed and he was selected as the new jockey for this year’s Grand National winner Noble Yeats following the retirement of Sam Waley-Cohen. The pair needed little time in getting to know each other, recording a decisive win in a listed chase at Wexford in October

Sean has established powerful links with the likes of Gordon Elliott, Harry Fry and Olly Murphy while staying loyal to the smaller yards which have helped him on the way All of those have contributed to another breakthrough season for Bowen, and who knows how good it could get, come April

BRIAN HUGHES

Many call him British racing’s busiest man and Brian Hughes once again ensured his many miles and dedication would be rewarded with a second jockeys’ championship.

Even by his own remarkable standards, Brian had a stellar season in 2021/22, riding 204 winners, from 956 rides in total He operated at a 21 per cent strike-rate across the season, highlighting how his talent matched his dedication.

While the majority of victories for the shining light of northern racing came on his home patch – he was in the winner’s enclosure at Sedgefield no fewer than 32 times – he tasted success at 24 courses up and down the country Trips to Plumpton and Newton Abbot for just a couple of rides are indicative of Brian’s relentless quest for winners

Hughes’s fantastic campaign was a terrific response to the agony of losing the previous season’s championship to Harry Skelton. The pair were neck and neck in a thrilling race that was in the balance into the final week, but the 2021-22 campaign was more like a walkover, with Hughes always in control, helped by a flying start in May when he rode 15 winners. There was simply no stopping him. In the end and he had an advantage of over a century from runner-up Sam Twiston-Davies.

Big winners included success in the Premier Chase at Kelso on Nuts Well and victory on Minella Drama in the Altcar Novices’ Chase at Haydock. Brian has also made a flying start to the latest campaign, reaching the century mark in early November and doing so with an excellent one-in-four strike-rate He also landed the prestigious Old Roan Chase with Riders On the Storm at Aintree in October

Brian Hughes won this award in 2020, his exploits in 2022 make him a worthy candidate to land the prize again.

SAM WALEY-COHEN

What better way to sign off your career in the saddle than by riding the Grand National winner. In April, Sam Waley-Cohen ensured his incredible career would enjoy a fitting send-off on 50-1 shot Noble Yeats for Emmet Mullins.

Having announced his intention to retire following his ride in the world’s most famous steeplechase, Sam and Noble Yeats produced an exemplary performance at Aintree to stun his rivals and ensure the rider, an amateur in name only such is his talent, would continue his extraordinary record over jump racing’s most famous fences.

Waley-Cohen kept his cool as he held a position in the rear before creeping his way into contention, powering his mount to the front approaching the penultimate fence The pair needed to be brave at the finish to deny Any Second Now and become National history makers.

For the rider, it would be another big win on his CV over the fences. Sam also landed the Topham with Liberthine (2006) and Rajdhani Express (2015) and remains the only jockey to have won the Aintree Foxhunters’ three times, with success aboard Katarino in 2005 and 2006 and Warne in 2014.

Waley-Cohen bowed out as one of the best amateur riders to have ever competed in the sport. In 2011 he became the first amateur in 30 years to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup in an epic renewal when he and Long Run toppled those two titans Denman and Kauto Star He also won Cheltenham Festival prizes with Liberthine (2005), Tricky Trickster (2009) and Rajdhani Express (2013).

In total, Sam rode 75 winners across a riding career stretching over two decades. All of this came at the same time as he was establishing a network of dental practices. An incredible riding career got the ending it deserved.

GONE BUT Not

Forgotten

BY TO M PE AC OC K

THE DERBY AWARDS 56th Year of the Annual Luncheon

DESMOND STONEHAM JIMMY LINDLEY IVOR HERBERT TOM RICHMOND

QUEEN ELIZABETH II

JOHN BUDDEN

DAVE NEWMAN

JOHN HANMER

The death of QUEEN ELIZABETH II at the age of 96 in September brought not only this country to a standstill but prompted people around the world to reflect on her contribution to society Racing was blessed to have Her Majesty as its most famous supporter as an owner and breeder and all-round enthusiast.

This year also saw the passing of one of the very few truly household names in LESTER PIGGOTT (86). Stories of The Long Fellow were legion with the nine-times Derby winner regarded as perhaps the finest jockey of the 20th century Piggott’s friend and contemporary JIMMY LINDLEY died at the same age The Classic winner was among the sport’s most charming individuals who went on to work for the BBC for almost three decades.

There was sad news of a number of others who would have been familiar to HWPA members. DESMOND STONEHAM (79), who wrote for The Sporting Life, Racing Post and Irish Field, was the complete authority on French racing and an enormous help to those visiting from elsewhere while TOM RICHMOND (52) was a champion for racing in his patch at the Yorkshire Post, where he was also a figure of stature on the news and comment pages.

That paper further lost its former sports editor PHIL ROSTRON (70), also racing editor for the Daily Star who wrote a biography of Sir Henry Cecil.

Three voices from the commentary box were stilled: JOHN HANMER (82) for many years part of the BBC team, as well as a Raceform racereader and agent for Steve Cauthen, JOHN BUDDEN (83), a dedicated columnist at the Cumberland News, in addition a mellifluous and much-loved presence on the likes of Border Television and William Hill Racing Radio, and VARLIEN VYNER-BROOKS (88), also a judge at the Chelsea Flower Show.

From the Fleet Street era we lost CHARLES WILSON (87), who sacked Boris Johnson when editor of The Times and was also an editor-in-chief at The Sporting Life while BRIAN GILES (81) was a long-serving and charismatic figure on the Daily Mail racing desk.

DAVE NEWMAN (65) was another always friendly face in southern press rooms in his role as an SP returner, as was JEREMY PHILLIPS to those at York as the racecourse photographer for over 20 years whose work was also seen in Country Life and Yorkshire Living.

IVOR HERBERT (96) trained 1957 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Linwell before going on to write books and screenplays as well as covering racing for the Mail on Sunday.

Today we remember a number of others who made their name in the saddle including six-time Irish champion LIAM WARD (92), dual Irish champion GEORGE MCGRATH (79), popular lightweight TAFFY THOMAS (76) as well as Gold Cup winner JIM WILSON (72), his fellow amateurs RICHARD TATE (74), ANN FERRIS (81) and later successful breeder ROBERT CHUGG (79) as well as NEIL KERNICK (79), R.A (BOB) DAVIES (79) JAMIE BUTCHARD (65) and Melbourne Cup legend HARRY WHITE (78). Most tragically we mourned the gifted and greatly-loved JACK DE BROMHEAD at the age of just 13.

Few managed to be quite as successful as both a jockey and trainer than the stylish ANDY TURNELL (73), the rider of Birds Nest who sent Maori Venture out to land the 1987 Grand National. NORMAN MASON (85) managed the same feat at Aintree with Red Marauder Other successful members of the profession included MICK RYAN (80), trainer of Irish Guineas heroine Katies, the cherished Newmarket resident JULIE CECIL (80), TOMMY ‘SQUEAK’ FAIRHURST (95), TIM ETHERINGTON (62), JOHN HASSETT (85), JOHN O’NEILL (75), TREVOR KERSEY (86), FREDDIE GRAY (96), ANDREW MCNAMARA (76), West Country king GERALD COTTRELL (97) and GEOFF TOFT (90), who was Gunner B’s first trainer

From the world of ownership and breeding significant names were lost too including three-time jumps champion owner SIR ROBERT OGDEN (86), John Magnier’s mother EVIE STOCKWELL and her twin sister MIMI LADY MANTON (97), former Hesmonds Stud owner PETER GOULANDRIS (93), Southcourt Stud’s SIR EVELYN DE ROTHSCHILD (91) and other prominent owners JANE LANE (88) ANDRY MUINOS (83), CHRISTOPHER HANBURY (78) and PAUL ZETTER (98). DR CATHERINE WILLS (71), the art historian deserves particular mention for instigating the Martin Wills Writing Awards for aspiring young journalists.

ALEC HEAD (97) was a titan of the French industry through training and breeding while JAMES DELAHOOKE (77) helped to develop Juddmonte’s bloodstock operation and was a mentor to many agents.

ANTHONY PENFOLD (74) served as Fahd Salman’s racing manager while HENRY PONSONBY (74) was a gregarious and successful syndicate manager in both Flat and jumps.

From officialdom, the industry salutes the former Turf Club chief executive CAHIR O’SULLIVAN and DAVID PIPE, the steadfast public face of the Jockey Club, both at the age of 86 as well as GORDON ARMSTRONG (84), long-serving steward at Newcastle and Carlisle

LESTER

JUMP TRAINER of the Year

PAUL NICHOLLS

WILLIE MULLINS

HENRY DE BROMHEAD EMMET MULLINS

JUMP TRAINER OF THE YEAR by Alan Sweetman

THE NOMINATIONS

HENRY DE BROMHEAD

Having rewritten the record books in 2021, when becoming the first trainer to win the Champion Hurdle, the Queen Mother Champion Chase, the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Grand National in the same year, Henry de Bromhead again made us delve into the chronicles of jump racing in the 2021-22 season.

In order to find precedent for his feat in retaining both the Champion Hurdle and the Cheltenham Gold Cup, one had to go all the way back to 1950, to the days of Vincent O’Brien, Cottage Rake and Hatton’s Grace.

Honeysuckle arrived at Cheltenham defending not only her crown but an unbeaten record that had stretched to 14 after a third consecutive victory in the Hatton’s Grace at Fairyhouse and likewise a hat-trick in the Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown. She defeated the 2020 winner Epatante with little or no fuss and went on to Punchestown where she had to work just a little harder to extend the sequence to 16.

A Plus Tard, runner-up to Minella Indo in the 2021 Gold Cup, began the season by routing a strong field in the Betfair Chase at Haydock in November A short head defeat in the Savills Chase at Leopardstown’s Christmas meeting was an unexpected reverse, but De Bromhead produced him in perfect condition for the Festival.

He turned the tables on Minella Indo in devastating fashion, drawing clear to score by 15 lengths, enabling Rachael Blackmore to deliver another shattering blow to the glass ceiling as the first woman to win jump racing’s premier race

One of the highlights of RTE’s between-races coverage of last season’s Punchestown festival was a lively chat between presenter Brian Gleeson and Henry and Heather de Bromhead’s young son Jack. A cheerful little segment, it is now suffused with unthinkable poignancy

EMMET MULLINS

A fifth Irish-trained triumph in the Grand National in the past six editions was not a surprise, but it was astonishing that it was executed by 31-year-old Emmet Mullins with a horse who had run over fences for the first time only six months previously.

The seven-year-old Noble Yeats was the first horse of his age to win the National since Bogskar in 1940, and the first amateurridden victor since 1990

A bumper and maiden hurdle winner, Noble Yeats made a winning debut over fences at Galway in October 2021. Mullins then set about giving him experience against more seasoned opponents. For a while, this bold strategy seemed to backfire, his jumping not up to scratch at times. A fine second to Ahoy Senor in the Grade 2 Towton Novices’ Chase at Wetherby in February provided reassurance, before a less auspicious display when down the field in the Ultima Handicap Chase at Cheltenham, with Sam WaleyCohen aboard for the first time

Just over three weeks later, equipped with cheekpieces and sent off at 50-1, Noble Yeats settled into a good rhythm at Aintree and was well placed behind the leaders when the field reached the Canal Turn for the second time Disputing at the second-last, he lost a little momentum over the final fence before getting the better of a duel with the Ted Walsh-trained Any Second Now on the run-in.

It was a brilliant training performance, aided and abetted by WaleyCohen, who drew on a wealth of experience of the famous fences on the final ride of a distinguished career

Training since 2016, and with a first Cheltenham festival success on the board courtesy of The Shunter in the 2021 Paddy Power Plate, Mullins has cultivated an unobtrusive persona reminiscent of his grandfather Paddy, noted for his reticence and an aversion to publicity It will be hard for him to avoid the limelight from now on.

DERBY AWARDS 56th year of the Annual Luncheon

WILLIE MULLINS

During the final two months of 2021, Willie Mullins won five Grade 1 races, and yet by the end of the season, even a win as prestigious as that achieved by 28-1 shot Tornado Flyer in the King George at Kempton was relegated to the status of a footnote in the context of a triumphant campaign.

At home, Mullins was crowned champion jumps trainer for the 16th time after a Punchestown festival during which he won nine of the 12 Grade 1 races, adding to a six-winner Grade 1 haul at the Dublin Racing Festival.

But the strongest indicator of the stable’s current strength came at Cheltenham where he saddled a record-breaking ten winners, including five on an amazing final day

Success came over a broad spectrum of Festival races, Grade 1 wins for rising stars Sir Gerhard, Facile Vega, Vauban and The Nice Guy, and for established chasers Energumene, Allaho, and the mare Elimay, the National Hunt Chase with Stattler, and the County Hurdle with State Man who graduated to Grade 1 honours at Punchestown. For good measure, Billaway won the hunter chase championship

Galopin Des Champs, desperately unlucky when falling at the last with the Turner Novices’ Chase at his mercy, powered to victory at Fairyhouse He can be rated the most exciting prospect in a cohort of novice chasers that included four other Grade 1 winners, Blue Lord, Capodanno, Ferny Hollow and Gentleman Du Mee,

It all adds up to a formidable array of jumping talent for the trainer who has led the way in tilting jump racing’s balance of power in Ireland’s favour in recent times.

PAUL NICHOLLS

Paul Nicholls maintained his domination of the domestic scene in Britain, as he added a 13th Trainers’ Championship in 2021/22, taking him within two of Martin Pipe’s record of 15. Just as for many of his recent titles, he showed how astute he is at placing his horses to best advantage.

The yard didn’t send out a single Cheltenham Festival winner and there were only two Grade 1 victories after the start of the year – Clan des Obeaux in the Bowl at Aintree and Greaneteen in the Celebration Chase at Sandown – but in small-field conditions races, in which places are well rewarded, the stable was so often in there for a share of the pie

A standout example: Nicholls’ fourth biggest earner on the season was Hitman, who didn’t win a single race, but who claimed over a hundred grand for four placed efforts. The gap between Paul and Nicky Henderson was a little over £100k on winnings but over £500k when place money is included.

Paul has made an excellent start to the 2022/23 season, with total prize money over a million pounds gathered in well before the end of November, with the stable’s runners striking at a rate of one in three Notable wins so far include another for Greaneteen, in the Haldon Gold Cup, one for the magnificent Frodon, in the Badger Beer, and two valuable strikes over hurdles for Knappers Hill.

At the time of writing his lead over his former assistant Dan Skelton is only just over £140,000 and Nicky Henderson is finding his stride, but Paul Nicholls looks well placed to get one closer to the record in 2022/23.

FLAT JOCKEY of the Year

JIM CROWLEY WILLIAM BUICK

HOLLIE DOYLE

RICHARD KINGSCOTE

Supported by

FLAT JOCKEY OF THE YEAR by Adam Houghton

THE NOMINATIONS

WILLIAM BUICK

Rewind the clock to late April and it would be fair to say that William Buick’s quest to be crowned champion Flat jockey for the first time didn’t get off to the ideal start.

On the same afternoon that the title race officially began in Britain, William once again experienced the pitfalls that come with being number one jockey to a yard as powerful as that of Charlie Appleby, choosing to ride Native Trail in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket and, ultimately, choosing wrong as stablemate Coroebus swept to a smooth success.

The runner-up spot is one that no jockey ever wants to find themselves in and after that Newmarket reversal William set about avenging another near-miss from the previous year when he came up two short of Oisin Murphy’s tally at the end of a bruising battle for the jockeys’ championship

Nearly six months later and it was very much mission accomplished for William, who partnered no fewer than 157 winners – 66 more than Hollie Doyle and Tom Marquand who finished in a share of second – between that afternoon at Newmarket and QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot where he was finally presented with the trophy surrounded by his family and friends.

William may have been out of luck on Champions Day itself, but there was certainly plenty of quality to go with the quantity in a campaign which saw him ride 11 Group/Grade 1 winners in six different countries, sealed with a double at the Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland.

That haul also included two classic victories courtesy of Native Trail in the Irish 2000 Guineas and Modern Games in the Poule d’Essai des Poulains, while Coroebus made amends for the one that got away when carrying William to victory in the St James’s Palace Stakes, one of five winners for the rider at Royal Ascot.

JIM CROWLEY

When the day comes that Jim Crowley announces his retirement from the saddle, it seems unlikely that he will remember any year in his career as fondly as 2022, all because of the sheer enjoyment he got from riding Baaeed and showing the world just how good he was.

Put simply, horses like Baaeed just don’t come along that often. Jim already knew that, of course, even at the start of this season, and it was clear every time they stepped onto a racecourse together this year that he was going to enjoy it like it was the last. And boy did we enjoy watching them.

By the time the pair went to post for the Juddmonte International at York in August, Baaeed was unbeaten in nine starts having picked up where he left off as a three-year-old with a hat-trick of Group One wins in the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury, Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot and Sussex Stakes at Goodwood.

The step up to a mile and a quarter was the big question mark on the Knavesmire, but Jim never had any concerns about Baaeed’s stamina and the confidence he had in his mount’s superiority was clear to see throughout that race After breezing into the lead a furlong out, Baaeed just needed to be shaken up from there to leave his rivals toiling in his wake, ultimately winning by six and a half lengths in devastating fashion.

It was a performance which few present will ever forget – nor the reception afterwards – and that image will be the abiding memory of Baaeed’s career rather than that of his surprise defeat on his final start in the Champion Stakes at Ascot.

Will we see another Baaeed in 2023? Probably not, but Jim can at least look forward to the return of his full brother Hukum who, along with Haydock Sprint Cup winner Minzaal, provided the rider with further top-level success last season when winning the Coronation Cup at Epsom.

HOLLIE DOYLE

Hollie Doyle and Tom Marquand couldn’t be split in this year’s jockeys’ championship on 91 winners apiece, a fitting end to a year which had begun with the pair tying the knot in March.

If that was a memorable day, then it certainly wasn’t to be the last in 2022 for Hollie, who continued to rack up the milestones upon her return to the saddle, including at Chantilly in June where she celebrated arguably the most significant victory of her burgeoning career so far

The filly in question was Nashwa and the race in question was the Prix de Diane Sent off the 3/1 favourite after finishing a good third in the Oaks at Epsom just 16 days earlier, Nashwa responded gamely to her rider’s urgings in the final furlong as the pair fought off La Parisienne and Gerald Mosse to get the verdict by a short neck.

That win made Hollie just the second female jockey to land a European classic and neither she nor Nashwa were finished there as the partnership went on to double their tally at the top level together when also winning the Nassau Stakes at Goodwood.

The prolonged drought during the summer caused Hollie’s old ally Trueshan to miss several big-race targets, but he still provided his rider with a couple of memorable days when conditions were more in his favour, first when defying a lofty mark in the Northumberland Plate at Newcastle and then when winning the Long Distance Cup at Ascot for the third year in a row

At the other end of the distance spectrum, the speedy two-year-old The Platinum Queen gave Hollie another Group 1 success when holding on gamely to win the Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp on Arc weekend, becoming the first of her age group to win that race since 1978.

A trip to the Breeders’ Cup ultimately proved a step too far for that filly – and so too for Nashwa – but just to have a ride at that meeting was another significant occasion in a year full of them for Hollie, both on and off the track.

RICHARD KINGSCOTE

There were few more popular results in the latest season than when Desert Crown won the Derby at Epsom for Sir Michael Stoute and Richard Kingscote For Sir Michael it was a sixth win in the blue riband but a first since 2010 following a few difficult years in between, while Richard was winning the race on just his second attempt having previously beaten only one home when riding Knight To Behold in the 2018 renewal.

Desert Crown had been favourite for the Derby ever since his convincing success under Richard in the Dante Stakes at York, so the rider could have been forgiven if he was feeling the pressure when the day finally arrived at Epsom.

In the event, he produced a textbook ride which was testament to his steady temperament, even having the opportunity to enjoy the moment late on after Desert Crown had sealed victory with a devastating turn of foot entering the final two furlongs.

That afternoon at Epsom provided the highlight of an association with Sir Michael which has given Richard lots more opportunities at the top level since they joined up last year Sadly, Desert Crown spent the rest of the season on the sidelines due to injury, but Richard still managed to double his Group 1 tally by also winning the Champion Stakes at Ascot on Bay Bridge

Those two victories alone rewarded all the hard yards Richard has put in since having his first ride back in August 2004. Five times before the rider had earned more than a million pounds in prize money in a calendar year, but 2022 was when things went to another level altogether as he pocketed more than three times that amount.

Most exciting for Richard is the news that Bay Bridge and Desert Crown are both set to stay in training, hopefully giving him more opportunities to shine on the biggest stages in 2023.

The George Ennor Trophy for Outstanding Achievement NICKY HENDERSON

B Y JA C K KE EN E

THE DERBY AWARDS 56th Year of the Annual Luncheon

Come April, Nicky Henderson will have completed 45 seasons as a National Hunt trainer, six of them ending with a championship trophy Over those 45 years, he has seen plenty of media men and women come and go, and the vast majority will speak of Henderson with real fondness. Bar a handful of combative run-ins over the years, he has long been accessible, understanding and helpful when dealing with the racing Press.

That said, his first experience with the newspapers isn’t one he will look back on with a great deal of fondness. While a young man at Eton, he bunked off school with a friend and his tutor to watch Arkle at Newbury in the early 1960’s. The trio avoided the grandstands and watched the racing from alongside the final fence, heading back to Eton later that afternoon thinking their secret was safe That was until, to Henderson’s horror, the Sunday Times splashed a picture of Arkle jumping the last across their back page with a young Henderson clearly visible in the background. That earned him a summons to the headmaster’s office but he escaped serious punishment. He followed his father into a career in the city, but that proved brief, and he began riding out for the great Fred Winter in the early 70s, having success as an amateur jockey before becoming Winter’s assistant.

Surely the highlight of his career in the saddle was his famous victory aboard Happy Warrior in the 1977 Fox

Hunters’ at Aintree – Nicky managed to cling on for dearlife up the run-in, the saddle having slipped right up the horse’s back.

After four memorable seasons with Winter, he started training on his own in 1978 at Windsor House in Lambourn. In his first season, he sent out Zongalero to finish second in the Grand National, which remains as close as Henderson has ever come to winning the Aintree marathon.

However, the horse that would really mark Henderson down as an emerging force was See You Then, who won the 1985 Champion Hurdle and followed up in 1986 and 1987, becoming just the fourth horse in the race’s long history to secure a hat-trick.

That breakthrough victory opened the floodgates and top-level winners flowed at a regular rate, with the likes of River Ceiriog, Rustle, First Bout and the brilliant Remittance Man among the stars he trained in the 80s and 90s.

Nicky was also notable for the success he had as trainer to the Queen Mother. He has subsequently trained for Queen Elizabeth II, with Barbers Shop a very smart chaser that ran in her colours. Nicky was made a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order in 2017, for his royal service, and received an OBE in 2020

In the last decade and a half, the quality of his string has only increased, and he has expertly overseen the careers of several modern-day greats.

The images of Sprinter Sacre recapturing his Champion Chase crown in 2016 after a number of health issues still stir the emotions to this day, in what was a true personal and professional triumph for Henderson. No sooner had the great horse retired than another generational talent in Altior stepped in to fill the breach, stringing together a 19-race winning streak during his famed career

Henderson saddled four Champion Hurdle winners between 2010 and 2020 with Binocular, Buveur d’Air (twice) and Epatante, each sporting the green-and-gold silks of old ally J P McManus. And Long Run broke his duck in the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2011, winning a race for the ages as the young horse jumped upsides Kauto Star and Denman at the second last and went clear up the hill. A second Cheltenham Gold Cup followed in 2013 with Bobs Worth.

Of course, Nicky has had many memorable days away from Cheltenham - but the Festival is and always will be Henderson’s mecca. The small matter of 72 winners at the meeting attests to that.

It’s been a career for the ages, and he ain’t done yetConstitution Hill could just be the best he’s ever trained.

WHERE do you start when reflecting on a career that has had it all?

Peter O’Sullevan Trophy BROADCASTER of the Year

“Brings racing’s big moments to life with his outstanding commentaries, backed up by his fine work on radio and in the tv studio”

JOHN HUNT

NICK LUCK

“Has

ADELE MULRENNAN

“Exudes class whenever in front of camera, while his podcast is increasingly essential listening”

quickly developed into a fine broadcaster who provides great insight in an accessible way, able to talk to those outside the racing bubble”

“Brilliant analyst who finds absorbing angles whether discussing big races or minor midweek meetings, racing’s answer to Gary Neville”

Ruby WALSH

BROADCASTER OF THE YEAR by Lee Mottershead

THE NOMINATIONS

JOHN HUNT

Nobody could ever accuse John Hunt of being lazy

By the end of this year, one of British racing’s most distinctive voices will have completed a 12-month stint featuring 100 days of racecourse commentary, 80 days of calling the horses for BBC Radio 5 live, 40 days spent in France as a commentator for Equidia and plenty more days anchoring studio coverage for Sky Sports Racing.

As if all that was not enough, there are additional working days for 5 live as its swimming commentator and occasional shifts at football matches.

“I could do with there being 400 days in a year, to be honest,” says Hunt, who singles out the Randox Grand National as one of his 2022 racing highlights.

“I thoroughly enjoyed commentating on the race because I felt Sam Waley-Cohen’s victory was a really lovely story,” explains Hunt, yet the two most important stories he worked on in 2022 were of a much different nature

Hunt explains: “The phone was red hot for ten days following the death of the Queen, which was unexpected and the trigger for a lot of hard work, but it was a bittersweet privilege to contribute to the coverage

“I also did a lot of work following Lester Piggott’s death, particularly on a ten-minute tribute for Sky As soon as that was played out, I received a really kind text from William Haggas. That was a relief because with that sort of job you want to strike the right tone.”

NICK LUCK

The recognised master of his profession needs only one more HWPA Broadcaster of the Year Award to reach the same number of triumphs the great Lester Piggott enjoyed in the Derby

The fact Luck has already picked up the trophy on eight occasions is a mark of the respect in which he is held across the industry, and understandably so, given the breadth and excellence of his work.

Luck on Sunday and the Nick Luck Daily podcast have become renowned for big guests and the breaking of big stories, while their regular host still manages to anchor Racing TV’s coverage of the top racing events in Britain. On top of all that, the BBC’s equestrian commentator is in demand abroad, as was clear when he recently completed a remarkable double stint in Australia for the Victoria Racing Club and America for NBC.

Luck says: “There’s no doubt the highlight of my last 12 months was the craziest trip of all, trying to cover the Melbourne Cup and Breeders’ Cup in the space of two weeks.

“Working in Australia for the first time was a real eye opener Flemington gets so much right, so it was a real thrill to broadcast there, but I also have to thank my bosses at NBC for allowing me the flexibility to fly into Kentucky late It was such an exhilarating couple of weeks, so much so that Flightline and co managed to eradicate the jet lag.”

On the widely acclaimed NLD, he adds: “I genuinely love doing the podcast. You can’t overthink it and just have to do what’s in front of you on any given day I’ve been overwhelmed by the amount of goodwill people show towards it - I’m certainly now in it too deep to stop!”

ADELE MULRENNAN

It was with shock that Adele Mulrennan learned she was in the running for this prestigious award. Her many admirers will not have been at all surprised.

“I can’t believe I’ve been nominated,” says the former apprentice jockey, who has gone from being a raceday presenter on northern racecourses to a valuable member of the ITV Racing team, one whose standing grew further during the 2022 Flat season when she showed herself to be an extremely astute paddock judge

Explaining how she landed her ITV break, Mulrennan says: “I was working at York as a ‘Pink Lady’ when William Derby asked me to do a tipping talk in a box full of important racing people, including people from ITV and Racing TV

“I was dreading it, thinking what could I tell them that they didn’t already know I tried to make it fun but I also tipped five of the six winners - my husband, Paul, let me down in the last race by getting beat a short-head. Mark Demuth from ITV then rang me the next day and asked me if I would fancy doing some work for them.”

Mulrennan adds: “It has all been a big learning curve for me because I had no television experience Luckily, things seem to have gone from strength to strength and I’m not frightened to say what I think.

“When I’ve done box talks people have asked what some in racing might think are silly questions but they definitely aren’t silly at all. That has helped me understand what people actually want to learn about the horses.”

RUBY WALSH

It is testament to Ruby Walsh’s prowess as a television racing analyst that one of the greatest jockeys in jump racing history is already being compared to superstar sportsmen-turned-pundits like Alan Hansen, Gary Neville and Michael Johnson.

Walsh is superb at his new job but he also cares about it, whether working for ITV, RTE or Racing TV, for which he has formed one half of an irresistible Road to Cheltenham double act with Lydia Hislop

“Racing has a cohort of very strong presenters - and strong presenters make better pundits,” says Walsh, who does a huge amount of homework, both before and after each programme

“I do take it seriously and I watch it all back,” he explains. “When you talk as fast as I talk, you have to watch what you’ve done to make sure people can properly understand two-thirds of what you’re saying - and that would be good for me!

“I do enjoy the job There are so many aspects to riding a horse, mentally and physically, and so much happens in a race I want to explain all that to the viewers. I would love it if people walked into a racecourse talking about how horse ‘A’ might beat horse ‘B’, rather than just talking about which horse will win. That’s where I think the sport can grow and become more engaging.”

Further outlining his philosophy, Walsh adds: “As a broadcaster, you are relevant to the sport and you don’t want people switching off the television. Boring television does make people switch it off, so I have to try to keep what I do entertaining.”

So far, so very good.

T

SPECIALIST WRITER of the Year

The Specialist Writer award is the second of two new categories we introduced in 2019.

No sport lends itself better to forensic analysis than horseracing and specialists, of whom we have many within the HWPA, were overlooked for far too long when it came to being recognised at these awards.

There was once again a very gratifying combination of depth and range to the 2021 entry for this category, and our judges had their work cut out sifting through the impressive output of some of the best brains in the sport in order to narrow it down to these four finalists.

“Incredibly powerful writing dealing with important topics that go beyond racing, such as Ukraine and addiction, the subjects timely indeed”

JON LEES (Thoroughbred Racing Commentary)

“An excellently varied submission, with a first-class interview, a cogent opinion piece and a moving reflection on a tragic death” ALAN SWEETMAN (Racing Post)

“Excellent, thoroughly well-researched pieces, with complex subjects clearly explained for the non-specialist reader”

JONATHAN HARDING (Racing Post)

“Authoritative and well-informed articles, written in a very clear and entertaining style, most enjoyable to read”

EMMA BERRY (Thoroughbred Daily News)

SPECIALIST WRITER OF THE YEAR by Peter Thomas THE NOMINATIONS

EMMA BERRY

There's a fine line between Specialist Writer and 'nerd' and Emma is well aware that she may have crossed it, but it's something she's come to terms with in her evolution into the world of bloodstock at the Thoroughbred Daily News.

"I've discovered a niche that I find endlessly fascinating," she says. "Yes, it's a bit nerdy, but I enjoy the nerdiness of it, the way horses pop up out of pedigrees and the puzzle starts to make sense."

Having cut her teeth in the local press in her home patch of Windsor, Emma graced the pages of Horse and Hound and then Pacemaker, which was where the bloodstock specialism began, to be nurtured by a two-year stint working for Darley, whose Dubai Millennium had just died, leaving a single crop that included the now leading sire Dubawi, focus of one of her learned HWPA articles.

"I've loved seeing his emergence as a stallion," she continues, "and he'd just turned 20 at the beginning of the year, so it seemed the perfect time to tell his story."

There's also the tale of Jean Lesbordes and the great broodmare Urban Sea, and a timely piece about Bjorn Nielsen and his stud ambitions for the now-retired Stradivarius, all of which still makes Berry feel "like a kid with my nose pressed up against the window of the sweet shop".

JONATHAN HARDING

The saga of the long-awaited government review of the gambling industry is a subject that strikes fear into the heart of many a racing journalist, but for Jonathan Harding it has become the kind of specialised subject he might end up answering questions on from the Mastermind chair

"It's an area that needs a bit of explanation and I'm one of those weird masochistic people that likes the tussles at the top of the sport, the interplay at governance level, both in this country and the US, and all the big subjects you can sink your teeth into," he says. "The challenge is to try and condense it and make sense of it in a digestible way," which is what he has succeeded in doing, learning his trade under the wing of Racing Post industry expert Bill Barber and steadily making the "bigger-picture stuff and the fine detail of funding" part of his own patch.

Jon started out reading English at Bristol, then earning his NCTJ qualification, before joining the Post in 2018 and winning the HWPA's Emerging Newcomer award the following year. His submissions on the rise of 888 Holdings, the fast-expanding US gambling market and the perils of the aggressive cross-selling of casino gaming products exemplify just how far he's come in a very short time

arapidly expanding market –and what it meansbackhome

JON LEES

Since leaving the Racing Post in 2018 after a near 20-year stint on the newsdesk, Jon has freelanced far and wide and of late has found a happy home at Thoroughbred Racing Commentary for whom he has produced the three pieces that form his entry.

They are pieces that showcase his great versatility as a writer, dealing with subjects - such as drug addiction, the global impact of war in Ukraine and being a former Welsh estate agent - that might not have been on his agenda in the days when he was Reporter of the Year.

They're still articles that need sniffing out and fleshing out, though, which brings into play all the old skills of a man who began professional life on local papers in his native Pembrokeshire and finally muscling his way into racing by landing a job as a caption writer (that's how long ago it was!) at the Press Association, where he soon became chief racing correspondent.

"I think human interest stories are the most interesting," he says, "and I seem to spend a lot of time on the phone talking to people in different time zones, persuading them to open up about what might be sensitive subjects.

"This nomination has given me a real lift because it's hard to still operate without the backing of a big organisation, so the recognition is very welcome."

ALAN SWEETMAN

Alan didn't have racing in his blood, but he attended an Irish prep school populated by the sons of eminent racing people, and he had a sportsmad father who loved to take him to the races. So, once he had graduated in English from Trinity, Dublin and done a stint as a teacher in the city, while doing shifts at Phoenix Park racecourse in the holidays - "I worked in Vincent O'Brien's box during the glory days, meeting everybody from Larry Hagman and Faye Dunaway to Pete Townshend and Terry Ramsden" - he was ready to follow his destiny.

He has worked with the Racing Post since the late 1980s, starting as assistant to Tony O'Hehir, tipping, analysing and writing a well-regarded column before being let loose on features ten years ago

His interview with Jim Dreaper reads like what it is: an engaging chat with an old friend. His column suggesting a reduction in the distance of the Irish Derby ruffled a few feathers - "not that I'm a fervent campaigner for it, but I threw it out there because I think something needs to be done with it, the way it was with the French Derby"

Sadly, his third piece involved more old pals, the De Bromhead family, after the tragic death of poor young son and grandson Jack, but Alan handled it with a sensitivity that caught the mood of the racing community in a troubled time.

PHOTOGRAPHER of the Year

“An outstanding portfolio which covers every aspect of horse racing and the photographer’s art, the Epsom buses shot a classic of its kind”

DAVID

DAVIES (Press Association)

“A fine set, every picture thought through in detail, exemplified by the shadow on the brickwork, the shot through the grass perfectly captured”

TIM GOODE (Press Association)

“A superb portfolio with a great use of colour, the brooding sky shot Turneresque, the horses on the beach another excellent picture”

PATRICK

EDWARD WHITAKER (Racing Post)

MCCANN (Racing Post)

“A strong set of pictures, the silks photo simple yet a perfect piece of history, the Cheltenham remote outstanding of its type”

PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR by

THE NOMINATIONS DAVID DAVIES

How long have you been a photographer for?

I secured a job in a darkroom in 1989 whilst doing a photography course, and I blagged my way out of the darkroom on occasions by saying I’d got to go and continue taking pictures to finish my course (even though I hadn’t!) and that enabled me to start taking photos at various horse racing, golf and cricket events. I basically worked my way up from there

What is the favourite photo you have taken?

Sentimentally, the one I took of the sunrise, which is in the portfolio I entered this category with, was nice as my mum passed away in February and it was a photo she loved. I won the specialist portfolio prize at the SJA Awards this year and I wasn’t going to enter it, but Mum was well enough then and encouraged me to, and she picked the photos I entered with one of them being the sunrise photo.

What makes a good photo?

It depends on what you are going for It can be a moment – AP McCoy celebrating Grand National success with the winning post in the background being an example - or something you have thought through. Personally, I prefer something that is creative and interesting, something that you want to keep looking at. The light and background makes a big difference, too

Favourite part of the job?

Working through an idea, and making it work. An example is when I saw a view of the Grand National course on TV that I liked, which was of the straight with the stands in the background, so the following year, ahead of the Grand National, I walked down the track, found the TV tower and clamped a camera up there to capture the view that I had seen on the TV I’d never seen a picture like it before, and it was pleasing that it worked.

What would it mean to you to win this award?

It would mean a lot. You have to respect the longevity of this sport and these awards. To have the recognition from your colleagues is everything as we all work very hard, and all try to get the best pictures.

PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR by

THE NOMINATIONS TIM GOODE

How long have you been a photographer for?

I’ve worked for the PA since 2012 but I didn’t start out as a photographer, I started out as a picture editor, and I’ve been a professional photographer since 2010. It was always my ambition to become a photographer since I was given a camera as a birthday present at the age of 14, and although it took me a while to get there, it’s what I always wanted to do

What is the favourite photo you have taken?

I get asked this question quite often and although I don’t have specific favourites, I do have pictures that mean a lot to me in terms of what they have done for my career My job is so varied that you can have favourite scenic photos, or photos that show off a particular racecourse, but I love the variety racing offers when taking pictures.

What makes a good photo?

It shouldn’t need any explanation, or caption on it, and it should immediately jump out at you. Whether it’s a picture of a rainy racecourse or a picture from the football in Qatar, it should make you feel like you are there, almost inside the picture

Favourite part of the job?

It’s the fact that it changes all the time from day to day, season to season, and even from race to race as the sun can be out one minute, and then it’s raining the next! You’ve always got to be ready for pictures to present themselves.

What would it mean to you to win this award?

I’m just happy to be in the mix with these photographers who I have learned so much from over the years, especially from my colleague, David Davies. I can’t even think about winning as I’m just so happy to be among a list with these other three photographers, but I will probably be lost for words if I did win!

PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR by

THE NOMINATIONS PATRICK MCCANN

How long have you been a photographer for?

I’ve been working for the Racing Post for 12 years, but my father was a racing photographer and I used to go with him from when I was a young age I was working freelance with him and carried on when he stopped before moving to Ireland in 2010 to work for the Racing Post.

What is the favourite photo you have taken?

Usually with your best photos, you still want to change something, but the rainbow shot I took at Bellewstown Racecourse, which won Picture of the Year in 2016, is one that I wouldn’t change There’s lots to look at in that picture, and it’s the one I would choose, but it’s hard to narrow it down to one

What makes a good photo?

I suppose one that makes people look twice and makes them want to ask more questions. I’m always trying to find a quiet moment that might have been missed on a busy race day and try to capture horses getting washed down, and that sort of thing. Something unique, and something that stands out is always good.

Favourite part of the job?

Getting paid to go racing! Everyone in the industry loves to go racing and I also enjoy visiting some of the best yards in the country, and even some of the smaller ones, too The variety of racing each week keeps you excited and it’s great to meet people in the industry, especially some of the brilliant characters of the game!

What would it mean to you to win this award?

I love these awards and when you first get into the industry, and read about these awards in the Racing Post, you think “that’ll never be me”, so you pinch yourself when you get nominated for these categories alongside some brilliant photographers. I lost my father this year, and he always got a great kick out of seeing me nominated for an award, so it will be sentimental.

PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR by

THE NOMINATIONS EDWARD WHITAKER

How long have you been a photographer for?

I’ve been with the Racing Post for 35 years, but I started photography when I was about 15 years old. My father, James Whitaker, was royal correspondent for the Daily Mirror, and had been in journalism all his life, but I was more drawn to the visual side of it. When I left school, I did a NCTJ photo-journalism course and managed to win the young photojournalist of the year award when the Racing Post was just starting out. I was doing a bit of freelance work for them before I was offered a full-time role, and I’ve been there ever since!

What is the favourite photo you have taken?

One photo that helped elevate my career when I was young was a picture of Arazi winning at the Breeders’ Cup in 1991. It was the first time I’d ever used a remote camera and I positioned it down in the dirt, so it was looking up at the horses, and fired it remotely Everyone at work went crazy over this picture and it was so well received. Arazi’s victory was possibly the greatest performance by any horse I have ever seen, too, even including Flightline’s recent Breeders’ Cup win.

What makes a good photo?

Light, composure, and something that is dramatic. It must also be beautifully clean, and by that I mean so the subject is really pinging out of the image, with no distractions in the background of the picture It has also got to be pin-sharp and bold.

Favourite part of the job?

Covering the big horse racing events abroad and seeing racing in different places. Working at the Breeders’ Cup is one of my favourite trips each year.

What would it mean to you to win this award?

It would be really good to win this award for the tenth time There are lots of very good photographers I work with, and it would be great to reach a new milestone

Congratulations

to all today’s HWPA Derby Awards nominees and winners from everyone at Ascot.

PJ McDonald celebrates as he rides Pyledriver to win the 2022 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth QIPCO Stakes at Ascot Racecourse

The Clive Graham Trophy RACING WRITER of the Year

Incisive articles, showing an excellent grasp of fine details, containing a wealth of information, the opinions offered cogently argued

LYDIA HISLOP (Freelance)

Allows his subjects all the room needed to emerge, the interview with Eleanora Kennedy a fine example of its type, entertaining and original DARAGH Ó CONCHÚIR (Freelance)

Well-researched and engaging writing, the article on Baaeed a thoroughly excellent piece with, rarely for nowadays, the horse at its core ADAM HOUGHTON (Sporting Life/Timeform)

Quickly gets to the core of his subject, the writing entertaining and in-depth, the Peter Chapple-Hyam interview particularly enjoyable

PETER THOMAS (Racing Post)

RACING WRITER OF THE YEAR by David Cleary THE NOMINATIONS

LYDIA HISLOP

Lydia may be best known as a broadcaster, her prowess in that sphere having earned her two victories in the last three years at the Derby Awards in the Broadcaster of the Year category However, she began her career in racing doing work experience at the Sporting Life and has always maintained a major profile in the written as well as the broadcast media.

After the Life, Lydia moved on to Racenews, before replacing the redoubtable Chris Poole as the racing correspondent for the London Evening Standard. Stints as columnist for both The Times and then The Guardian followed.

These days, her main written work is the epic Road To Cheltenham, a weekly dissection of every Festival-worthy performance in Britain and Ireland. Although RTC started as a column on the Sporting Life website, these days the words go alongside a Thursday evening Racing TV slot, in which Lydia is joined by Ruby Walsh.

However, Lydia’s chosen pieces for her Clive Graham entry are drawn from her work for Sporting Life and Tortoise Her Tortoise feature on Rachael Blackmore allows her all the scope she needs to explore the progress – or lack of it – made by female riders in the sport over the last 40 or so years. It also reveals her early ambition, sadly unfulfilled, to ride in the Grand National itself

Her two Sporting Life columns illustrate Lydia’s ability to present facts in a crystal clear manner to make her case in a comment piece She offers a forensic dismantling of the inappropriate way in which the Robbie Dunne appeal was conducted and salient words on the need to look outside the racing bubble so far as changes to the whip rule is concerned.

ADAM HOUGHTON

Adam’s boldness has paid off with a nomination at the first attempt in the Writer of the Year category He has been shortlisted for the Emerging Talent Award in the last two years and would still be qualified for that trophy this time round, but he felt he should have emerged by now, so gave the main prize a shot.

As the judges pointed out, Adam’s work often puts the horse at the centre of the piece, rather than the human participants or the politics behind the story In that he is a rarity in contemporary racing journalism, though his subject matter would be familiar in the work of such great racing journalists as Richard Baerlein or Peter Scott.

Adam points out that he was interested in horses before he was interested in racing. At the age of around nine or ten, a horse was bought for his sisters to ride, but he got interested as well, often visiting the stables where the horse was kept after school.

A trip with his mother to the September family day at York races was a first taste of racing and had him hooked from the start. His ambition to become a sports journalist soon turned into one to become a racing one

As might be expected for someone with a Timeform background, Adam supports his arguments with detailed factual analysis. He deploys all the tools at his disposal to point out that comparisons between Baaeed and Frankel were premature. His article on the stud career of Kingman is a comprehensive look not only at the sire’s progeny, but his progression as a stallion and what the future might hold.

“Mrs Thornton’s riding is of the first description. Her close seat, perfect management of her horse, bold jockeyship on one of the most crowded courses ever seen, elicited th highe adm

sai

DARAGH Ó CONCHÚIR

Daragh has two bites at the cherry at this year’s Derby Awards. Not only has he earned his second nomination for the Clive Graham Trophy –previously shortlisted in 2015 – but he is in the final four for the Reporter of the Year.

While his piece for the latter award is a scoop of major significance, his three articles for consideration in this category are all feature profiles, one of a trainer, one a jockey and one an owner Daragh’s ability to allow these characters to tell their story shines through with their own words woven together with a fine thread of his own.

The relish with which Daragh paints the picture of Eleanora Kennedy is exquisite, the portrait in the opening few paragraphs as vivid as a great novelist might supply It’s worth noting that Daragh’s pieces come from three different publications, the Irish Independent, the Irish Examiner and Trainer magazine, while his piece for Reporter of the Year comes from yet another And he doesn’t only write about horse racing – he has twice won a McNamee Award for his work covering GAA sports, for Best GAA Publication in 2008 and for National Media in 2012.

Added to that, Daragh edits the Irish Racing Yearbook, is the chief content provider for the Camogie Association, works as a broadcaster on Rásaí Beo, the live racing programme on the Irish-language channel TG4, and is author or co-author of four books. He is the very definition of a freelance

PETER THOMAS

Peter isn’t quite at the point Elaine Stritch reached – ‘Good news, I have the most wonderful acceptance speech for a Tony Award; bad news, I’ve had it for 45 years’ – but he has collected five times as many nominations for the Clive Graham Trophy as his three fellow nominees put together and is still waiting for his first win.

Peter’s love of horse racing came early – his first racing memory is Nijinsky and Lester Piggott winning the Derby – and it wasn’t much later that he realised he wanted to write about it. He cites Jeffrey Bernard in the Weekender as a writer on the sport who inspired him.

After a traditional training on local papers, Peter moved to the Sporting Life, ‘doing all the jobs journalists did on old-fashioned newspapers’, before joining the Racing Post when the Life closed. There, Peter edited the Weekender before the Post’s editor Chris Smith told him he wanted him to be a full-time writer

As his submission for the Writer of the Year shows, Peter’s preferred form is the long interview, gathered by meeting people and letting them tell their stories. It’s perhaps significant that two of the three interviews appeared in Racing Post Sunday, where there is scope for an expanded profile at which Peter excels.

Over twenty years after he first moved to writing full time, Peter is still as enthusiastic about the task as he was when he started. ‘Racing people are always very happy to talk to you,’, he says, mentioning having breakfast with Sir Michael Stoute as an example Being an amiable and receptive listener probably has plenty to do with that.

Daragh

Eleanora Kennedy s speedster Panam Classic glory in 2022. The colourful and controversial socialite of Italian descent began her connection with Ireland through her late husband Michael, an Irish-American criminal defence attorney. Her racing success only scratches the surface of an extraordinary life

ROLLS OF HONOUR

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

TRAINER OF THE YEAR

1981 Ian Balding

1982 John Dunlop

1983 Luca Cumani

1984 Ian Balding

1985 Clive Brittain

1986 Sir Michael Stoute 1987 Paul Cole 1988 Luca Cumani 1989 Henry Cecil 1990 Paul Cole 1991 Paul Cole

1992 Paul Cole 1993 John Dunlop

1994 John Dunlop

1995 Peter Chapple-Hyam 1996 Sir Michael Stoute

1997 Sir Michael Stoute 1998 Saeed bin Suroor 1999 Saeed bin Suroor 2000 Saeed bin Suroor 2001 Aidan O’Brien

2002 Dermot Weld 2003 Pascal Bary 2004 Ed Dunlop 2005 Andrew Balding 2006 Brian Meehan 2007 Aidan O’Brien 2008 John Gosden 2009 Mick Channon 2010 John Gosden 2011 Aidan O’Brien 2012 Marco Botti 2013 Ed Dunlop 2014 David Simcock 2015 John Gosden 2016 Charlie Appleby 2017 Charlie Appleby 2018 Charlie Appleby 2019 John Gosden 2020 William Haggas 2021 Charlie Appleby

OWNER OF THE YEAR

1967 Jim Joel 1968 Lord Allendale 1969 Earl of Rosebery 1970 Charles W.Engelhard & David McCall 1971 John & Jean Hislop 1972 Lady Beaverbrook 1973 Louis Freedman 1974 Peter O’Sullevan 1975 Dr Carlo Vittadini 1976 Daniel Wildenstein 1977 HM The Queen 1978 David McCall 1979 Snailwell Stud Co. 1980 Pat Muldoon 1981 HH Aga Khan 1982 Paul Mellon 1983 Robert Barnett 1984 Eric Moller 1985 Lord Howard de Walden 1986 Prince Khalid Abdulla 1987 Louis Freedman 1988 Jim Joel 1989 Hamdan Al Maktoum 1990 Hamdan Al Maktoum 1991 Prince Fahd Salman 1992 Bill Gredley 1993 Robert Sangster 1994 Jeff Smith 1995 Godolphin 1996 Godolphin 1997 Peter Winfield 1998 The Summit Partnership 1999 Michael Tabor 2000 HH Aga Khan 2001 Sue Magnier & Michael Tabor 2002 Sir Alex Ferguson

2003 Jim Lewis 2004 Lord Derby 2005 Graham Wylie 2006 Anthony & Victoria Pakenham 2007 Clive Smith 2008 Paul Barber and Mrs Maggie Findlay 2009 Christopher Tsui 2010 Prince Khalid Abdullah 2011 Prince Khalid Abdullah 2012 Prince Khalid Abdullah 2013 HE Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al Thani 2014 Prince Khalid Abdullah 2015 Anthony Oppenheimer 2016 Coolmoore 2017 Prince Khalid Abdullah 2018 John Dance 2019 Andrew Gemmell 2020 Hamdan Al Maktoum 2021 Emma Banks

From 1969 until 1973 there was a separate category National Hunt Owner of the Year The winners were: 1969 Edward Courage 1970 Bryan Jenks 1971 Colonel Bill Whitbread 1972 Mrs John Rogerson 1973 Noel le Mare

EMERGING TALENT

2019 Jonathan Harding (Racing Post)

2020 Nick Seddon (Horseracing.net)

2021 Jess Stafford (Racing TV)

RACING

WRITER OF THE YEAR

1967 Quintin Gilbey (Sporting Chronicle)

1968 John Lawrence (Daily Telegraph)

1969 Geoffrey Hamlyn (Sporting Life)

1970 George Stevens (Birmingham Mail)

1971 Clive Graham & Peter O’Sullevan (Daily Express)

1972 Roger Mortimer (Sunday Times)

1973 Richard Baerlein (The Guardian/Observer)

1974 Tom Cosgrove (London Evening News)

1975 Peter Scott (Daily Telegraph)

1976 Peter Willett (Sporting Chronicle)

1977 Brough Scott (Sunday Times)

1978 Tim Richards (Daily Mirror)

1979 Christopher Poole (Evening Standard)

1980 Michael Seely & Michael Phillips (The Times)

1981 Jonathan Powell (The People)

1982 George Ennor (Sporting Life)

1983 Bill Garland (Press Association)

1984 John Sharratt (Raceform)

1985 Jim Stanford (Daily Mail)

1986 Peter O’Sullevan (BBC)

1987 Peter Goodall (Press Association)

1988 Geoff Lester (Sporting Life)

1989 Michael Seely (The Times)

1990 Tony Morris (Racing Post)

1991 John Sexton (Express & Star, Wolverhampton)

1992 James A. McGrath (Daily Telegraph)

1993 Paul Haigh (Racing Post)

1994 Alastair Down (Sporting Life)

1995 Richard Evans (The Times)

1996 David Ashforth (Sporting Life)

1997 Rodney Masters (Racing Post)

1998 Claude Duval (The Sun)

1999 Alastair Down (Racing Post)

2000 Alan Amies (Raceform)

2001 Alan Lee (The Times)

2002 Tom O’Ryan (Racing Post)

2003 Clare Balding (BBC) & Doug Moscrop (Newcastle Journal)

2004 Alan Lee (The Times)

2005 Richard Edmondson (The Independent)

2006 Tim Richards (Freelance)

2007 Chris McGrath (The Independent)

2008 David Ashforth (Racing Post)

2009 Greg Wood (The Guardian)

2010 Brough Scott (Racing Post)

2011 Lee Mottershead (Racing Post)

2012 Alastair Down (Racing Post)

2013 Chris McGrath (The Independent)

2014 Alan Lee (The Times)

2015 Alastair Down (Racing Post)

2016 Tom Kerr (Racing Post)

2017 Chris McGrath (Racing Post)

2018 Alastair Down (Racing Post)

2019 Lee Mottershead (Racing Post)

2020 David Carr (Racing Post)

2021 Lee Mottershead (Racing Post)

SPECIALIST WRITER OF THE YEAR

2019 Kevin Blake (Betfair, ITV, Sky Sports Racing)

2020 Bill Barber (Racing Post)

2021 Ian Carnaby (freelance)

T H E CL IV E GR AH AM TR OP HY

F L A T TRAINER OF THE YEAR

1967 Sir Noel Murless

1968 Sir Cecil Boyd-Rochfort

1969 Harvey Leader

1970 Vincent O’Brien

1971 Ian Balding

1972 Bruce Hobbs

1973 Arthur Budgett 1974 Peter Walwyn 1975 Dick Hern 1976 Henry Cecil 1977 Vincent O’Brien

1978 Sir Michael Stoute 1979 Henry Cecil 1980 Dick Hern

1981 Guy Harwood 1982 David Chapman

1983 John Dunlop

1984 Ron Sheather

1985 Henry Cecil

1986 Sir Michael Stoute

1987 Henry Cecil 1988 David Chapman 1989 Dick Hern 1990 Jack Berry 1991 Paul Cole

1992 Richard Hannon 1993 Richard Hannon 1994 Mark Johnston 1995 John Dunlop 1996 Henry Cecil 1997 Sir Michael Stoute 1998 Saeed bin Suroor 1999 Henry Cecil 2000 John Oxx 2001 Aidan O’Brien

2002 Mark Johnston 2003 Sir Michael Stoute 2004 Saeed bin Suroor 2005 Michael Bell 2006 Marcus Tregoning 2007 Peter Chapple-Hyam

2008 Aidan O’Brien 2009 John Oxx 2010 Richard Hannon 2011 Sir Henry Cecil 2017 Aidan O’Brien 2018 John Gosden 2019 John Gosden 2020 John Gosden 2021 Charlie Appleby

TRAINER OF THE YEAR

1968 Fred Rimell 1969 Colin Davies 1970 Arthur Stephenson 1971 Fred Winter 1972 David Barons 1973 Fulke Walwyn 1974 Donald ‘Ginger’ McCain 1975 Gordon Richards 1976 Tony Dickinson 1977 Peter Easterby 1978 Fred Winter 1979 Peter Easterby 1980 Peter Easterby 1981 Peter Easterby 1982 Michael Dickinson 1983 Michael Dickinson 1984 Jenny Pitman 1985 Tim Forster 1986 Nicky Henderson 1987 Nicky Henderson 1988 David Elsworth 1989 Martin Pipe 1990 Martin Pipe 1991 Martin Pipe 1992 Mary Reveley

1993 Nigel Twiston Davies 1994 David Nicholson 1995 Kim Bailey 1996 Jim Old 1997 Martin Pipe 1998 Martin Pipe 1999 Paul Nicholls 2000 Noel Chance 2001 Martin Pipe 2002 Henrietta Knight 2003 Philip Hobbs 2004 Henrietta Knight 2005 Paul Nicholls 2006 Paul Nicholls 2007 Paul Nicholls 2008 Paul Nicholls 2009 Paul Nicholls 2010 Nigel Twiston-Davies 2011 Donald McCain 2017 Colin Tizzard 2018 Nicky Henderson 2019 Paul Nicholls 2020 Willie Mullins 2021 Henry de Bromhead

N A T I O N A L HU NT JOCKEY OF THE YEAR

1967 Josh Gifford

1968 Brian Fletcher 1969 Stan Mellor 1970 Terry Biddlecombe 1971 Graham Thorner 1972 Bob Davies 1973 Ron Barry 1974 Richard Pitman

1975 Tommy Stack 1976 Jeff King 1977 Tommy Stack 1978 Jonjo O’Neill 1979 Tommy Carmody 1980 Jonjo O’Neill

1981 Bob Champion 1982 Peter Scudamore 1983 John Francome 1984 John Francome 1985 John Francome 1986 Peter Scudamore 1987 Peter Scudamore 1988 Chris Grant 1989 Peter Scudamore 1990 Peter Scudamore 1991 Peter Scudamore

1992 Peter Niven 1993 Richard Dunwoody 1994 Adrian Maguire 1995 Norman Williamson 1996 AP McCoy 1997 AP McCoy 1998 AP McCoy 1999 AP McCoy 2000 AP McCoy 2001 AP McCoy 2002 AP McCoy 2003 AP McCoy 2004 AP McCoy 2005 Ruby Walsh 2006 AP McCoy 2007 Ruby Walsh 2008 Ruby Walsh 2009 AP McCoy 2010 AP McCoy 2011 AP McCoy 2017 Richard Johnson 2018 Richard Johnson 2019 Bryony Frost 2020 Brian Hughes 2021 Rachael Blackmore

F L A T

JOCKEY OF THE YEAR

1967 Doug Smith 1968 Sandy Barclay 1969 Geoff Lewis 1970 Lester Piggott 1971 Willie Carson 1972 Edward Hide 1973 Tony Murray 1974 Pat Eddery 1975 Joe Mercer 1976 Brian Taylor 1977 Willie Carson 1978 Greville Starkey 1979 Joe Mercer 1980 Lester Piggott 1981 Lester Piggott 1982 Lester Piggott 1983 Willie Carson 1984 Steve Cauthen 1985 Steve Cauthen 1986 Pat Eddery 1987 Steve Cauthen 1988 Michael Roberts 1989 Willie Carson 1990 Frankie Dettori 1991 Alan Munro

1992 Michael Roberts 1993 Kevin Darley 1994 Frankie Dettori 1995 Frankie Dettori 1996 Frankie Dettori 1997 Kieren Fallon 1998 Kieren Fallon 1999 Richard Quinn 2000 Kevin Darley 2001 Michael Kinane 2002 Richard Hughes 2003 Kieren Fallon 2004 Lanfranco Dettori 2005 Jamie Spencer 2006 Ryan Moore 2007 Seb Sanders 2008 Johnny Murtagh 2009 Michael Kinane 2010 Paul Hanagan 2011 Silvestre De Sousa 2017 Frankie Dettori 2018 Oisin Murphy 2019 Frankie Dettori 2020 Hollie Doyle 2021 William Buick

TRAINER OF THE YEAR

JOCKEY OF THE YEAR

2012 Sir Henry Cecil 2013 Richard Hannon 2014 Richard Hannon 2015 John Gosden 2016 Aidan O’Brien 2012 Richard Hughes 2013 A P McCoy 2014 Ryan Moore 2015 Lanfranco Dettori 2016 Jim Crowley

PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

Dan Abraham 2018 Edward Whitaker 2019 Edward Whitaker 2020 Tracy Roberts 2021 Patrick McCann

PICTURE OF THE YEAR

BROADCASTER OF THE YEAR

2004 Clare Balding

2005 Robert Cooper 2006 Mike Cattermole

2007 Nick Luck 2008 Nick Luck 2009 Nick Luck

2010 Matt Chapman 2011 Nick Luck 2012 Clare Balding

2013 Nick Luck 2014 Nick Luck 2015 John Hunt

2016 Nick Luck 2017 Luke Harvey 2018 Jason Weaver 2019 Lydia Hislop 2020 Nick Luck 2021 Lydia Hislop

J O H N OA KS EY TR OP HY

RACING REPORTER

2012 Chris Cook (The Guardian)

2013 Jon Lees (Racing Post) 2014 Chris Cook (The Guardian) 2015 Graham Dench (Racing Post) 2016 Marcus Townend (Daily Mail)

2008 Ed Byrne, Gerry Cranham & Alec Russell 2009 Barry Hills 2010 Rod Fabricius 2011 Michael Jarvis 2012 John Dunlop 2013 Jack Berry 2014 Clive Brittain 2015 Norman Gundill 2016 Geoff Greetham 2017 Seamus Buckley 2018 Richard Pitman 2019 Lisa Hancock 2020 Dr Jerry Hill 2021 Richard Johnson

OF THE YEAR

2017 Marcus Armytage (Daily Telegraph) 2018 Bill Barber (Racing Post) 2019 Marcus Townend (Daily Mail) 2020 Chris Cook (The Guardian) 2021 Chris Cook (Racing Post)

PRESIDENT’S AWARD

1995 Jim Old Stable Staff 1997 Major Dick Hern CVO 1999 Jack Berry 2000 Ray Cochrane 2001 John Reid 2003 Lord Oaksey 2004 George Ennor 2005 Reg Hollinshead 2006 Martin Pipe 2007 JP McNamara 2008 Colin Mackenzie 2010 AP McCoy

2011 Frankel 2012 BBC Racing 2013 Derek Thompson 2014 Jonjo O’Neill 2015 American Pharoah 20162017 David Elsworth 2018 Mark & Deirdre Johnston 2019 Ruby Walsh 20202021 John Hanmer

AWARD WINNERS

Photographs by Johnny Hathaway