The team behind champion mare Black Caviar are again celebrating after dominating tonight’s 2012 Victorian Thoroughbred Racing Awards presented by Tabcorp and Racing Victoria (RV) at Melbourne’s Crown Palladium.
Jockey Luke Nolen claimed the night’s headline award, the Scobie Breasley Medal, for the second year running, whilst trainer Peter Moody secured back-to-back Fred Hoysted Medals. Black Caviar was crowned Staging Connections Victorian Racehorse of the Year for a second time, whilst her 19th career win in the Coolmore Lightning Stakes in February was voted the season’s TVN Most Memorable Moment by the public.
Star jumps jockey Steve Pateman was tonight’s other award winner and he too was back in familiar territory claiming his fifth Tommy Corrigan Medal in six years. The awards recognise performances on Victorian racetracks during the period from 1 August 2011 to 31 July 2012. The summary of winners is as follows;
• Scobie Breasley Medal presented by Tabcorp – Luke Nolen • Fred Hoysted Medal presented by Commotion Creative – Peter Moody • Tommy Corrigan Medal presented by TRP – Steve Pateman • Staging Connections Victorian Racehorse of the Year – Black Caviar • TVN Most Memorable Moment Award – Black Caviar’s Lightning Stakes win
Fred Hoysted Medal The Fred Hoysted Medal presented by Commotion Creative, is awarded to the most outstanding trainer of the season based on selected performances on Victorian tracks.
A selection committee headed by the Australian Trainers Association (ATA) nominates a finalist every two months of the season, taking into account performances during that period. Peter Moody, the reigning Fred Hoysted Medallist, received 60 votes to eclipse French trainer Mikel Delzangles (44, Spring period), Robert Smerdon (39, Autumn), Ciaron Maher (30, Winter), Nigel Blackiston (25, Pre-Spring) and Mick Clark (12, Summer) to secure the award.
The Caulfield-based trainer was recognised for his deeds with imported stayer Manighar and the great Black Caviar during the Melbourne Festival Racing (February-March period). Moody produced Manighar with new found brilliance to win the Carlyon Cup (1600m) first-up en route to a memorable Group 1 Dubai Australian Cup (2000m) victory.
The judges also acknowledged his efforts in getting Black Caviar to claim Group 1 victories in the Sportingbet Orr Stakes (1400m) and Coolmore Lightning Stakes (1000m) despite dropping sharply in distance on a surprise seven-day back-up in February.
Staging Connections Victorian Racehorse of the Year The Staging Connections Victorian Racehorse of the Year title is judged on performances on Victorian tracks only during the racing season, irrespective of where the trainer is domiciled. The award was voted on by 54 members of the racing media, with Black Caviar scoring a dominant win for the second year after posting three Group 1 wins and three Group 2 victories from her six Victorian starts. The final votes were as follows; 1. Black Caviar (Trainer Peter Moody) – 156 votes 2. Atlantic Jewel (Trainer Mark Kavanagh) – 56 votes 3. Mosheen (Trainer Robert Smerdon) – 34 votes 4. Dunaden (Trainer Mikel Delzangles) – 25 votes 5. Manighar (Trainers Luca Cumani and Peter Moody) – 12 votes
The remaining votes were as follows – Hay List 11, Pinker Pinker 9, Southern Speed 7, Sepoy 3, Samaready 3, Let’s Be Happy 3, Americain 2, Awakening Dream 1, Helmet 1, Littorio 1.
TVN Most Memorable Moment Award The public were invited to vote via the RV website to determine which of five emotive highlights was the TVN Most Memorable Moment of the 2011-12 Victorian racing season. They determined that Black Caviar’s 19th career win in the Coolmore Lightning Stakes at Flemington in February, when she dropped back from 1400 to 1000 metres on a surprise seven-day back-up to defeat arch rival Hay List, was that moment with 38.3% of the vote. The drama of the closest finish in Emirates Melbourne Cup history was second on 23.2 , pint-sized apprentice Jake Bayliss’ first win was next with 17.5 of the vote, followed by Steve Pateman’s domination of the Warrnambool May Racing Carnival (10.9) and Craig Williams’ winning ride in the Cox Plate aboard Pinker Pinker (10.1).
Scobie Breasley Medal The Scobie Breasley Medal, presented by Tabcorp, is awarded to the most outstanding rider across Victoria’s 116 metropolitan race meetings with votes lodged on a 3-2-1 basis by RV stewards for the rides deemed to be the best at each meeting. After a thrilling battle for the premiership, Luke Nolen and Craig Newitt were expected to renew hostilities in the race for the ‘Scobie’, but it wasn’t to be with Nolen, 32, scoring a comfortable victory.
He amassed 66 votes to defeat the ever consistent Dwayne Dunn by 15 votes, with four-time winner Craig Williams third on 40 votes despite missing the last quarter of the season. The expected challenge from Newitt never eventuated. He finished equal sixth with Nick Hall on 32 votes, marginally behind Ben Melham (35) and six-time winner Damien Oliver (34).
Rounding out the top 10 were Chris Symons (31), Steven Arnold (28) and Brad Rawiller (23). Nolen’s haul of 66 votes – which was two more than he won with last year - included 10 three votes, 13 two votes and 10 single votes. Only two of his votes came aboard Black Caviar.
Tommy Corrigan Medal The Tommy Corrigan Medal, presented by TRP, recognises the season’s most outstanding jumps rider. Votes are lodged on a 2-1 basis by the officiating stewards’ panel at every Victorian and South Australian jumps meeting.
Steve Pateman moved to within one of six-time winner Craig Durden when he claimed his fifth Tommy Corrigan Medal in breathtaking fashion with 53 votes – 40 more than his nearest rival, Irish jockey John Allen.
Rounding out the top five were Gavin Bedggood (12), Brad McLean (11) and Trent Wells (8), all of whom enjoyed feature races success this year in the JJ Houlahan Championship.
