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Welcome to the VRMA.
Since 1942, the association has represented racing media across Victoria
VRMA Personality of the Year Awards 2018
WINX has won another race!
This time the connections of four times winning Cox Plate champion Winx shared the prize as ‘Team Winx’ voted VRMA Personality Of The Year for sharing the thrill and excitement of the champion mare with her devoted audience thanks to unprecented access to the major players, trainer Chris Waller, jockey Hugh Bowman, and part owners Peter Tighe and Debbie Kepitis.
Tighe accepted the award cast by VRMA members at the annual luncheon at the Emerald Hotel on Monday November 19. Other finalists who attended the luncheon were jockey John Allen, trainer Tony McEvoy, and Austy and Maree Coffey representing their son, jockey Harry Coffey while the other nominee Bruce McAvaney is on holidays in Japan.
CONGRATULATIONS to Herald Sun Racing Editor Leo Schlink for winning the prestigious Bert Wolfe Award and VRC $1500 Best News story for his outstanding series of articles on the Aquanita scandal.
Fittingly Schlink’s exclusive expose was also a Walkley Award winner in the sports category announced on November 22, the highest accolade for a journalist.
Paul Richards from Winning Post won the VRC $1500 Best feature with an article on trail blazing international jockey Ray ‘Togo’ Johnstone while RSN Racing Pulse presenter Michael Felgate won the Inglis $1000 best breeding contribution.
BLACK Caviar Scholarship winners continue to carve a niche in the racing media and marketing world with 2018 co winner Lewis Willoughby to begin a part-time role with Winning Post in January.
Sydney based Lewis was co winner with Georgie Dennis this year. Past winners are Daniel Nuttall, now a full time Winning Post employee, Conor Walsh, who worked part time at Winning Post, then Country Racing Victoria and is now employed by Essendon Football Club and Jess Moodie who was media and marketing manager at Thoroughbred Breeders Victoria and now works in marketing at TABCORP Gaming Solutions.
ROY HIGGINS MEDAL VOTES CAULFIELD FEBRUARY 23
Nick Quinn
5- H Bowman (Avilius)
4- M Zahra (Qafila)
3- D Oliver (Jamaican Rain)
2- B Melham (Malaguerra)
1- D Dunn (Hartnell )
Leo Schlink
5- D Yendall (Booker)
4- L Currie (Lyre)
3- H Bowman (Avilius)
2- J Allen (Terbium)
1-M Walker (Free Of Debt)
Progressive: (August winner Dwayne Dunn; September Ben Melham; October Craig Williams; November Craig Williams; December Craig Williams; January Luke Currie; February Mark Zahra)
104- C Williams
62- D Lane
59- D Oliver
58- L Currie
57- M Zahra
55- D Dunn
46- B Melham
45- J Allen
41- K McEvoy
37- L Meech
34- H Bowman
28- B Allen* (senior rider now after 28 votes)
24- T Hope*
21- J McNeil, D Yendall
19- J McDonald
17- E Brown*
16- L King*, J Martin*
15- J Childs, R Bayliss
14- R Maloney, M Walker
13- S Thornton*, M Poy*
12- B Mertens*
11- N Callow, C Brown, Z Spain*
10- T Clark
8- C Caserta*
7- J Doyle, P Cosgrave, G Schofield, F Kersley*, S Baster, L Riordan*
6- G Cartwright*, L Nolen, J Eaton*, J Kah
5- C Robertson, J Toeroek
4- M Aitken*, C McFarlane*
3- B Rawiller, M Dee, B Thompson*, D Thornton, S Carr
2- A Darmanin, B Park, T Berry, M Dee, J Bowditch, B Prebble
1- P Moloney, O Murphy, N Punch*, K Nisbet, D Stackhouse, J Maskiell, C Hall*
VRMA Life Member Brian Meldrum completes his Cancer Council golf challenge
Meldrum achieved his aim of playing 72 holes at Huntingdale golf course on one day in eight and a half hours on Friday December 21 logging net scores of 79, 79, 72, and 72. More importantly he raised $6600 from friends and supporters for which he thanks all who contributed.
The feat of endurance and skill was in aid of Cancer Council Victoria’s Longest Day golf marathon, an endurance golf challenge designed to raise much needed funds for world-class skin cancer research.
And so Meldrum fulfilled his aim is to play 72 holes in a day (one for each year of my life so far) .
A site has already been established whereby you can donate to this worthy cause – I am sure all of us at some stage or another have had an experience, either directly or indirectly with cancer in all of its forms – and I, in return, will give it my best shot at getting to sink the final putt on the 72nd hole..
So if you happen to back a winner, or simply want throw a bit of money into something that really will count, call up the following link:
https://longestday2018.everydayhero.com/au/drummer
Your support would be much appreciated.
Sincerely Brian Meldrum
