Personality of the Year Award
FITTINGLY jockey Craig Williams and trainer Clayton Douglas shared the Personality Of The Year award for 2022.
For it was the win of three year-old Giga Kick, trained by 27 year-old Douglas and ridden by Williams, in Australia’s riches race the $15m Everest that captured the public’s attention.
Douglas was in just his second season as a trainer after a successful career as a jumps jockey including a Grand Annual Steeplechase win on Gold Medals.
For Williams, a previous winner, it was also fitting as it recognised his truly remarkable off the track exploits supporting the people of Ukraine in their war against Russia. a passion he embarked on as a tribute to his Ukranian wife Larysa and her family.
Not only have they arranged financial assistance, Craig and his wife went to Ukraine to experience first hand the atrocities of war and lend their support,
First awarded in 1979, the VRMA Personality Of The Year Award is one of Victorian racing’s most prestigious awards.
Voted by VRMA members on nominations forwarded by the VRMA committee, most of the great names of Australian racing are past winners including Bart Cummings, Tommy Smith, Lee Freedman, Darren Beadman and Damien Oliver.
In its original format the POTY award was announced at a dinner held at the Southern Cross Ballroom and became a must-attend event for the racing community.
No doubt one of the most controversial winners was in 2012 when an equine hero, Black Caviar was voted in.
Yet no one could deny that the horse, trainer, jockey and connections earned racing more publicity in her glory run of 25 wins than any individual in the past decade and beyond.
The 2015 winner was Michelle Payne for her history making feat of becoming the first woman to ride a Melbourne Cup winner.
Chris Waller, trainer of dual Cox Plate winner Winx and the Sydney record for winners in a seas0n in 2015-16 is the 2016 winner.
In 2017 Udyta Clarke won thanks to the deeds of and devotion to her ace sprinter Rich Charm.
The 2018 winner could not be denied- Team Winx. Trainer Chris Waller, jockey Hugh Bowman and part-owners Peter Tighe and Debbie Kepidis, Richard G. Treweeke shared their champion mare with the public thanks to unprecedented access.
The 2019 award went to Melbourne Cup winning jockey Craig Williams, a media savvy man always conscious of the image of racing.
The latest winner was one of the great sports stories of the year , in fact any year.
No one, least of all Denis Pagan, could have imagined that after coaching North Melbourne to two AFL premierships he would turn his hand to his favourite hobby and within six months of gaining an owner-trainer licence pepare the winner of the Group 1 Victoria Derby with a maiden galloper Johnny Get Angry.
The 2021 award was shared by Jamie Kah who set a Victorian record of 105 winners in the 2020-21 season and the training partnership of Ciaron Maher and Dave Eustace who won a staggering 228 races in Victoria alone, 73 in the city for the season.
2022- Craig Williams and Clayton Douglas
2021- Jamie Kah/ Ciaron Maher and Dave Eustace
2020- Denis Pagan
2019- Craig Williams
2018- Team Winx
2017- Udyta Clarke
2016 – Chris Waller
2015 – Michelle Payne
YEAR | WINNER |
---|---|
2014 | Darren Weir |
2013 | Robert Heathcote |
2012 | Black Caviar |
2011 | Craig Williams |
2010 | Peter Moody |
2009 | Bart Cummings |
2007-08 | Mark Kavanagh |
2004-05 | Jamie Evans |
2003-04 | Glen Boss |
2002-03 | Damien Oliver |
2001-02 | Sheila Laxon |
2000 | George Hanlon |
1999 | Brett Prebble |
1998 | Beverley Buckingham |
1997 | Darren Beadman |
1996 | Bart Cummings |
1995 | Gai Waterhouse |
1994 | The Payne Family |
1993 | Dermot Weld |
1992 | Lee Freedman |
1991 | Bart Cummings |
1990 | Lee Freedman |
1989 | Lee Freedman |
1988 | Jim Cerchi |
1987 | Bill Collins |
1986 | Michael Clarke |
1985 | Tommy Smith |
1984 | John Schreck |
1983 | Darren Gauci |
1982 | Geoff Murphy |
1981 | Joe Brown |
1980 | Colin Hayes |
1979 | Kevin Ryan |