Blake Shinn wins second Scobie Breasley Medal

Premiership winning jockey Blake Shinn has added to his stellar season claiming a second win in the Scobie Breasley Medal for riding excellence.

Shinn returned to Victoria last August following a three-year stint in Hong Kong and captured his second ‘Scobie’, 18 years after collecting the coveted prize as an apprentice.

The Scobie Breasley Medal is voted on by Racing Victoria Stewards at all metropolitan meetings on a 3-2-1 basis with Shinn polling 61 votes to lead home 11-time winner Damien Oliver on 39 votes.

The 2022-23 season also saw Shinn collect his first Roy Higgins Medal as the leading Metropolitan Jockey with 66 victories.

New Zealand native Aaron Kuru won the jumps jockeys equivalent to the Scobie Breasley Medal, the Tommy Corrigan Medal.

Cox Plate winner Anamoe was a runaway winner in the Victorian Racehorse of the Year which recognises performances on Victorian racetracks.

The recently retired entire polled 115 votes from a panel comprising media, racecallers and chief handicapper to lead home Alligator Blood (43), Gold Trip (40), In Secret (26) and Mr Brightside (12).

Ciaron Maher and David Eustace claimed a third successive victory in the Fred Hoysted Medal which recognises excellence in training ranks, both on and off the track while also winning both the Victorian and Metropolitan Trainers’ Premierships, landing 266 winners statewide along with the Melbourne Cup.

Carleen Hefel won both the Victorian and Metropolitan Apprentices’ Premierships, Celine Gaudray was voted the Victorian Jockeys’ Associations Rising Star while Daniel Stackhouse was the leading Victorian rider for the season statewide.

Former jumps jockey Clayton Douglas won the Colin Alderson Award which recognises an emerging talent in training ranks under the age of 40.

Only three years into his training career, Douglas last season claimed Australia’s richest race, The Everest, with Giga Kick, one of 11 individual winners for the trainer during 2022-23.

For the first time, the awards ceremony acknowledged Victoria’s Off The Track program.

Louise Abbey was named RV Acknowledged Retrainer of the Year while Jessica Cocks was named the RV Emerging Retrainer of the Year.

Victorian Racing Award winners

Scobie Breasley Medal – Blake Shinn
Victorian Racehorse of the Year – Anamoe
Fred Hoysted Medal – Ciaron Maher and David Eustace
Colin Alderson Award – Clayton Douglas
Tommy Corrigan Medal – Aaron Kuru
VJA Most Valuable Jockey – Daniel Stackhouse
VJA Rising Star – Celine Gaudray
RV Acknowledged Retrainer of the Year – Louise Abey
RV Emerging Retrainer of the Year – Jessica Cocks
Metropolitan Jockeys’ Premiership (Roy Higgins Medal) – Blake Shinn (66 wins)
Victorian Jockeys’ Premiership – Daniel Stackhouse (127 wins)
Metropolitan Apprentices’ Premiership – Carleen Hefel (38 wins)
Victorian Apprentices’ Premiership – Carleen Hefel (85 wins)
Metropolitan Trainers’ Premiership – Ciaron Maher and David Eustace (97 wins)
Victorian Trainers’ Premiership – Ciaron Maher and David Eustace (266 wins)