Racing Victoria (RV) and Racing.com are pleased to announce that the 2020 Victorian Racing Awards will be presented live and free-to-air by Racing.com on Wednesday, 26 August at 7.30pm (AET).
Hosted by Jason Richardson and Grace Ramage, the special broadcast will feature 13 awards highlighted by the Scobie Breasley Medal, the Victorian Racehorse of the Year Award and the Fred Hoysted Medal.
The dedicated 90-minute show will be broadcast free-to-air on Channels 68 and 78, on Foxtel Channel 529 and streamed live via the Racing.com digital platforms.
With a physical event not possible due to the impacts of COVID-19, the broadcast enables all within the industry to celebrate the successes of the 2019/20 season from the comforts of their home, with all award winners interviewed by the Racing.com team on the night.
Industry participants are being encouraged to dress for the occasion and engage with the broadcast by posting images of their ‘at home’ celebration to social media with the hashtag #vicracingawards.
The 13 awards presented on the night are summarised as follows:
- The Scobie Breasley Medal, which recognises excellence in riding during the metropolitan flat racing season as voted by the panel of RV Stewards throughout the 2019/20 season;
- The Victorian Racehorse of the Year Award, which recognises the most outstanding racehorse on Victorian racetracks during the 2019/20 racing season, irrespective of where the horse is trained. Voting is open to a selected group consisting of Victorian media, racecallers, members of RV’s handicapping panel and the Chairman of Stewards;
- The Fred Hoysted Medal, which recognises a Victorian based trainer who has demonstrated excellence in the 2019/20 racing season. The recipient of this Award is judged by a panel of industry and media representatives taking into consideration their performances on the track and their overall contribution to the industry;
- The Colin Alderson Award, which recognises a Victorian based trainer with no more than seven racing seasons’ experience who has performed with distinction over the previous 12 months. The recipient of the Award, who is determined by a panel of industry and media representatives, must be no older than 40 years of age at the conclusion of the racing season and may be judged on their performances anywhere in the world throughout the 2019/20 racing season;
- The Tommy Corrigan Medal, awarded to the leading jumps jockey of the season in Victoria and South Australia as voted by the RV and Thoroughbred Racing South Australia Stewards;
- The Victorian Jockeys Association’s Most Valuable Jockey and the Rising Star which are both peer voted awards; and
- The 2019/20 Premiership winners which include the Victorian Jockeys’ Premiership, Metropolitan Jockeys’ Premiership, Victorian Trainers’ Premiership, Metropolitan Trainers’ Premiership, Victorian Apprentice Premiership and the Metropolitan Apprentice Premiership.
Please note that the award criteria for the Fred Hoysted Medal has been altered for the 2019/20 season.
Previously the Fred Hoysted Medal was open to both domestic and international trainers and recognised the standout single training performance of the season.
Following consultation with the Australian Trainers Association (ATA), the award will now recognise a Victorian-based trainer who has demonstrated excellence across the whole season, taking into account their performance on track and their overall contribution to the industry.
This year’s winner will be determined by a committee comprising representatives of the ATA, RV and selected racing media.