Williams wins sixth Scobie Breasley Medal
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Champion jockey Craig Williams has swept home in the final month of the 2025-26 racing season to win his sixth Scobie Breasley Medal at tonight’s 2026 Victorian Racing Awards, presented by Gallagher Bassett.
The win comes 20 years after Williams, 49, took home the first of four successive Scobie Breasley Medals won from 2006 to 2009 and adds to his most recent success in 2017.
The Scobie Breasley Medal is voted on by the Racing Victoria (RV) Stewards panel who cast their votes on a 3-2-1 basis at every Victorian metropolitan meeting for the rides they deemed the best of the day.
In a dramatic finish, Williams trailed rival Jamie Mott by one vote after 11 months of the season, before piling on 11 votes in July to claim the medal with 52 votes – five more than second-placed Mott.
The result mirrored the pair’s equally tight battle for the Victorian Metropolitan Jockeys’ Premiership in which Williams also prevailed to claim his 10th Roy Higgins Medal, equalling the number of premierships won by riding great Damien Oliver.
Posting his fifth top three finish in the Scobie Breasley Medal in six years was third-placed Damian Lane (37), who polled strongly despite spending stretches of the season riding overseas. Popular hoop Daniel Stackhouse (31) and star apprentice Luke Cartwright (29) rounded out the top five.
Sportsbet Caulfield Cup (2400m) and Lexus Melbourne Cup (3200m) Champion Half Yours was awarded the coveted Victorian Racehorse of the Year award presented by Evans and Partners to cap an historic season for the horse and his trainers Tony and Calvin McEvoy.
Voted on by a panel of racing officials, journalists and broadcasters, Half Yours commanded the most votes ahead of Chris Waller’s 2025 Victorian Racehorse of the Year Via Sistina (second), with Godolphin-owned three-year-olds Tentyris (third) and Observer (fourth) next in voting.
Team McEvoy were further recognised as the recipients of the Most Outstanding Training Performance award presented by Maddocks for their work in preparing Half Yours to become the just the 13th horse to complete the Cups double.
Voted on by the same panel as the Victorian Racehorse of the Year, the award recognises a Victorian-licensed trainer who has demonstrated excellence in training anywhere globally throughout the season.
Second placed in the voting was Cranbourne trainer Cindy Alderson who prepared Jigsaw to win seven straight races in 2025-26 including a trans-Tasman Group 1 double, the $1 million Ladbrokes Meteorite (1200m) at Cranbourne and $5 million Quokka (1200m) at Ascot.
Pakenham trainers Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman finished third for their efforts with star filly Sheza Alibi who won five races including a pair of Randwick Group 1s, with Ballarat trainer Henry Dwyer placed fourth for guiding globetrotting sprinter Asfoora to Group 1 victories in the UK and France.
Calvin McEvoy was adorned with further praise earlier in the night when he collected the Colin Alderson Rising Star Award presented by Gallagher Bassett. The award recognises a Victorian licensed trainer aged under 40 whose career is on an upward trajectory and who performed with distinction in 2025-26.
Praised for his media engagement and professionalism, Calvin McEvoy played a key role in the family stable preparing 91 winners nationally, including seven Stakes winners, at a strike rate of 18%.
Jamie Mott and Logan Bates collected the two peer-voted awards as the respective winners of the VJA Damien Oliver Most Valuable Jockey and VJA Rising Star as determined by Victoria’s jockey fraternity.
The honours capped a big season for both riders with Bates landing his maiden Group 1, while Mott posted the most winners of his career to claim a maiden Victorian Jockeys’ Premiership with 128 victories.
Luke Cartwright was celebrated for his breakout season which included 70 wins and a maiden Stakes success as he took home both the Victorian Apprentice Jockeys’ Premiership and Metropolitan Apprentice Jockeys’ Premiership for the first time.
The Tommy Corrigan Medal presented by Country Racing Victoria and voted on by RV Stewards on a 2-1 basis for the best rides at every jumps meeting, also saw a first time winner with 23-year-old Dean Parker triumphant in his second full season since moving from New Zealand.
Leading trainer Ciaron Maher continued his domination of the Metropolitan Trainers’ Premiership for which he was awarded the Fred Hoysted Medal for the sixth successive year.
Maher also claimed the Victorian Trainers’ Premiership to end a memorable season that produced 220 winners across the state headlined by the Group 1 successes to Observer, Pride of Jenni, Jimmysstar and Light Infantry Man.
Coghills Creek locals Yona and Nina Lloyd were presented the RV Acknowledged Retrainer of the Year award for their dedication and achievements in preparing retired racehorses for second careers, with 2023 and 2024 winner Louise Abey finishing runner-up.
Following is the full list of awards at the 2026 Victorian Racing Awards presented by Gallagher Bassett:
Scobie Breasley Medal presented by Gallagher Bassett – Craig Williams
Victorian Racehorse of the Year presented by Evans & Partners – Half Yours
Most Outstanding Training Performance presented by Maddocks – Tony & Calvin McEvoy
Tommy Corrigan Medal presented by Country Racing Victoria – Dean Parker
Colin Alderson Rising Star Award presented by Gallagher Bassett – Calvin McEvoy
VJA Damien Oliver Most Valuable Jockey – Jamie Mott
VJA Rising Star – Logan Bates
RV Acknowledged Retrainer of the Year – Yona and Nina Lloyd
RV Acknowledged Retrainer of the Year Runner-Up – Louise Abey
- Metropolitan Jockeys’ Premiership (Roy Higgins Medal) – Craig Williams (65 wins)
- Victorian Jockeys’ Premiership – Jamie Mott (128 wins)
- Metropolitan Apprentices Jockeys’ Premiership – Luke Cartwright (44 wins)
- Victorian Apprentices Jockeys’ Premiership – Luke Cartwright (70 wins)
- Metropolitan Trainers’ Premiership (Fred Hoysted Medal) – Ciaron Maher (104 wins)
- Victorian Trainers’ Premiership – Ciaron Maher (220 wins)