Champion jockey Craig Williams has earned his sixth Scobie Breasley Medal, a distinguished award for riding excellence in Victoria.
Williams’ victory occurs 20 years after his inaugural win in 2006, subsequently repeating the feat in 2007, 2008, and 2009. His most recent Scobie Breasley Medal success was in 2017.
The Scobie Breasley Medal is voted on by Racing Victoria stewards, who cast their votes on a 3-2-1 basis at every Victorian metropolitan meeting throughout the season.
Trailing runner-up Jamie Mott by a single vote with one month remaining, Williams sealed his victory by collecting 11 votes in July, finishing five clear of Mott with a final score of 52 to 47.
Despite riding overseas for stretches, Damian Lane finished third on 37 votes, ahead of Daniel Stackhouse (31). Apprentice Luke Cartwright rounded out the top five with 29 votes.
Williams was also acclaimed the leading Victorian metropolitan winner for the season, achieving 65 victories during the 2025-26 period.
Half Yours, the Caulfield and Melbourne Cup winner, was voted the Victorian Racehorse of the Year, an award decided by a panel of racing officials, journalists, and broadcasters.
The Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained stayer Half Yours crossed the line ahead of Cox Plate heroine Via Sistina, followed by the Godolphin-owned pair Tentyris and Observer.
The McEvoy father-and-son training combination also secured the Most Outstanding Training Performance award for their Cups double success. They prepared Half Yours to become the 13th horse to achieve this double, defeating Cindy Alderson for her commendable efforts with Jigsaw, a horse that won seven of its eight starts for the season, including victories in Victoria, New Zealand, and Western Australia.
Calvin McEvoy was presented with the Colin Alderson Rising Star Award, recognising a Victorian licensed trainer under 40 whose career is on an upward trajectory.
Praised for his professionalism and media engagement, Calvin McEvoy played a crucial 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: the Victorian Jockeys’ Association’s Damien Oliver Most Valuable Jockey and the VJA Rising Star, as determined by Victoria’s jockey fraternity.
The honours capped a significant season for both riders, with Bates landing his maiden Group 1 victory, while Mott posted the most winners of his career to claim a maiden Victorian Jockeys’ Premiership with 128 wins.
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, 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 Dean Parker triumphant in his second full season since moving from New Zealand.
Ciaron Maher continued his domination of the Metropolitan Trainers’ Premiership, earning him 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 Group 1 successes with Observer, Pride Of Jenni, Jimmysstar, and Light Infantry Man. Find the best racing odds here.
