Damien Oliver won a record seventh Scobie Breasley Medal and Fiorente, the horse he partnered to a third Melbourne Cup win, was voted Racehorse of the Year at Sunday night’s Victorian Thoroughbred Racing Awards.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Despite missing three months of the season because of suspension and overseas assignments, Oliver polled 58 votes to hold off a fast-finishing Brad Rawiller (44) with Craig Newitt (38) third.
For Oliver, 42, the medal capped a remarkable return from a 10-month ban imposed in November 2012 for a $10,000 bet on Miss Octopussy in October 2010.
Oliver said the black mark had re-ignited his career.
'It was unfortunate the way it happened, but it made me more determined. I didn't want to be remembered for one bad year," he said.
Oliver said his highlights were his first winner back from his ban for trainer Mick Price on Lion Of Belfort at Geelong and the Melbourne Cup win by Fiorente.
The Breasley Medal is voted on by Racing Victoria stewards who cast 3-2-1 votes on the season’s 110 metropolitan meetings.
Oliver won the medal in its inaugural year, 1996, and followed up with wins in 1999, 2001, and 2002-04.
He also won the inaugural Roy Higgins Medal as winner of the Victorian jockeys’ premiership.
'It's a bit overwhelming to win two awards named after two legends. It's a huge honour," he said,
To add further lustre, Fiorente’s Melbourne Cup win gave Oliver his 100th group 1 win, a feat matched in Australia by only George Moore, Higgins and Jim Cassidy.
The Horse of the Year contest was close with Fiorente on 116 votes edging out the world’s highest-rated sprinter Lankan Rupee on 103. They dominated voting with Cox Plate winner Shamus Award a distant third. The Gai Waterhouse-trained Fiorente was retired after a tendon injury in April and will stand at Eliza Park Stud, Romsey, at a fee of $17,600.
The Horse of the Year was voted on by a panel of 47 including racing media, the state’s five racecallers, RV’s handicapping panel and chairman of stewards Terry Bailey.
There was consolation for Lankan Rupee’s trainer Mick Price who won the Fred Hoysted Medal for the most outstanding training feat of the season for the horse’s Newmarket Handicap win.
Price polled 21 votes to narrowly defeat Darren Weir, the state’s premier trainer for 2013-14, Waterhouse and Robbie Laing on 19 votes.
Steven Pateman won a seventh Tommy Corrigan Medal as the most outstanding jumps rider.
Respected RSN form analyst Deane Lester won the Bert Wolfe Media Award presented by VRC chairman Michael Burn.
Contract Racing principal and RV board member David Moodie and wife Jenny won the Thoroughbred Racehorse Owners Association outstanding contribution award.
■ Chad Schofield will lodge an appeal on Monday against a one-month suspension on two charges of causing interference on You’re So Good in the last race at Caulfield on Saturday.
