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Outstanding apprentice jockey Zac Lloyd has stormed home to claim this year’s prestigious Bart Cummings Medal, announced during tonight’s Racing’s Night of Champions Awards at Royal Randwick.

Lloyd polled a high number of votes over the final month of the season to finish with 81 points, breaking a 12-year grip on the award held by Sydney’s premier trainer Chris Waller who finished third with 62 points.

The training partnership of Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott were runners-up on 64 points.

“Zac Lloyd is an exceptionally talented jockey and is just one of a number of a new generation of remarkable young riders currently competing in New South Wales,” said Mr Peter V’landys AM, Racing NSW’s Chief Executive.

“Zac has enjoyed a highly successful season where he also won the Sydney apprentices’ premiership but to beat the 12-time Bart Cummings Medal winner Chris Waller highlights the enormous magnitude of the win. Congratulations are extended to Zac and his racing family.”

Zac Lloyd [pictured left] steered home 76 city winners in his first Sydney racing season, and it’s been four decades since an apprentice has ridden more winners dating back to champion rider Wayne Harris when he landed 86 wins during the 1980/81 season.

The Bart Cummings Medal point score – honouring the legendary trainer who passed away eight years ago – is comprised of votes from seven leading Sydney racing journalists.

Other award winners were:

Chris Waller claimed his 13th successive T.J. Smith Award for winning the Sydney Trainers’ Premiership with 139 wins for the season finishing in advance of co-trainers Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott on 71 winners and James Cummings (70 wins).

James McDonald won his seventh George Moore Award for winning the Sydney Jockeys’ Premiership with 96 wins for the season finishing well clear of apprentice Zac Lloyd (76 wins). McDonald had previously won the 2013/14 (72 wins), 2015/16 (89½), 2018/19 (104), 2019/20 (103.5), 2020/21 (131) and 2021/22 (105) titles.

Zac Lloyd took out his first Theo Green Award for leading Sydney apprentice with 76 wins for the season defeating runner-up Dylan Gibbons (72 winners) in a closely fought tussle over the last few months of the season.

The remaining Racing NSW award winners were: -

Dylan Gibbons (Caryl Williamson NSW Racing Writers’ Personality of the Year): Fairfax’s Chris Roots said: “Dylan carried the expectation of being one of the best young prospects in the saddle into last season and lived up to nearly every expectation, except his cherished goal of the apprentice title. His battle with Zac Lloyd was enthralling as the title chase lead changed many times. Dylan rode like a senior on the track and was an outstanding performer off it in interviews. His win on Explosive Jack in the Sydney Cup was the highlight of his season and he thought of everyone except himself post-race: ‘Just the pure joy of knowing that not only is it a great moment for me, but for everyone who has helped me get to this point. I’m sure they’re enjoying it as much as I am’, he said. This sums up an outstanding young man – modest, humble and a winner.”

Phylisha Doyle (Sydney Strapper of the Year – Chris Waller stable): The stable commented: “Phylisha looks after a 20-horse barn at our Rosehill stable and oversees our top 40 colts and geldings during trackwork. She is a very capable horsewomen and is regularly seen at the races looking after some of our colts and younger horses. Phylisha has a great work ethic and is always putting her hand up to help; having recently gone over to run the Warwick Farm stable in the absence of our regular foreperson. She has a very bubbly personality and always puts a smile on everyone’s face. Our stable is very lucky and pleased to have her with us.”

Insurrection (BOBS Horses of the Year): The gelding by Russian Revolution accumulated $78,750 in BOBS bonuses courtesy of three successive wins at Royal Randwick during June and July. The Michael Freedman-trained Insurrection snatched the title from Bjorn Baker’s Iowna Merc ($73,125) just a couple of days out from the end of the season.

NSW Racehorse Owners award winners were: -

Shinzo (City Tattersalls Club NSW Champion Two-Year-Old)
Giga Kick / In Secret (Inglis NSW Champion Three-Year-Old(s))
Giga Kick (Australian Turf Club NSW Champion Sprinter)
Anamoe (Wild Oaks NSW Champion Miler)
Anamoe (Woppitt Bloodstock NSW Champion Middle Distance Horse)
Durston (GB) (Highclere & Sire Custodians NSW Champion Stayer)
Atishu (NZ) / Sunshine in Paris (Carrazzo Consulting NSW Queen(s) of the Autumn)
Opal Ridge (Sky Thoroughbred Central NSW Country Champion Horse)
Icebath (NZ) (Sky Thoroughbred Central NSW Provincial Champion Horse)
Anamoe (TAB NSW Champion Horse of the Year)

Final standings for the 2022/23 Bart Cummings Medal: -

81 - Zac LLOYD
64 - Gai WATERHOUSE/Adrian BOTT
62 - Chris WALLER
61 - James McDONALD
48 - Dylan GIBBONS
46 - Nash RAWILLER
45 - James CUMMINGS
31 - Tim CLARK
28 - Jason COLLETT, Tyler SCHILLER
27 - Hugh BOWMAN
20 - Annabel NEASHAM
18 - Kerrin McEVOY
16 - Tommy BERRY, Reece JONES