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By Mark Brassel

Champion trainer Chris Waller has won his 13th Bart Cummings Medal in a thrilling finish, announced during tonight’s Racing’s Night of Champions Awards at Royal Randwick.

Waller accumulated 75 points but had to withstand a powerful finish from leading jockey James McDonald (74pts) to scrape home by a mere point.

Trainer Chris Waller - was tonight announced as winner of the 2024 Bart Cummings Medal

The trainer had won 12 successive Bart Cummings Medal but was outpointed last year by champion apprentice Zac Lloyd who this year finished seventh on 45 points.

McDonald had taken the major points (six points) on the final two Saturdays of the season but fell agonizingly short of claiming his first Bart Cummings Medal.

“Congratulations to Chris Waller and his highly professional team for taking out another Bart Cummings Medal and a 14th successive Sydney trainers’ premiership,” said Mr Peter V’landys AM, Racing NSW’s Chief Executive.

“The amazing achievements of Chris Waller are now widely acclaimed not only in horse racing but in sport generally and showcases our state’s racing to Australia and internationally.”

The Bart Cummings Medal point score – honouring the legendary trainer who passed away nine years ago – is comprised of votes from seven leading Sydney racing journalists. Other award winners were:

Chris Waller claimed his 14th successive T.J. Smith Award for winning the Sydney Trainers’ Premiership with 148 wins for the season finishing in advance of co-trainers Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott on 88½ winners and Ciaron Maher (62 wins).

James McDonald won his eighth George Moore Award for winning the Sydney Jockeys’ Premiership with 90 wins for the season, edging out Nash Rawiller (81 wins). McDonald had previously won the 2013/14 (72 wins), 2015/16 (89½), 2018/19 (104), 2019/20 (103.5), 2020/21 (131), 2021/22 (105) and 2022/23 (96) titles.

Zac Lloyd took out his second Theo Green Award for leading Sydney apprentice with 60½ wins for the season defeating runner-up Dylan Gibbons (36 winners) who is now a fully-fledged jockey.

The remaining Racing NSW award winners were: -

Adrian Bott (Caryl Williamson NSW Racing Writers’ Personality of the Year): Fairfax’s Chris Roots said: “A mighty big shadow falls over Adrian Bott in his training partnership with Gai Waterhouse. The first lady of racing has been the face of the sport for more than two decades as an outstanding media performer, alongside being one of the best trainers in the world. Bott joined the unstoppable force in partnership several years ago and has made his own way in the sport. He might not come out with ‘outlandish’ predictions like Waterhouse, but his measured approach is a style of his own, which has earned respect. Adrian handles a massive stable and during a remarkable 2023/24 season where Tulloch Lodge dominated the juvenile ranks, Bott blossomed like the two-year-olds under his scrutiny, always providing time for the media.”

Ashish Kumar (Sydney Strapper of the Year – Bjorn Baker stable): The stable commented: “When Ashish joined our stable in 2017, he was a young man from India with little experience working with horses. Over the past seven years Ashish has shown exceptional growth thanks to his hard work and strong horsemanship skills. He is completely reliable, and we have unwavering trust in him. Ashish doesn’t only handle the ‘Glory Horses’ as he often ends up with some of the more highly strung ones due to his lovely, calm and gentle demeanor; both the horses and the staff respond positively. Ashish is a fantastic example of how it doesn’t matter where you start or who you know in this industry, it’s the work you put in.”

In Flight (BOBS Horses of the Year): The mare by Flying Artie accumulated $78,750 in BOBS bonuses courtesy of five victories during the season at Rosehill Gardens (twice), Gosford (twice) and Royal Randwick. The Joe Pride-trained In Flight finished well clear of six horses on $45,000.

NSW Racehorse Owners award winners were: -

BROADSIDING (Pinpoint Talent NSW Champion Two-Year-Old)
RIFF ROCKET (Inglis NSW Champion Three-Year-Old)
THINK ABOUT IT (Australian Turf Club NSW Champion Sprinter)
FANGIRL (Wild Oaks NSW Champion Miler)
PRIDE OF JENNI (Woppitt Bloodstock NSW Champion Middle Distance Horse)
CIRCLE OF FIRE (GB) (Warren Saunders NSW Champion Stayer)
ZOUGOTCHA (Baumgartners NSW Queen of the Autumn)
FRONT PAGE (Sky Thoroughbred Central NSW Country Champion Horse)
THINK IT OVER (Sky Thoroughbred Central NSW Provincial Champion Horse)
FANGIRL (TAB NSW Champion Horse of the Year)

Final standings for the 2023/24 Bart Cummings Medal: -

75 - Chris WALLER
74 - James McDONALD
68 - Nash RAWILLER
49 - Tommy BERRY
48 - Tyler SCHILLER
47 - Gai WATERHOUSE/Adrian BOTT
45 - Zac LLOYD
39 - Jason COLLETT, Ciaron MAHER
33 - Kerrin McEVOY
32 - Joe PRIDE
24 - Molly BOURKE, James CUMMINGS
19 - Annabel NEASHAM, Peter & Paul SNOWDEN
16 - Dylan GIBBONS, Jay FORD, Josh PARR, Gerald RYAN & Sterling ALEXIOU