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24 November 2019

Peace Prevails scoops Horse of the Year at Epsom Owners and Trainers Awards

The Jim Boyle-trained Peace Prevails was last night named as the Moss Electrical Epsom Horse of the Year at the 21st running of the glittering Owners and Trainers Awards at Epsom Downs racecourse, organised by Racing Welfare.   Owned by Epsom Equine Spa Partnerships and Mark Aljoe, the 4yo filly is sitting on a 42% strike rate for the season, notching up three wins from seven runs this year.  The win marked a double on the night for Jim Boyle, whose Inside Track Racing Club-owned Hataya took to the award in the four year old and over category – Best Older Horse – sponsored by the Racehorse Owners Association.

Jim and Pippa Boyle accept their award for the Epsom Horse of the Year from sponsor Robert Moss of Moss Electrical

Hosted by Hayley Moore and Martin Kelly, the Owners and Trainers Awards celebrate the achievements of Epsom’s racing community throughout the year and are made up of both points-based awards and those judged by a panel.  In charge of deciding on the award winners this year were of Rishi Persad, Howard Wright and Andrew Cooper.

The awards cover a range of categories across the board with this year’s winners were as follows:

  • Best Two Year Old (Sponsored by Dare to Dream Racing):  Hector Loza; trained by Simon Dow; owned by Robert Moss
  • Best Three Year Old (Sponsored by Shotter & Byers):  The Cruising Lord; trained by Michael Attwater; owned by Monica Teversham
  • Best Turf Horse (Sponsored by J&J Franks):  Pink Flamingo; trained by Michael Attwater owned by Dare to Dream Racing
  • Best All Weather Performer (Sponsored by Arena Racing Company & All Weather Championship):  Mr Scaramanga; trained by Simon Dow; owned by Robert Moss
  • Horse with the Most Wins (Sponsored by Eclipse Barn Racing): JOINT WINNERS-  Chica De La Noche; trained by Simon Dow; owned by Robert Moss; and Regular Income; trained by Adam West; owned by Ian & Amanda Maybery and Partnership

The Special Recognition Award is designed to reward the efforts of a horse whose competitive efforts may otherwise slip under the radar.  This year’s recipient was the game two year old filly Epsom Filly, trained by Pat Phelan, whose first four runs of her career have seen her record two wins and a second for the Epsom Racegoers No2 syndicate.

This year’s Sir David Prosser Award for Epsom’s leading trainer was presented to Michael Attwater, whose successful season saw him regain the title, having last won it in 2017.

  • Michael Attwater collects the Sir David Prosser Award for leading trainer
  • Dare to Dream racing receive the Best Two Year Old title for Hector Loza, trained by Simon Dow
  • Michael Attwater and Monica Teversham take the Best Three Year Old title with The Cruising Lord
  • Members of the Inside Track Racing Club receive their award from Sadie Evans for the ROA Best Older Horse
  • Michael Attwater and the Dare to Dream Racing syndicate collect Best Turf Horse for Pink Flamingo
  • Simon Dow is presented the award for Best All Weather Performer with Mr Scaramanga by George Hill
  • This year’s most winning horse title was a tie between Chica De La Noche (Simon Dow) and Regular Income (Adam West)

This year’s winner of the Stanley Wooton Award was Karen Latchford, secretary and senior work rider to Simon Dow.  The trophy recognises outstanding merit on behalf of Epsom as a racing and training centre and Karen epitomises the spirit of the award fully.  The stead in which Karen is held by the racing community was evident on the night, with the whole room getting to their feet to give her a standing ovation as she took to the stage.

She’s the first on the yard in the morning and the last to leave at night.  She simply runs everything.  You couldn’t run a small business like ours without someone like her.

Simon Dow

Perhaps the most emotional moment of the evening came from Racing Welfare’s Lifetime in Racing Award.  The trophy was one of eight of given out by the charity in different regions around the country this year and this time recognised a true sporting icon in the form of Geoff Lewis.  On hand to present the award were Ian and Andrew Balding, who gave Geoff the beautiful bronze horse-head trophy during an emotional exchange of memories, with both Ian and Geoff recalling the success they shared together through horses like Mill Reef.

Geoff Lewis receives his Racing Welfare Lifetime in Racing Award from Ian and Andrew Balding (photo courtesy of Paul Taylor)

Dawn Goodfellow, Chief Executive of Racing Welfare, spoke of the community spirit in the town during her opening speech on the night, saying,

We are incredibly proud to bring you the 21st running of the Epsom Owners and Trainers Awards, an event which champions Epsom’s racing community.  As everyone in this room will know, Epsom is an incredibly tight-knit training centre and we are here tonight not only to celebrate individual achievements, but also those of Epsom as a whole. The sense of community spirt in Epsom is palpable and we are very happy to be part of the local racing fraternity through our welfare officer Katy Ferguson.