Hosted by racing presenters Alice Plunkett and Luke Harvey, the 
glittering awards ceremony celebrating the achievements
of Jockeys in Britain took place at the Hilton Metropole Birmingham in front of over 400 sporting stars, celebrities and guests.
Champion Flat Jockey Richard Hughes won the first Lester of
his distinguished career tonight and was
voted Stobart Flat Jockey of the Year by his peers after winning his first ever
championship last autumn.
Champion Jump Jockey AP McCoy
increased his overall haul to 20 with two more Lesters. AP McCoy won the At The Races Jump Ride of the Year for his
ride aboard Synchronised in the 2012 Cheltenham Gold Cup and also Stobart Jump
Jockey of the Year for the 16th time.
The Apprentice Jockey of the Year award went to Amy Ryan,
the winner of the 2012 Apprentice Championship.
The Conditional Jockey of the Year was Henry Brooke, the current
Champion Conditional.
Lucy Alexander took the prize for the Prolinx Lady Jockey of
the Year, which marked the first time in the history of the Lesters that two
individual female jockeys had won awards, while Michael O’Connell’s ride on
Qubuh at Hamilton Park in May was voted Racing Post Flat Ride of the Year by
readers of the Racing Post.
It was an emotional evening, with the Arena Racing Company Jump
Jockey Special Recognition Lester being awarded to the late Campbell Gillies
who tragically died while on holiday last year.
The Flat Jockey Special Recognition award was given to
Michael Hills who announced his retirement from race riding last year after a
career spanning five decades and generating over 2000 winners.
Andrew Tinkler,
Stobart Group’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “The Lesters are a fantastic
celebration of the great achievements of our Jockeys, both on the Flat and over
Jumps. The contribution of Jockeys to
the sport of horse racing is hugely valued and we at Stobart are delighted to
play a part in honouring these fine sporting stars.”
FULL LIST OF WINNERS
- Apprentice Jockey of the Year: Amy Ryan
- Conditional Jockey of the Year: Henry Brooke
- Racing Post Flat Ride of the Year: Michael O’Connell
- At The Races Jump Ride of the Year: AP McCoy
- Prolinx Lady Jockey of the Year: Lucy Alexander
- Arena Racing Company Jump Jockey Special Recognition: Campbell
Gillies
- Flat Jockey Special Recognition: Michael Hills
- Stobart Jump Jockey of the Year: AP McCoy
- Stobart Flat Jockey of the Year: Richard Hughes
Photos from the evening can be found on the 'Photos' page of the website.
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