The 18th Annual Lesters Awards Ceremony, aka horseracing’s party of the year, was this year held at the Hilton Metropole Hotel, Birmingham on Thursday 20 March 2008.
The Desert Springs Resort and Golf Club, the leading European destination for Golf and Luxury Spanish homes, located in Almeria, South East Spain, sponsored the sparkling evening event for the first time as well as the Conditional Jockey of the Year Award.
Over 500 guests, including top flight jockeys from the flat and jumps and along with England under 21 football manager Stuart Pearce MBE and actress Claire King of Emmerdale and Strictly Come Dancing fame, partied and played the night away on the casino, which was sponsored by bookmaker William Hill.
The Lesters Awards were established by The PJA in 1990 by the then Chief Executive Michael Caulfield and Company Secretary, Ann Saunders. The awards are the jockeys equivalent to the Oscars and where their achievements from both the flat and jumps are recognised.
Each Lester Awards category, apart from the Flat and Jump Ride of the Year Award, is decided on voting from the membership of The PJA. Four nominations are made per category, with the winner of The Lester Award receiving the most votes. This year The Flat Ride of the Year was sponsored by The Racing Post with At The Races sponsoring the Jump Ride of the Year Award. This category is decided upon votes cast by readers and viewers of The Racing Post and At The Races respectively, with four nominations put forward initially by the two organisations.
This year and for the first time, the date of The Lesters was changed from mid January to Maundy Thursday, which was a suggestion by The PJA membership. This proved to be popular as there is no racing on Good Friday, and any sore heads the following day had time to be nursed back to good order when racing resumed on the Saturday, therefore establishing Maundy Thursday as The Lesters evening from now on.
The 2008 Lesters Award winners are detailed below, for previous years award winners, please
download this document.
Chief Executive Award - Reg Hollinshead
Apprentice Jockey of the Year Award - William Buick
Lady Jockey of the Year Award - Hayley Turner
The Racing Post Flat Ride of the Year - Paul Hanagan - Fonthill Road, Paddypower.com Sprint Handicap, 13.10.07
Betfair Flat Jockey Special Recognition - Kevin Darley
Weatherbys Bank International Jockey of the Year- Ruby Walsh
Desert Springs Resort and Golf Club Conditional Jockey of the Year Lester Award - Tom O’Brien
At The Races Jump Ride of the Year Lester Award - Andrew Thornton - Miko de Beauchene, Coral Welsh National, 27.12.07
Allied Irish Bank Jump Jockey Special Recognition - Russ Garrity
The Racegoers Club Flat Jockey of the Year - Jamie Spencer
Jump Jockey of the Year - A P McCoy