Some of Australia's best riders will battle it out over the next two weeks during The Championships at Royal Randwick in a bid to win the Nathan Berry Medal.
Named in honour of the late jockey, the Nathan Berry Medal is awarded to the most successful hoop over the two days of racing, with a 3-2-1 point scoring system in place across 12 races.
Now into its ninth year, the highly sought-after award is expected to go home with James McDonald for the second-straight year, although Tommy Berry will be looking to do his brother proud, while four-time Nathan Berry Medalist Hugh Bowman will be aiming to win it for a fifth time.
“The Nathan Berry Medal recognises riding excellence during The Championships and honours a highly regarded young man who was enormously popular throughout the racing industry,” said Racing NSW Chief Executive Peter V'landys AM.
“The Nathan Berry Medal is now into its ninth year and is considered one of racing's most valuable and sought-after awards.”
Berry passed away in April 2014, so it is fitting that the award is competed for over The Championships, which are held in April each year.
Points are awarded across the eight Group 1 races run across the two-day carnival, both the Country Championships Final and Provincial-Midway Championships Final, and two Group 2 races on Day 2 of the carnival – the Percy Sykes Stakes and Arrowfield Sprint.
The medal itself is one of the more unique prizes in racing, with a ribbon of light and dark blue which represents the silks worn by Unencumbered, who Berry had a close association with, while it also features the jockey's initials ‘NJB' in the same font that was displayed on his jockey breaches.
NATHAN BERRY MEDAL HONOUR ROLL
- 2021 – James McDonald
- 2020 – Glen Boss
- 2019 – Hugh Bowman
- 2018 – Blake Shinn
- 2017 – Hugh Bowman
- 2016 – Hugh Bowman
- 2015 – Hugh Bowman
- 2014 – Tommy Berry and James McDonald (tied)