Latest News

By Mark Brassel

It’s game on this Saturday when Day 1 of The Star Championships at Royal Randwick presents the 12th running of the prestigious Nathan Berry Medal introduced by Racing NSW in 2014.

Australia’s best jockeys including 11 from Victoria - along with riders from Hong Kong and the UK – will be competing over the two days of The Star Championships for the prized Medal.

International-based riders Ryan Moore (UK) and Hong Kong jockeys Zac Purton, Karis Teetan and Andrea Atzeni, who won the Sydney Cup last year on Circle of Fire, will be heading into battle.

And, of course, our own Hugh Bowman will be riding as he chases his fifth win in the Nathan Berry Medal.

A notable absentee is last year’s winner James McDonald who is in Dubai, so he will be giving a sizeable start to his rivals on his return for Day 2 of The Star Championships on Saturday 12 April.

The Nathan Berry Medal is presented to the most successful jockey over the 12 races of The Star Championships, and pays tribute to the former top jockey who passed away in early April 2014.

Nathan was 23 and had great success kicking home 351 winners with his biggest victory being on Unencumbered in the Magic Millions in January 2014.

The Medal point score is determined on a 3-2-1 basis across the 10 Group races along with the Finals of the Country and Provincial-Midway Championships, with the winner announced at the completion of the final Championships race – the Queen of the Turf Stakes – on Saturday 12 April.

James McDonald literally arrived in the shadows of the post to claim the 2024 Nathan Berry Medal in the final The Star Championships event, when Zougotcha scored a nose win in the Group 1-Queen of the Turf Stakes, defeating Blake Shinn on Atishu.

Latest TAB Market
$1.60 Damian LANE
$2.30 James McDONALD
$15 Tim CLARK, Zac LLOYD
$26 Jason COLLETT, Blake SHINN
$51 Tommy BERRY, Tyler SCHILLER
$101+ Others quoted.

Honour Roll
2024 - JAMES McDONALD
2023 - JAMES McDONALD/JOAO MOREIRA
2022 - NASH RAWILLER
2021 - JAMES McDonald
2020 - GLEN BOSS
2019 - HUGH BOWMAN
2018 - BLAKE SHINN
2017 - HUGH BOWMAN
2016 - HUGH BOWMAN
2015 - HUGH BOWMAN
2014 - TOMMY BERRY/JAMES McDonald (tie)

View final fields with full form & race replays for Royal Randwick here