Finalists for the Richard Davis Awards are Announced
The three finalists for The Jockey Club Achievement Award have been selected by the judging panel for this year’s JETS Richard Davis Awards. The winner and runners-up will be announced on Sunday 19th November at Cheltenham Racecourse along with winners of the IJF Progress Award winner and the inaugural BRS Current Jockey CPD Award.
Adele Mulrennan, Ben Swarbrick and Nicola Woolner were shortlisted from the original set of entries and demonstrate the wide range of careers that jockeys go on to enjoy after race riding.
After attending numerous media training courses provided by JETS both during and after her riding career, Adele Mulrennan landed the role as Raceday presenter for Go Racing In Yorkshire which she describes as her ‘dream job’. Ben Swarbrick was the first former jockey to take part in the BHA Graduate programme, working for the RCA before switching careers to the financial sector where he has gained a Diploma in Personal Financial Planning before securing his current role as Associate Partner for a FTSE 100 company. Nicola Woolner enjoyed a successful riding career in Canada, riding 13 Stakes winners before returning to the UK where she has used her sports background to work as a Partner in the Training & Consultancy business Sport and Beyond.
2017 marks 20 years since the first Richard Davis Award was given in 1997. The Awards are named in memory of Jump Jockey Richard Davis who had started career planning before he was tragically killed in a race fall in 1996. Over 20 years, the Awards have gone from strength to strength showcasing the successful careers that jockeys have developed with the help of JETS.
Commenting on the significant milestone for the Awards in 2017, Richard Davis’ mother Ann Davis said, “We are so proud to have supported The Richard Davis Awards over the past twenty years. Richard was very forward thinking regarding his career, so these Awards seem a fitting tribute to the positive attitude towards career development that so many jockeys have shown over the years. We would like to take this opportunity to thank JETS for their continued support and for all their hard work and generosity.”
The Awards showcase the service JETS provide to jockeys to help them plan for their futures not only once they have retired but importantly whilst they are still riding and as such a new Award has been introduced this year specifically for current jockeys who are working hard on their personal development. The Award categories are:
The Jockey Club Achievement Award is worth £3,000 to the winner and is designed for those jockeys who have significantly achieved in pursuing their new chosen careers. Two runners-up receive £500 each.
The IJF Progress Award is worth £2,000, rewards the early progress of those jockeys who have more recently started out on a new career/training path. The winner will be announced on Sunday 19th November.
The BRS Current Jockey CPD Award, worth £1,000, is a new award introduced for 2017 for currently licensed jockeys who have shown real commitment to their CPD (Continued Personal Development) whilst riding or during injury time out in order to enhance their development as a jockey or to assist with their dual career development. The winner will be announced on Sunday 19th November.
Lisa Delany, JETS Manager, said, “We are very grateful to our new sponsors, The Jockey Club and the British Racing School for their support of these important Awards. JETS has helped jockeys enter a vast range of different careers in which they have thrived and it’s important we continue to recognise that. Personal development is an important part of any athlete’s career so we’re delighted to be moving the Awards on in this milestone year with the introduction of the new CPD Award.”
View full profiles on the 2017 Finalists