Finalists Announced for 2026 JETS Richard Davis Awards
The finalists for next week’s JETS Richard Davis Awards have been announced today. The winners of these annual career development Awards will be revealed at Warwick Racecourse on Tuesday 3rd November at a special Awards lunch hosted by Tom Scudamore.
The Awards, first held in 1997, offer £7000 in prizemoney and celebrate the career achievements of both current and former jockeys, and this year sees the introduction of a brand new Award category, the IJF Enterprise Award which recognizes jockeys who have demonstrated entrepreneurship, innovation and initiative in starting or developing their own business, freelance career, trade or enterprise activity.
The finalists in the three categories are as follows:
BHA Development Award
Ellis Collier – Conditional Jockey
Ben Macey – Conditional Jockey
Gregor Walkingshaw – Conditional Jockey
IJF Enterprise Award
Andrew Elliott – Tattooing
James O’Farrell - Landscaping
Lilly Pinchin - Clothing
The Jockey Club Achievement Award
Ed Barrett – Rider Coaching
Emma Stephenson – Education in Racing
Brian Treanor - Accounting
ITV Racing Presenter Ed Chamberlin, who joined the judging panel for the Awards for the first time this year, said:
"It was an honour to judge the IJF Enterprise Award but a mighty difficult task. They were an inspiring group of finalists and each of them would have been a worthy winner."
JETS Manager, Rachel Jones, said:
“Entries for this year’s Awards were of an extremely high standard and the judges found it very difficult to select finalists from such a strong list of candidates. What stood out most was the variety of careers being pursued by jockeys, both within racing and beyond it. We were also delighted by the quality of applications received for the new IJF Enterprise Award, particularly as two of the finalists continue to combine race riding with running their own businesses, demonstrating that career development and planning for the future can sit successfully alongside a riding career. We're incredibly grateful to our sponsors for their continued support in helping us celebrate these achievements.
The three Award categories are:
The Jockey Club Achievement Award, worth £3,000 to the winner, is designed to recognise former jockeys who have demonstrated significant achievement, commitment and sustained progression in their chosen career beyond racing. Two runners-up receive £500 each.
The IJF Enterprise Award, worth £2,000 to the winner, to recognise a jockey who has demonstrated entrepreneurship, innovation and initiative in starting or developing their own business, freelance career, trade or enterprise activity.
The BHA Development Award, worth £1,000 to the winner, for currently licensed jockeys who have shown real commitment to their personal and professional development whilst riding or during injury time out.