Brent Lilley secures 7th Trotting Trainer of the Year title

Bolinda professional trainer Brent Lilley has claimed the Trotting Trainer of the Year title for the seventh time at the Victorian Square Trotters Association Awards for 2024.

Lilley trained the winners of 51 races for the year with 25 different horses to lead the pointscore competition with 440 points. Chris Svanosio (297 points) finished second and Jess Tubbs (270) third.

The decorated former NZ horseman also captured the Bob Conroy Award for Outstanding Achievement.

James Herbertson won the Trotting Driver of the Year Award for the first time with 116 winners and 145 placegetters for stakes totalling $779,690. Herbertson tallied up 795 points, followed by Chris Alford (684) and Greg Sugars (322).

The Vicbred champion Commodus and The Redwood winner Vytis tied for the 2YO Male Trotter Award, while the Tatlow winner Gatesys Gem collected the 2YO Female trophy.

Derek The Jet and Keayang Zahara were rewarded for their brilliant, undefeated seasons by taking out the 3YO Male and Female Awards respectively.

The Country Trotter of the Year Award was shared by Astro and Jansu with 58 points, followed closely by Boutika (56). Jansu also collected the Trotting Racemare of the Year trophy.

Superstar trotter Just Believe was awarded the Aged Trotter of the Year after winning multiple Group 1’s on both sides of the Tasman and just shy of $1 million in stakemoney.

The Aldebaran Park stallion Skyvalley collected his second Trotting Sire of the Year Award, while Cashel Dagha, owned by Geoff and Lorraine Barnes’ Balmain Lodge, was adjudged Trotting Broodmare of the Year.

The Trotting Breeder of the Year was won by Pat Driscoll’s Yabby Dam Farms, who bred a record equalling 59 individual winners for the season.

The Award winners with the sponsors in brackets:

2YO Male Trotter of the Year (VSTA & Maryborough Harness Racing Club) – Commodus and Vytis

2YO Female Trotter of the Year (Stawell Harness Racing Club) – Gatesys Gem

3YO Male Trotter of the Year (Cranbourne Harness Racing Club) – Derek The Jet

3YO Female Trotter of the Year (Tony Xiriha Racing Stables) – Keayang Zahara

Chris E. Howe Country Trotter of the Year (Loddon Valley Stud & VSTA) – Astro and Jansu

Aged Trotter of the Year (Ballarat & District Trotting Club) – Just Believe

Trotting Racemare of the Year (Happy Horse Produce) – Jansu

Trotting Sire of the Year (Alabar Bloodstock) – Skyvalley

Trotting Broodmare of the Year (Mildura Harness Racing Club) – Cashel Dagha

Trotting Breeder of the Year (Aldebaran Park) – Yabby Dam Farms Pty Ltd

Trainer of the Year (P. J. & B. J. Rothacker Stockfeeds) – Brent Lilley

Driver of the Year (Evolution Lodge) – James Herbertson

Dick Lee Encouragement Award – Tristan Larsen

Bob Conroy Award for Outstanding Achievement – Brent Lilley

Colin Redwood Award for Consistent Persistency – Ginger Gleeson

Points were awarded on a 5-2-1 basis. The VSTA wishes to give a thank you to Steve Warren for his meticulous work in compiling the pointscore charts for all the awards.

by Peter Wharton for HRV