Freelance writer Kevin Blake, who writes for the Thoroughbred Daily News, Attheraces.com and Betfair.com, won the inaugural Specialist Writer Award at the 53rd annual Horserace Writers & Photographers Derby Awards in London on Monday evening. Blake included two TDN submissions, which may be viewed here and here. Held at the Royal Lancaster Hotel and supported for the first time by the Hong Kong Jockey Club, Corals, Ladbrokes and Vertem Asset Management, Racing Post's Lee Mottershead won his second Racing Writer of the Year Award. TDNers Chris McGrath and Alayna Cullen were both nominees in the Racing Writer of the Year and Emerging Talent categories, respectively.
The full list of award recipients is as follows:
- Clive Graham Trophy for Racing Writer of the Year: Lee Mottershead (Racing Post)
- Photographer of the Year: Edward Whitaker (Racing Post)
- Picture of the Year: Patrick McCann (Racing Post
- Alan Lee Trophy for Emerging Talent: Jonathan Harding (Racing Post)
- Specialist Writer Award: Kevin Blake (freelancer)
- Broadcaster of the Year: Lydia Hislop (Racing TV)
- Reporter of the Year: Marcus Townend (Daily Mail)
- Derby Award/Jump Jockey of the Year: Bryony Frost
- Jump Trainer of the Year: Paul Nicholls
- Flat Jockey of the Year: Frankie Dettori
- Flat Trainer of the Year: John Gosden
- Owner of the Year: Andrew Gemmell
- George Ennor Trophy for Outstanding Achievement: Lisa Hancock
- HWPA President's Award: Ruby Walsh
- Arabian Racing Achievement Award: James Owen
For more information on the winners, go to www.hwpa.org.
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