The 10-to-1 countdown of Australia’s top racehorse trainers in 2020
Chris Waller, James Cummings, Hawkes Racing and Maher-Eustace are vying for the No.1 training mantle but there were some shock omissions in our top 10 list.
SuperRacing
Don't miss out on the headlines from SuperRacing. Followed categories will be added to My News.
There will no doubt be a fair bit of debate surrounding the 10-to-1 of 2020 Australian trainers with the training teams of David and Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig missing out along Anthony and Sam Freedman and Tony and Calvin McEvoy.
Others who may be considered unlucky to miss out were Mick Price and Michael Kent Jr, Phillip Stokes, Patrick Payne, Lindsey Smith and the Queenslanders Tony Gollan and Toby and Trent Edmonds.
But in the end unfortunately 20 doesn’t go into 10 so here’s how the voting finished.
10-to-1 top Australian Jockeys 2020
10-to-1 top Australian Horses 2020
10 – KRIS LEES
Consistently around the money Kris Lees, as usual, landed his 200-plus winners for the year although Group 1 success eluded him. He was still able to get close to a serious major with the outstanding Mugatoo winning six races during the year, including a hometown Newcastle Cup before a second in The Metropolitan and a sensational fourth in the Cox Plate after racing wide throughout.
TOP HORSE: Mugatoo
9 – MARK NEWNHAM
From a regular rider for Gai Waterhouse to becoming her right-hand man and now a top grade trainer in his own rights, Mark Newnham’s star continues to rise rapidly. In 2020 he only won the one Group 1, with Shadow Hero in the Randwick Guineas, but he was successful in five more Group races and he’s currently an impressive third in the Sydney trainers premiership behind Chris Waller and James Cummings and landed the Villiers-Summer Cup only recently.
TOP HORSES – Shadow Hero, Greysful Glamour
8 – GRANT & ALANA WILLIAMS
One of the major training forces in Western Australia since 2016, Grant and Alana Williams finally struck gold in the east during 2020 with a host of big race winners. The husband and wife team won the All-Star Mile in the autumn with Regal Power, then returned to record their first Group 1 success in Melbourne with Arcadia Queen taking out the Caulfield Stakes and then the Mackinnon, eventually winning four Group 1s for the year and striking at an incredible 30% winners to runners.
TOP HORSES – Arcadia Queen, Regal Power, Inspirational Girl, Tuscan Queen
7 – DANNY O’BRIEN
After his success in the 2019 Melbourne Cup, Danny O’Brien continued his rich vein of winning form into 2020 with Russian Camelot proving to be the stables headline horse. After his SA Derby win, Russian Camelot won the Underwood early in the spring while Miami Bound and the enigmatic Graff were Group 2 winners for the stable. Come Melbourne Cup day 2020, O’Brien couldn’t repeat the heroics of 2019 despite having three runners in the race.
TOP HORSE – Russian Camelot
6 – GAI WATERHOUSE & ADRIAN BOTT
It was business as usual for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, combining to record their first Golden Slipper together with Farnan, who had a stellar two-year-old season. The autumn was also kind to the stable with Con Te Partiro delivering a Group 1 double and Shout The Bar winning the Vinery and later in the year the Empire Rose Stakes.
TOP HORSES – Farnan, Con Te Partiro, Shout The Bar
5 – PETER & PAUL SNOWDEN
Yet another successful year for the father and son Snowden team with King’s Legacy the flag-bearer with Group 1 wins in the Champagne Stakes and ATC Sires’ Produce. Dame Giselle was a four-time Group 2 winner, while there were numerous other Group successes during the year.
TOP HORSES: King’s Legacy, Dame Giselle
4 – CIARON MAHER & DAVID EUSTACE
In a year highlighted by the Cox Plate win of Sir Dragonet, Ciaron Maher and David Eustace showed their diversity as a team, taking out the Grand Annual Steeple and Grand National Hurdle with Ablaze, who last year won Australia’s longest flat race the Jericho Cup. There were also Group 1 wins from Loving Gaby (William Reid) and Etah James (Sydney Cup), along with a host of big two-year-old races including the Magic Millions with Away Game.
TOP HORSES: Sir Dragonet, Loving Gaby, Away Game
3 – JOHN, MICHAEL & WAYNE HAWKES
There is always plenty of confidence in the Hawkes team, and with good reason. The father and son trio had another highly successful year in which they were again a major player in the big races. That was reflected in their 21 Group or Listed race wins with 14 different horses. Ole Kirk stole the show for the team with back-to-back Group 1 victories in the Golden Rose and Caulfield Guineas.
TOP HORSE: Ole Kirk
2 – JAMES CUMMINGS
Couple the famous Cummings name with the powerful Godolphin brand and it’s a blue-chip recipe for success. Cummings had an incredible 36 Stakes winners, with the headline act being star sprinter Bivouac, triumphant in the Newmarket and VRC Sprint Classic. Had three individual Group 1 winners, and another five in Group 2 company.
TOP HORSES: Bivouac, Colette, Trekking
1 – CHRIS WALLER
Another year and another dominant Chris Waller stable. Prepared a phenomenal six individual Group 1 winners of nine races, headed by champion Verry Elleegant’s four successes in the Caulfield Cup, Turnbull, Winx and Tancred Stakes. It is a talent-laden stable when Nature Strip is not your best performer. There were seven other individual Group 2 winners of 10 races and 46 black type winners in total.
TOP HORSES: Verry Elleegant, Nature Strip, Kolding
Originally published as The 10-to-1 countdown of Australia’s top racehorse trainers in 2020