Top Jockey Receives Major Harness Award
5 December, 2016
Harness
The 2016 recipient of the James Brennan Award was presented trackside at Gloucester Park during the third round of heats for the Inter Dominion to leading jockey Danny Miller who has served Gloucester Park with distinction in a completely voluntary role for more than 20 years.
James Brennan is generally regarded as the father of trotting in Western Australia and was the WA Trotting Association’s inaugural President when the Association was formed in 1910.
In 1985 the WA Trotting Association decided that individuals who made an outstanding contribution to the Western Australian trotting industry should be recognised for their work with the presentation of an award named in honour of the father of trotting in Western Australia.
Pony Trots has been run at Gloucester Park for more than 30 years and in that time drivers of the calibre of Morgan Woodley, Kyle Harper, Aldo Cortopassi, Grant Williams, Dylan Egerton-Green and current juniors in Maddison Brown and Deni Roberts have all come through WATA Pony Trots and made it to the top level of senior ranks.
It is impossible to have races and racing without a steward to run the races and Danny Miller has been the Steward for the WATA Pony Trots for more than 70% of the time the sport has been in operation.
Danny is well-known as a Group One winning jockey having started riding more than 50 years ago and the 69yo shows no signs of slowing down as one of the oldest jockeys still riding in Australia.
Danny has ridden more than 200 Group and Listed placegetters in his career and was aboard when Hall Of Fame legend Northerly won his first Group One race in the 2000 Railway Stakes and at one stage Danny rode for the legendary Bart Cummings.
Despite his riding commitments on Saturdays, when he will be found riding across the State from Ascot to Carnarvon and all points in-between, Danny never misses his stewarding duties at Gloucester Park on a Friday night.
Danny would clearly win a best-dressed award and Western Australia’s young drivers are not only taught respect for those in charge but at the same time they are fans of Danny and in awe of his record and reputation as a jockey.
Alan Parker